Our Staff
Stephanie Amaro
Practice Administrator
Stephanie Amaro serves as the Practice Administrator at Vascular Neurology of Southern California. She began her career as a Medical Assistant in 2015 and, over time, has developed a curiosity and passion for the administrative duties necessary to operate a successful medical practice. Stephanie’s responsibilities include the comprehensive oversight of day-to-day operations at VNSC’s Thousand Oaks, West Hills, Lancaster, and Las Vegas locations. She contributes to the expansion of the business by opening new office locations, hiring and training new staff members, credentialing physicians so that they may provide healthcare to our patient demographic, and establishing formal processes within the office to maintain an efficient work environment.
Stephanie supervises the company’s Medical Assistants; she ensures compliance with certification guidelines like OSHA, HIPAA, and FMLA. She manages billing and assists in complex insurance discussions, oversees the company payroll, sick leave, vacation requests, and overall staff and patient satisfaction.
Stephanie was initially drawn to healthcare because she enjoys helping patients coordinate their healthcare. She finds satisfaction and fulfillment in contributing to the healing process of our patients. Having been in the field for the entirety of her professional career, she understands how difficult it is for patients to navigate the nuance of medicine. Because of this, she is exceptionally compassionate and dedicated to the quality of healthcare VNSC provides.
Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and their toy poodle Coco in her spare time. They absolutely adore being in nature and specifically enjoy camping at Lake Cachuma.
A fun fact about Stephanie is that she is not afraid of heights and loves rollercoasters and bungee jumping.
Nicole Mercado
Clinical Research Coordinator
Nicole Mercado serves as a Clinical Research Coordinator for Vascular Neurology of Southern California. Her role involves screening and administering informed consent for potential research participants, adhering to research protocol and guidelines, submission to the Institutional Review Board, reporting adverse events, organizing participant data and follow-up visits, managing daily clinical trial activities, and supporting the Principal Investigator. Nicole graduated with high honors from the University of California Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Biology. She is a tenacious and compassionate person who loves to learn. Nicole is an aspiring doctor herself and hopes to gain as much knowledge as possible about the medical field. When she isn’t hard at work or studying, she enjoys painting and rock climbing. A fun fact about Nicole is that she has been to all seven continents of the world.
Ashley Molina
Medical Assistant
Ashley Molina serves as a Medical Assistant at Vascular Neurology of Southern California. She began her career by obtaining a license in medical assisting in 2015 and has been working diligently in the field since. Ashley was inspired to enter the medical field by her family; she has many relatives who are physicians and other health care professionals. She is passionate about her career and wants to provide excellent patient care. She aspires to be as helpful to the patients she serves as she would like her family members to be treated.
Ashley likes to babysit, hike, go to the beach, and listen to music in her spare time. A fun fact about Ashley is that she travels to Mexico City often as most of her family lives there. Ashley loves going to Disneyland, and her favorite movie is Nightmare Before Christmas.