Our Team
Dr. Jeannine Rodems M.D. FAAFP
Board Certified Family Medicine
Jeannine Rodems, MD, FAAFP, is a board-certified family medicine physician who brings more than 25 years of experience to Santa Cruz Direct Primary Care. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz (go Slugs!), and completed her medical degree at the UCLA School of Medicine with her residency through the UCLA Family Medicine Residency program. She has been an active member of the local physician community in Santa Cruz County for several years. She has been the past president of the Santa Cruz County Medical Society. She has been very active with the California Academy of Family Physicians, having been a previous member of their board of directors, and served as a past president of the Santa Cruz – Monterey — San Benito CAFP Chapter. When she is not working with patients, she enjoys theater, gardening, and walking her dog, Shadow. She is married and has one daughter.
Dr. Rodems believes in advocacy for her patients, listens to their concerns and issues, and helps to guide them through the sometimes scary environment of medicine today. She believes that Family Medicine physicians need to return to focusing on the patient, their family, and the social determinants of health for their patients — be the center or medical home for their patient's care. She believes in using evidence-based care, but tailoring that care to the specific needs of each individual patient, considering the context of their family, living environment, and their community
Adam Yarme M.D.
Board Certified Family Medicine
Adam Yarme, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician who has served the community of Santa Cruz, California for 15 years. Devoted to revitalizing the doctor-patient relationship, he is inspired by Direct Primary Care and its opportunities for fostering meaningful connections with patients. Through a combination of evidence-based medicine, well-honed clinical intuition, and experience, Dr. Yarme finds joy assisting patients to make healthier choices in their lives, relieving their suffering, and reconnecting them with a sense of purpose and happiness.
Dr. Yarme graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed the MAHEC Family Medicine Residency in Asheville, North Carolina, and remains an active member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
When he’s not treating patients, Dr. Yarme can be found playing music at farmer's markets, cycling around town, and lounging about with his family and labradoodle. He lives in Santa Cruz, California, with his wife and two children.
Neel Palakurthy D.O.
Board Certified Internal Medicine
Dr. Neel Palakurthy is board certified in Internal Medicine. He grew up in Iowa and attended Carleton College in Northfield, MN for his undergraduate degree in Biology and Biochemistry. After a few other forays, he eventually ended up at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine to obtain his Doctor of Osteopathy degree. After training in Cleveland, OH at Metrohealth Hospital Case Western Reserve residency program, he moved with his family to Santa Cruz, CA. He has been working for the Dignity Health medical system since 2018 primarily as an Internal Medicine clinic physician with intermittent work at Dominican hospital.Dr. Palakurthy’s philosophy of medical care centers around his belief that in most instances, our bodies move towards health. The doctor’s job is to encourage patients to adopt healthy habits that enable the body to heal and regulate itself. As such, a healthy mind, body, and spirit are critical to overall wellness.
His personal interests are reading good books and articles, cycling, hiking, and watching professional sports. Dr. Palakurthy lives in Santa Cruz with his wife and two young children.
Molly Duisenberg, Medical Assistant
Molly Duisenberg, CCMA, is new to the practice, having recently graduated from the CTEP (Career Technical Educational Partnership) program through the County Office of Education. She has been working for the past 15 years for a local non-profit, as a one-on-one aide to medically-fragile individuals with special needs in our community. Her education prior to CTEP includes an AA through Cabrillo College and a BA in Health Sciences from San Jose State.
Molly grew up in Santa Cruz and has a great appreciation for this part of the world, with the desire to raise her family here. When not working, she can be found in the garden, tackling home improvements, playing on the beach or hiking with her husband, son, and dog Jimmy Stewart “Stu”.