Our Providers

Meet UPG’s Healthcare Providers & HIV Specialists

Uptown Physicians Group’s HIV Specialist ^TM physicians and providers are dedicated to delivering exceptional medical care. Specializing in comprehensive and compassionate medical care for individuals living with HIV, as well as offering a broad range of general primary care services, our healthcare professionals are committed to ensuring that every patient receives the highest standard of care.

At Uptown Physicians Group, we take pride in our healthcare professionals’ unwavering dedication to improving the lives of those we serve and their role in leading the way in HIV medicine and general primary care.

View all our services here. Office location, hours, and contact information for appointments and questions can be found here.

Dr. Donald Graneto, Medical Doctor, HIV Specialist

Donald A. Graneto, MD

Dr. Graneto works to keep Dallas healthy – one patient at a time – by creating individual health plans customized to each patient’s unique needs. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine before moving to Dallas. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern, and is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. His areas of interest include preventive medicine, general primary care, HIV treatment, health information technology, and optimizing management of chronic medical conditions.

Family Practice
HIV Specialist ™
D Magazine Top Doctors 2015

Dr. William Hays, Medical Doctor, HIV Specialist

William Anthony Hays, MD, ATC, LAT

Dr. Hays grew up in Iowa and then relocated to Arkansas with his family while he was in high school. He later attended the University of Arkansas for his undergraduate studies and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with an emphasis in Athletic Training. He is currently Board Certified in Athletic Training and also licensed in the State of Texas as an Athletic Trainer. He attended California University of Pennsylvania and received a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science with an emphasis in Performance Enhancement and is certified as a Performance Enhancement Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Dr. Hays attended Medical School at Ross University School of Medicine and completed his residency training in Family Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Regional Programs in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He is an avid HOGS fan, and his interests include HIV Medicine, Sports Medicine, along with Wellness and Primary Care Medicine.

Family Practice
HIV Specialist ™

Dr. David Lee, Medical Doctor, HIV Specialist

David M. Lee, MD

Dr. David M. Lee grew up in Princeton, TX. He attended the University of North Texas, where he graduated summa cum laude. He graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston with honors. His residency in Internal Medicine was at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, where he remains an active member of the medical staff. He specializes in general Internal Medicine and HIV Medicine, and he is credentialed by the American Academy of HIV Medicine as an HIV Specialist™.

Internal Medicine
HIV Specialist ™
Dallas Voice Readers Voice Award Winner 2013-2019

Taylor Schmidt, MD

Taylor Schmidt grew up in Elmore City, Oklahoma, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2012 with a degree in history. He then moved to Dallas, Texas, for medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and graduated in 2017. His education continued at UT Southwestern with a residency in Internal Medicine in 2020 and a fellowship in HIV Medicine in 2021. He was awarded with a national clinical fellowship from the HIV Medical Association in 2020. His interests include HIV primary care and prevention, general internal medicine, and transgender medicine.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing the piano, reading biographies, running at the Katy Trail, learning new recipes, and spending time with family.

Vanessa Bludau, Family Nurse Practitioner

Vanessa Bludau, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Vanessa Bludau, FNP-C, was born and raised in Texas. She attended Texas Tech University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with honors (Sigma Theta Tau). She graduated in 2012 with her Master of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Texas Woman’s University with a GPA of 3.9. Vanessa is certified through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and is licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

In her free time, Vanessa enjoys working out and spending time with her Golden Retriever, Hunter.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Family Nurse Practitioner

Jessica Chu, Certified Physician Assistant, HIV Specialist

Jessica Chu, MPH, PA-C

Jessica Chu, MPH, PA-C, grew up in Greenville, MS. She made her way to Texas to attend Southern Methodist University and graduated in 2015 Cum Laude with a degree in Biological Sciences. She graduated in 2017 with a Master in Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Texas Health Science Center and then went on to earn her Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2019. She is credentialed by the American Academy of HIV Medicine as an HIV Specialist.

Jessica strives to provide collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based care to her patients. Her interests include community advocacy and education, HIV medicine, and gender-diverse care. In her free time, she enjoys international travel, cooking, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her cat and two rat terriers.

Master of Public Health
Certified Physician Assistant
HIV Specialist ™

Richard (Rick) Ornberg, Nurse Practitioner, HIV Specialist

Richard (Rick) Ornberg, DNP, APRN, FNP-C

Rick is passionate about providing inclusive, patient-centered, holistic primary care to his patients. He completed nursing school at the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. He worked as a nurse in the emergency department at multiple Level I trauma centers. Rick then earned his Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Texas Wesleyan University. His doctoral project studied the use of alternative, mindfulness-based, and holistic interventions to manage chronic pain. After graduation, he worked in an addiction and recovery facility as a primary care provider. He is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as well as credentialed by the American Academy of HIV Medicine as an HIV Specialist ^TM.

Rick grew up in Chicago before relocating to Dallas where he has lived for over 30 years. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family and three pups.

Doctor of Nursing Practice
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Family Nurse Practitioner
HIV Specialist ™

Kristina Schmidt, Family Nurse Practitioner, HIV Specialist

Kristina Schmidt, APRN, FNP-BC

Kristina Schmidt has a passion for providing patient-centered, up-to-date medical care, where she focuses on treating the whole person, not just their illness. Kristina provides inclusive primary care to all her patients, including people living with HIV, transgender, and gender-diverse persons. When not working, she enjoys playing with her dog, Luna, traveling with her husband, Steffan, reading novels, playing board games, visiting the lake, and baking.

Kristina was born and raised in the DFW area, where she lived until attending Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition before attending nursing school and obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She worked as an emergency department nurse at several Level I Trauma and Certified Burn emergency centers prior to pursuing further education. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. After graduation, she worked at a large urban hospital as a Nurse Practitioner on the HIV/Infectious Disease inpatient and outpatient teams for over two years.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Family Nurse Practitioner
HIV Specialist ™

Jason Vercher, Certified Physician Assistant, HIV Specialist

Jason Vercher, PA-C

Jason Vercher, PA-C, grew up in Pineville, Louisiana. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in Biology. He completed his Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2016, where he was ranked in the top 5 of his class. He is also a member of the Pi Alpha National Honor Society for Physician Assistants. His interests included HIV treatment and prevention, health maintenance, and preventative medicine. Jason enjoys partnering with patients to help them create innovative ways to engage in their health.

Certified Physician Assistant
HIV Specialist ™