Our Team of Elite Providers
Celestial Care’s provider team includes the very best medical professionals in their disciplines. Our patient-centered model empowers providers to prioritize patient care above all other considerations. And our leadership and administrative team members are here to support our providers in the delivery of prioritized patient care.
Cofounder, Owner & President
Sarah Heffernan graduated from Idabelle Firestone School of Nursing with honors in 1982. During nursing school she worked in the hospital as a CNA, which is when she realized she loved caring for the sick. During her 28-year career, her clinical experience has focused on Critical Care Nursing, including P.C.U., E.R., P.A.C.U. and kidney/liver transplant units. Sarah also has taught peritoneal dialysis at various facilities, and eventually entered private duty home health as a nursing supervisor. In 1997, Sarah was a co-founder of Celestial Care.
Owner & Vice President of Operations
James Heffernan has devoted his entire career to nursing, having worked in management and leadership roles that included oversight of nursing and caregiving services. He has had responsibility for large teams that delivered both acute and sub-acute care in settings such as assisted living, rehab, skilled nursing, hospital, hospice, in-home and even corrections. He previously served as Celestial Care’s director of nursing, and he now oversees operations for the company.
Medical Director
Raised in the Scottsdale/Paradise Valley area, Dr. Lakin has been “at the head of his class” since graduating first in his class of 6,000 at Arizona State University in 1983. A philosophy major in the Honors Program, he was recipient of the prestigious Mouer Award for outstanding scholarship and was the first person in the history of that university to earn a coveted spot at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore MD.
Dr. Lakin performed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa’s hospital and clinics, among the premiere internal medicine programs in the country. There, he excelled at the highest levels of clinical scholarship, achieving among the highest scores in the country on his board examinations.
The Michigan native joined his father in private practice in 1990, and continues to head-up Scottsdale’s Paradise Valley Medical Clinic. Dr. Lakin is consistently recognized as a Phoenix Magazine Top Doctor.
Staffing Manager
Administrative Assistant