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92NY’s Goldman Center for Children and Family provides an exceptional array of programs designed to support children at every stage of their development.
Stacey E. Rosen, MD
Dr. Jennifer Ashton, MD; Linda Henry
Dr. Jennifer Ashton—the Chief Medical Correspondent at ABC News covering breaking medical news for Good Morning America and GMA3: What You Need to Know—discusses the importance of prioritizing your health and wellbeing.
Donna Seminara, MD; Jill Sonnenklar, PhD; Penny Stern, MD (moderator)
Many of us are juggling work and family life while caring for a loved one in need, whether a spouse, partner, child, parent, or friend. Finding balance in your own life while caregiving is essential to providing the best care to another. This panel explores the everyday stresses of caregiving and how best to meet them, while offering important tips for self-care.
Soteri Polydorou, MD; Jeanne Morley, MD; Nitzan C. Roth, MD, PhD
Having a glass of wine or a beer may help you unwind at the end of the day. Consuming alcohol in moderation also has some health benefits, such as protecting against heart disease. However, drinking too much can have a wide range of negative effects on your emotional and physical health, including liver disease. Our experts discuss current trends in alcohol use, the truth about health benefits, and the risks at play when alcohol use turns into misuse.
Stacey Rosen, MD is the Senior Vice President for the Katz Institute for Women’s Health (KIWH). She is a leading expert in the field of cardiovascular disease in women’s health. Dr. Rosen oversees the development and coordination of a comprehensive and integrated approach to women's health services at Northwell Health. In this role her mission has been to focus primarily on the elimination of health care disparities through comprehensive clinical programs, gender-based research, community partnerships and education. She has been a practicing cardiologist for over 30 years. Stacey is Partners Council Professor of Women’s Health and Professor of Cardiology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
Dr. Rosen has recently co-authored the book, Heart Smart for Women: Six S.T.E.P.S In Six Weeks to Heart-Healthy Living, published in October 2017 and the Spanish version of the book, Un Corazón Saludable PARA La Mujer Moderna”, Seis P.A.S.O.S. En Seis Semanas Para Mantener La Salud Del Corazón, published January 2019, and has co-produced her first documentary titled MsDiagnosed which premiered at the Cinequest film festival on March 7, 2020.
She has served as a longtime volunteer for the American Heart Association with leadership positions at the local, regional and national levels and has been and has been a national spokesperson for the AHA’s Go Red for Women Movement. She served as a member of the AHA national committee 2016-2018 and served as the President, Board of Directors, Eastern States for the AHA. In 2018 she received the AHA’s Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award. Dr. Rosen was named the American Heart Association’s (AHA) 2021 Physician of the Year, the organization’s highest honor given annually to a physician who has made outstanding accomplishments in the field of cardiovascular disease.
Follow Stacey on twitter @DrStaceyRosen
Dr. Jennifer Ashton is ABC News’ Chief Health and Medical Correspondent. As part of the ABC News medical unit, she reports on major health and wellness issues across all ABC News platforms. She also reports the latest breaking medical news for “GMA3: What You Need to Know,” informing viewers about how to stay safe and healthy during the pandemic and beyond.
Ashton has been at the forefront of ABC News’ COVID-19 coverage, recently visiting the NIH Vaccine Development Lab, reporting on their SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development and the White House, meeting with Vice President Pence and White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx. Dr. Ashton also interviewed National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Before joining ABC News, Dr. Ashton was the senior medical correspondent for CBS News and appeared on The Early Show and CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. In 2010, she traveled to Haiti with a medical team, treating victims of the earthquake for eight days and shared her experiences on CBS News. She was also a co-host on the syndicated talk show, The Doctors, for 3 years, a regular expert guest on The Dr. Oz Show and has appeared on TLC and PBS.
Dr. Ashton is the author of 6 books, the most recent being The New Normal, which was released last February as well as her most empowering and motivating books, Life After Suicide and The Self Care Solution.
Dr. Ashton’s works have been recognized by the American Heart for her work as a women's health advocate, The Girl Scouts, The OctoberWoman Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness, the Policemen’s Benevolent Association Medal of Honor for providing emergency medical care to injured Englewood police officers, the city of Englewood for heroic service to Haitian earthquake victims, and she was awarded a Columbia Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for Excellence in Journalism.
She is double board-certified in OB-GYN and obesity medicine and has a master’s degree in nutrition, making her the only physician with a national media platform who is also credentialed in nutrition. Dr. Ashton received her medical degree from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and her post-graduate training in women’s health and surgery at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City. She currently lives in NYC & Connecticut with her two children and maintains a private medical practice in New Jersey where she treats girls and women of all ages.
Linda Henry is the CEO of Boston Globe Media, a 150 year-old modern media company that includes The Boston Globe, boston.com and STAT News. Linda is also a partner in Fenway Sports Group, a four-time Emmy-award winning television producer, the founder of GlobeDocs Film Festival, an investor in the WNBA, and a co-Guinness World Record Holder.
Civically, Linda is a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a Trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, Chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and Chair of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, is on the board of The Engine at MIT, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on The Women’s Foundation of Boston, The Shorenstein Center, and the BC CEO Club as well as helping out on many advisory boards.
She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Babson College, her Masters Degree in Real Estate Development from MIT, and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School. She received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Babson College in 2019.
Dr. Donna Seminara is a Board-Certified Internist and Geriatrician with 30 years of clinical experience in private practice. She also enjoys positions of academic leadership being the current Director of the Division of Geriatrics at Northwell Health’s Staten Island University Hospital. In this role she is Medical Director of one of NYC’s largest Medical Home Visit Programs and is the former Program Director of its Geriatric Fellowship Program. She is also currently the Medical Director of Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center – Staten Island’s largest not-for-profit skilled nursing facility.
Dr. Seminara has served her profession and community in multiple roles. She is current Chair of NYC Community Board 2’s Aging Committee. She is past president of the Richmond County Medical Society, Academy of Medicine of Richmond, NY Chapter of the American College of Physicians and has served on the national Board of Governors of the American College of Physicians. She has received numerous national, state, and local honors including Mastership in the American College of Physicians and several awards from the Richmond County Medical Society – most recently for her service on the Staten Island Incident Command Center for COVID 19 where she was an advocate for the challenges of nursing home populations and homebound older persons. She has numerous citations over the years in Castle Connolly Medical/NY Magazine Best Doctor issues. She has authored several professional papers and is in the process of authoring a chapter in a professional text on long term care issues. Dr. Seminara is a tireless advocate for patients and her community. Her experience as a geriatric thought leader and as a leader of community-based programs and projects makes her a valuable resource for today’s discussion on “Caring for your Loved Ones throughout the Generations.”
Dr. Sonnenklar is a Senior Psychologist within the Northwell Health System. Her role in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics includes providing individual, family, and group therapy. She runs the Family Group Treatment Program for Children with ADHD and their Parents at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center. Through this program, parents learn skills to parent children with ADHD symptoms. Children learn skills to manage symptoms, control emotions, enrich coping techniques, develop problem solving skills, improve social interactions, and enhance functioning.
Dr. Sonnenklar has a private practice in which she specializes in the treatment of ADHD, parenting issues, family issues, stress, trauma (including PTSD), and anxiety disorders. She has been trained in CBIT (Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics) and has experience working with tic disorders.
Dr. Sonnenklar was the Director of the Crime Victims Program in the Division of Trauma Psychiatry. She is one of the co-authors of SPARCS (Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress), a manualized treatment for adolescents who experienced trauma. She continues to treat trauma within her private practice.
Dr. Sonnenklar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Hofstra University School of Medicine. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from St. John’s University, a M.A. from St. John’s University, a M.A. from Boston University and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Penny Stern MD, MPH, FACPM, FACOEM is the Chief, Preventive & Lifestyle Medicine at the Katz Institute for Women’s Health and the Department of Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology, and Prevention at Northwell Health. Dr. Stern is physician oversight for the Northwell’s Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine, where she maintains a Lifestyle Medicine practice, and is the Co-Chair of Northwell’s CME/IPCE Committee. She is also a past president of the Faculty Council of the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Deeply involved in public health education, she routinely presents to dozens of community and workplace groups each year through the Katz Institute, as well as at various Northwell site under the auspices of the Employee Wellness Team. She is a facilitator and speaker throughout Northwell Health for Unconscious Bias training as part of the Center for Equity of Care and has presented numerous Unconscious Bias workshops. Dr. Stern earned her MD with special distinction for research in neuropathology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Medical Society. As part of her residency training in Preventive Medicine at Cornell, she earned her MPH at the Columbia (now Mailman) School of Public Health. She completed an additional residency in Occupational Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Stern maintains appointments at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and at Weill-Cornell and taught medical students at Cornell for over two decades. Dr. Stern is board-certified and is a fellow of both the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). She is also New York State-certified in medical acupuncture. She is an experienced medical editor and journalist, having worked in television, on-line, and print. In those capacities, she published hundreds of medical news articles for both consumer and professional audiences. Dr. Stern is a Past President of the New York Occupational & Environmental Medicine Association (NYOEMA) and the Queens County Medical Society (QCMS) and holds a number of positions in ACPM, ACOEM, and QCMS.
Soteri Polydorou, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry. He also serves as Medical Director of Addiction Services for Northwell Health. Dr. Polydorou provides oversight of all licensed New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) inpatient and outpatient programs in Psychiatry, leads the development of an Addiction Medicine section in General Internal Medicine, and partners with departments across Northwell focusing on excellence in substance use disorder clinical care, research, and education. He serves on various governmental and professional committees tasked with supporting the delivery and organization of addiction treatment. In addition to Dr. Polydorou’s leadership responsibilities, he remains a committed practicing physician providing compassionate addiction medicine clinical care. Dr. Polydorou is dedicated to ensuring highly effective treatments for substance use disorders are available and accessible to all in need of care. His interests also include public policy initiatives on addressing substance use disorders, treatment expansion, and education.
Dr. Jeanne Morley is a Primary Care Physician in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Northwell Health, with special interest in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder. In response to the many barriers patients face when trying to access specialty care for problem drinking or depression, she has championed models to bring patient centered treatment directly to patients where they receive their primary care. Dr. Morley has worked with the National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), and the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Support (OASAS) on research and clinical initiatives to develop and implement evidenced based interventions for treating depression and alcohol use disorder as part of normal Primary Care. Dr. Morley is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Feinstein Institute for Biomedical Research. She has a robust Internal Medicine practice at the Goldman Family Care Center for the past 25 years, where she also regularly engages in the supervision, teaching and mentoring of Internal Medicine residents and medical students.
Nitzan Roth, MD PhD joined Northwell Health in 2018 to help build the new liver transplant program at North Shore University Hospital. She is the Director of the Women’s Liver Health Program in conjunction with the Katz Institute for Women’s Health. Dr. Roth is experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of liver diseases and in the evaluation and care of patients with advanced cirrhosis, liver cancer, or acute liver failure, both pre- and post-liver transplantation. Her special interests include prevention and multidisciplinary treatment of alcohol-associated liver diseases; evaluation and management of chronic liver disease during pregnancy and pregnancy-related liver diseases; and long-term health maintenance of liver transplant recipients.
Dr. Roth completed her undergraduate degree at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and received her MD and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Southern California. She completed her Internal Medicine residency training and Gastroenterology fellowship at the Los Angeles County – University of Southern California Medical Center (LAC-USC) from 2011-2017 prior to moving to New York to complete an additional Advanced and Transplant Hepatology fellowship at the Mount Sinai Medical Center from 2017-2018. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Transplant Hepatology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Society of Transplantation (AST), and the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS). Dr. Roth presents novel findings annually at society meetings and has published articles and book chapters on topics including alcohol-associated liver disease and portal hypertension.
Jill Kalman, MD
Jean Cacciabaudo, MD; Maria Avila, MD; Bella Grossman, PhD; Tara Narula, MD (moderator)
No matter your age, it’s never too early or too late to start taking care of your heart. Women face unique coronary issues related to life stages including menstruation, pregnancy and menopause, and risk factors that can impact us more than they do men. There are even some conditions related to heart and brain health that are seen almost exclusively in women. It’s important to understand your own risk and take steps to keep your heart healthy. Northwell Health clinicians lead a critical discussion on risk factors, how they can contribute to the onset of heart disease and coronary disorders, and what you can do to best protect yourself.
Rafael A. Ortiz, MD; Noah Rosen, MD
Your heart and brain are more closely linked than you might think. Your heart pumps the blood that carries oxygen to your brain. And many of the risk factors that lead to heart disease can cause brain disorders, including stroke. Migraines, too, may increase a woman’s risk for heart disease. Learn more about the heart-brain connection, and the critical steps you can take to keep both healthy and vital.
Jill Kalman, MD is the senior vice president and chief medical officer and deputy physician-in-chief.
Dr. Kalman joined Northwell in May 2014 as associate medical director in the office of the Chief Medical Officer, and as the associate medical director at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. She later served as the executive director of Lenox Hill Hospital and was responsible for the quality of patient care, safety and day-to-day operations. Under Dr. Kalman’s leadership, Lenox Hill elevated its reputation as a regional, national and global destination for top quality tertiary care. She and her team significantly expanded the breadth of clinical programs, successfully recruited physician talent and grew patient volume. She was instrumental in successfully leading the Lenox Hill response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its recover efforts and achieving 91st percentile in the most recent Workforce Engagement Survey. Lenox Hill also received the coveted Magnet status last year for its commitment to nursing excellence.
Dr. Kalman was also the medical director for the office of patient and customer experience for Northwell Health, in which she lead the initiative for the physician’s role in the patient experience.
Dr. Kalman is an expert in congestive heart failure and has published extensively in that area. She began her career on the faculty at Mount Sinai Hospital. She also started and developed the Heart Failure Program at Beth Israel Medical Center and was subsequently recruited to New York University Medical Center as director of the Cardiomyopathy Program and chief of cardiac services of Tisch Hospital.
In 2007, she returned to Mount Sinai as the director of the Cardiomyopathy Program , where she oversaw quality, patient safety and health care delivery initiatives, broadly across the medical center. She was the physician leader for readmission reduction initiatives, and the medical director of the Preventable Admissions Care Team (PACT), an innovative transitional care program that focuses on complex patients and their psychosocial drivers of readmission. Dr. Kalman has dedicated her career to improving the quality and quantity of life in patients with all stage of heart disease and has extensive experience managing patients with advanced heart disease.
After graduating with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kalman received her medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency, chief residency and cardiology fellowship at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, including a research fellowship in heart failure and cardiac transplantation.
As Medical Director of Huntington Hospital, Dr. Cacciabaudo, oversees Medical Staff, Quality, Medical Education, Radiology, Pharmacy and the Clinical Laboratory, Pathology and Blood Bank. She works collaboratively with nursing and hospital leadership in overseeing patient safety issues and standards of care at the 220-bed community hospital. She is proud of her team as Huntington Hospital is the only 5 Star CMS Hospital in Suffolk County. She has been a spokesperson for the American Heart Association for over 20 years and was a member of the Eastern States AHA Board of Directors. Throughout her career, she has been involved in research on the diagnosis and prevention of heart disease in women.
Previously, Dr. Cacciabaudo served as Medical Director of Peconic Bay Medical Center, Southside Hospital’s Chief of Cardiology and Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s Associate Medical Director. Under her leadership at Southside Hospital, she worked with the multidisciplinary team that brought open heart surgery and advanced complex cardiac care to the Bay Shore community. In 2019, she received the United Hospital Fund Excellence in Health Care Award for championing quality improvement. She also received the Northwell Health President’s Award in 2016 for Team Innovation. She chaired the Physician Engagement Committee in Northwell Health Physician Partners and brought physician star ratings and comments to the internet so that patients can have insight into what other patients are saying about their physicians.
Dr. Cacciabaudo received her medical training at New York Medical College and served as intern and resident at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where her training also included clinical fellowships in hypertension and cardiology.
Dr. Maria Avila is an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist at Northwell Health, caring for patients with end stage heart disease that may require advanced therapies such as heart transplantation or implantation of a mechanical heart pump. Dr. Avila’s areas of interest include cardiogenic shock, mechanical circulatory support, heart transplantation and cardiac disease in women.
Dr. Avila was born and raised in Colombia. After completing medical school training in Colombia she moved to Boston, USA to continue her training. During her time in Boston, she had the opportunity to work in research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She also completed her internal medicine residency at Tufts University School of Medicine/Steward Carney Hospital. Subsequently, Dr. Avila moved to FL where she completed a cardiology fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center and advanced heart failure training at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Bella Grossman is a Senior Clinical Psychologist at Katz Institute for Women’s Health and Zucker Hillside Hospital Geriatric Outpatient Mental Health Clinic. Dr. Grossman received her doctorate from the New School for Social Research and has had experience treating individuals with a range of mental health conditions. Dr. Grossman’s recent clinical work has focused on integrated behavioral health care services, the mind-body connection and women’s health care.
Dr. Tara Narula is a board-certified cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, an Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra/Northwell and a CBS News Senior Medical Correspondent. She also serves as the Associate Director of the Women’s Heart Program at Lenox Hill Hospital. She contributes to various CBS News broadcasts and platforms including CBS this Morning, CBS Evening News, CBSN and CBS Sunday Morning. She has been a frequent contributor to O, Oprah Magazine. She joined Lenox Hill Heart & Vascular Institute of New York in 2010 and provides outpatient consultative care. She is additionally board certified in Nuclear Cardiology, Echocardiography and Internal Medicine. After graduating from Stanford University with degrees in Economics and Biology, she was founder and CEO of her own small business, Sun Juice Inc. Subsequently she obtained her medical degree at USC Keck School of Medicine where she graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha Society Honors. Dr. Narula completed her residency in internal medicine at Harvard University/Brigham and Women's Hospital and her fellowship training in cardiology at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Narula is currently a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC). She serves as a member for both the NYC Go Red for Women Committee and is a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association. She is a recipient of the 2019 WomenHeart Nanette Wenger Award for Media and the Super Doctors Award for NYC 2014-2022. Her interests include women’s health and prevention.
Rafael A. Ortiz, MD is the Chief of Neuro-Endovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuro- Radiology at Lenox Hill Hospital and for Northwell Health’s Western Region. Dr. Ortiz is Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Radiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and serves as the Chair of the Communications and Marketing Committee at Northwell Health Physician Partners.
Dr. Ortiz completed his residency in neurology and fellowship in stroke/neuro-critical care at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. In 2006, he moved to New York City to complete fellowship training in interventional neuro-radiology and endovascular surgery at the Hyman-Newman Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Roosevelt Hospital, where he served as attending physician and director of the fellowship program until June of 2012.
Among his numerous accolades, Dr. Ortiz was honored with a Proclamation by the New York State Senate in 2012 for his dedication to community education and outstanding patient care. More recently in the fall of 2020, Dr. Ortiz gained a new title of Incoming President of the NYC Board of Directors of the American Heart Association. From 2016 to 2021, Dr. Ortiz has been selected to the New York Super Doctors list for all 6 consecutive years. In 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 he was named as Castle Connolly Top Doctor and New York Times Top Doctors. In 2019, Dr. Ortiz was nominated by his peers as a finalist for the Truly Awards for leadership. In 2010 he received The American Heart Association's Young Heart Award for achievements in Cardiovascular Science and Medicine and also the American Heart Association’s Tu Corazon Latino Award for dedication to patient education and community health. In 2013, he was recognized as one of the Men of the Year in the City of New York by El Diario La Prensa newspaper. In 2014 and 2015 respectively, he received the Leadership and Vision Award of the American Heart and Stroke Association and the Latino Trendsetter Award.
Dr. Ortiz specializes in endovascular (interventional) treatment of cerebral aneurysms, embolization of brain tumors and vascular tumors of the head and neck region, cerebral and spinal arteriovenous malformations, treatment of craniofacial vascular lesions (venous, lymphatic, AVMs, hemangiomas) in adults and children, stenting of carotid artery stenosis, as well as revascularization procedures for acute stroke. He is known for his dedication to community education, patient satisfaction and outstanding patient care.
Dr. Noah Rosen M.D. FAHS FANA has been a headache specialist since 2003. He is an Associate Professor in Neurology and Psychiatry at Zucker School of Medicine and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is board certified in 4 areas: Neurology, Psychiatry, Pain Management and Headache Medicine and is the Director of the Northwell Headache Center. He currently is the Residency Training Director of Neurology at Zucker SOM Northwell Health Medical Center in Great Neck, New York and has previously been the Fellowship Director for Headache Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. He is also cochair of the Academic Headache Program Director Consortium of the American Headache Society, sits on the board of the American Headache Society and on the board of the UCNS (United Council of Neurologic Subspecialities).
His major research interests are in Headache Comorbidities including Psychiatric and Psychological Issues, access to subspecialist care and validating educational activities. He has additional interests in using technology to improve healthcare outcomes and empower consumers self determination, national healthcare advocacy issues and medical education.
Elaine M. Schaefer, DO
Farzeen Firoozi, MD; Bethany DeVito, MD; Jennifer McKelvey, PhD; Jill M. Rabin, MD (moderator)
An annual well-woman visit is essential to maintaining good health. It also offers an opportunity to talk with your doctor about any concerns you might have. But some women feel embarrassed to express their concerns, even with their own doctors. Our panel of experts tackles the topics all women should know about, from leaky bladders and urinary infections to sexual discomfort and pelvic pain, in this open, inhibition-free forum.
Cindy Cen, MD; Swetha B. Dasari, MD; Nina S. Vincoff, MD (moderator)
Most women experience changes in their breasts during their lifetime, most of which are not cause for alarm. Regular check-ups, mammograms, and familiarity with how your own breasts look and feel can help you monitor your breast health. But what if something seems different? Our experts discuss breast changes — what’s normal and what’s not — and the follow-up steps and tests that will allow you to stay proactive.
Stacey E. Rosen, MD
Elaine M. Schaefer, DO is a graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her undergraduate studies at New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Sciences degree. Dr. Schaefer trained at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, New York at the Department of Family Medicine during her residency. She also served as Chief Resident. Dr. Schaefer holds certifications from the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians in Family Practice and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment. She has been practicing outpatient Family Medicine for Northwell Health, South Shore University Hospital in Bayshore New York since 2010. She currently services as an Associate Medical Director for the Medicine Service Line. She is also a member of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health.
Farzeen Firoozi, MD is the System Director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at the Department of Urology at Lenox Hill Hospital. Dr. Firoozi is an expert in laparoscopic and robotic surgery for pelvic floor reconstruction. His clinical interests include urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, complex reconstruction of the lower urinary tract, and management of complications of vaginal and lower urinary tract surgery. After completing his urology residency at Albany Medical Center, Dr. Firoozi completed his fellowship at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic, with specialization in male and female voiding dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, overactive bladder and neuro-urology — one of few fellowships formally recognized by both the American Board of Urology and American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Firoozi has pioneered, innovated and published new methods for the treatment of combined pelvic organ prolapse. In addition to performing the first ever reported transvesical Laparoendoscopic Single Site Surgery (LESS) for the management of vaginal mesh complications, Dr. Firoozi gained extensive experience with robotic and laparoscopic reconstructive surgery while at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Firoozi has presented at numerous national and international meetings, and won multiple awards for his work. He is an active member of the American Urological Association, International Urogynecology Association, and the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology.
He has been published in leading national and international journals including The Journal of Urology, Urology, The British Journal of Urology, Urologic Clinics of North America, European Urology, and the International Urogynecology Journal. Dr. Firoozi has also written many book chapters for some of the leading editors in his field.
Dr. Firoozi has recently published two textbooks, Female Pelvic Surgery and Interpretation of Basic and Advanced Urodynamics.
Dr. Bethany DeVito has been part of the Northwell Health GI Faculty since 2004. She is currently the Medical Director of Northwell Health Endoscopy Center of Long Island and the Associate Chief of GI of North Shore/LIJ Hospitals. Her main focus of interest are on women’s GI health, colon cancer screening, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and GERD.
Jennifer McKelvey, PhD is a clinical psychologist and is currently the Director for the Adult Outpatient Psychiatric Department at Zucker Hillside Hospital. She completed her education at Hofstra University and her clinical training at Bellevue and as a Harvard Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Her primary experience is around treating anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Over the past two years, she has given multiple presentations on Stress Management, Schizophrenia, and general mental health, as well as being a guest speaker for Northwell Health on MSG for the NY Islanders’ Mental Health Day.
Jill M. Rabin, MD, FACOG, is Vice Chair for Education and Development, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwell Health and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. A Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Rabin is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Urogynecologic Society and the International Continence Society. In addition, she is an active researcher, consultant, frequently invited lecturer and media spokesperson. Dr. Rabin holds eight patents and one copyright for urogynecologic medical devices. Widely published, she has authored four books on women’s health including the recently published Mind Over Bladder: a Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Continence. She also acts as reviewer and editorial board member for a number of journals, including the International Journal of Urogynecology and the Journal of Patient Experience.
Dr. Rabin is a member of the Division of Urogynecology and Female Pelvic Medicine and a practicing urogynecologist for over three decades with many patients referred throughout the northeast. She has a particular interest in patient and medical education, diagnostic challenges, conservative treatments for pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence as well as in medical devices which she has helped develop and patent.
Dr. Cindy Cen is a board-certified, fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist. She received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Harvard, and attended medical school at NYU. She completed her surgical residency at Northwell which included dedicated time for basic science and led to numerous peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national conferences. She returned to NYU for breast surgical oncology fellowship, then ultimately joining the surgical oncology practice at Northwell.
Dr. Swetha Dasari is the Director of Women’s Imaging at Phelps Hospital at Northwell Health and Assistant Professor of Radiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
Dr. Dasari is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and then subsequently the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. She then completed a fellowship in Women’s Imaging at Magee Women’s Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh.
Following fellowship, she began practicing breast imaging and intervention at Northwell Health in Long Island, where she served as Medical Director of Northwell’s largest outpatient breast imaging site at the Center For Advanced Medicine in New Hyde Park, NY.
She then moved to Westchester and took on the role of Director of Women’s Imaging at Phelps Hospital. Her daily work includes interpreting mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and breast MRIs as well as performing image guided breast biopsies and localizations.
Dr. Nina Vincoff is the Vice Chair for Patient Experience and the Division Chief of Breast Imaging for the Imaging Service Line at Northwell Health, and Assistant Professor of Radiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
Dr. Vincoff is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, both undergraduate and medical school. She completed her residency in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of California San Francisco, where she was Chief Resident. This was followed by a Diagnostic Ultrasound fellowship at UCSF.
Dr. Vincoff is the first to hold the title of Vice Chair for Patient Experience at Northwell Health. In this role, she develops and executes patient experience initiatives across the 23 hospitals and 19 ambulatory imaging centers of Northwell Health in New York City and suburban Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties. At the national level, Dr. Vincoff is a member of American College of Radiology Patient and Family Centered Care Commission, Co-Chair of the ACR Patient and Family Centered Care Patient Engagement Committee, and Chair of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria Patient Engagement Subcommittee.
In her role as Breast Imaging Division Chief, Dr. Vincoff oversees the clinical, academic and research activity of the Northwell Health Division of Breast Imaging, which is comprised of more than 30 subspecialized breast imaging radiologists.
About the Katz Institute for Women’s Health
The Katz Institute for Women's Health knows that women’s health needs are unique and provides a healthcare connection focused on the continuum of care over a woman’s life span. Our network of women’s health experts work to promote this vision by raising the standards of excellence in patient-centered women’s health care. The Resource Center is available to answer questions related to women’s health and schedule appointments with members of the Katz Institute: (855) 850-KIWH (5494).
By registering for this event, you’ll be enrolled as a member of the Katz Women’s Circle, our community of women’s health and wellness advocates. This free membership gives you direct access to new insights from our experts, invitations to special events and even a little swag.
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