Tell us a little about your background/training.

I earned my Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. I completed my training in pediatrics and child neurology at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center. I then completed a fellowship in sleep medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Montefiore Medical Center. I am a nationally recognized key opinion leader in the sleep space, specifically within central disorders of hypersomnolence. My research is focused on the interaction between sleep and wellness/disease with a particular interest in neurologic disease.

‍

Why did you choose neurology? What interested you most about this field? 

I have a very personal reason for choosing neurology as a field. My mother has multiple sclerosis. She was diagnosed when I was 5 years old, about 6 months after having my brother. She was confined to a wheelchair due to her deficits. At the time the knowledge of this disease was more limited and her suggested outcome seemed bleak and she recounts feeling hopeless and abandoned by her healthcare providers. Growing up, my mother used a mind-over-matter approach and did not seek care for her symptoms. I promised myself that I would never allow another family to have that same journey and have fully invested myself into improved access and care with the patient at the center of the journey. 

‍

What is especially fascinating about pediatric neurology, especially related to headache disorders in that population?

Headache in pediatrics can take many shapes. Sometime early in life headaches come in other system equivalents such as abdominal pain, vomiting and even has been suggested to be related to neonatal colic. These issues commonly run in families and the most incredible thing that can be done many times for these patients is recognizing the diagnosis, partnering with them on their journey and improving behavioral strategies that help empower the patient and family to be in control of the disorder, rather than feel controlled and disabled by the symptoms.

‍

What have been the things you are most proud of in your career?

• Top patient experience award. This is awarded to less than 10% of physicians in the country, rated greater than 90 percentile through Press Ganey review
• Golden Apple Teaching award – by my residents in excellence in education 
• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society nomination and induction – nominated for excellence in teaching, patient care, scholarship and professionalism
• Development of multiple community based initiatives focusing on improved access and comprehensive care for children and adolescents

‍

What have you learned from your patients that has helped you become a better doctor?

Patients don’t want to disappoint their doctors. Sometimes they provide responses they think we want to hear and not the disability they are really experiencing. This has helped me to ask the questions that matter to the patient, not just the ones that matter to me.

‍

What are you most excited about regarding your role at Neura?

Advancing neurology delivery by putting the patient in the driver’s seat and breaking down access barriers, creating improved opportunity to follow the patient longitudinally and improve identification and intervention in a timely fashion.

‍