PDIC Officers and Members
2021-2022 Officers
Monica Amoo-Achampong, MD, PGY2
- Co-President
Diversity in pediatrics is important because children should grow up knowing doctors who look like them and can relate to their unique backgrounds. I believe in mentoring, networking, and community building to ensure the success of individuals underrepresented in medicine. The work of the Diversity and Inclusion Council attracted me to CHONY and I am always impressed by the consciousness and commitment that my co-residents bring to the program.
Sheneiza Moore, MD, PGY2
- Co-President
As an immigrant woman of color in the medical field, I believe that medical education should demand more than just a mastery of diagnosis and treatment. To practice medicine well demands a knowledge and empathy of the diverse backgrounds of the patients that we treat daily. I hope to use my position as one of the co-vice presidents of the Pediatric Diversity and Inclusion Council to help create a residency program that reflects the community we serve while also ensuring our program values the cultural differences that diverse physicians and faculty bring to the table.
Nicole McLean, MD
- Co-Vice-President
As a first-generation American, born in Brooklyn, NY to Guyanese parents, I was raised to appreciate diversity. Throughout my education, particularly during my training at Howard University, I was fortunate enough to be taught by, and beside, people from a variety of backgrounds. On my path to pediatrics, I participated in many pipeline programs with similar missions to that of the PDIC; these programs instilled confidence which has prepared me to use my understanding—and willingness to understand—to advocate for all of my patients and their families.
Iqra Akram, MD
- Co-Vice-President
I am a PGY-3 pediatric resident at NYP-Columbia, a first-generation immigrant, and the first physician in my family.
Growing up, I did not see many people in medicine who looked like me, which was disheartening and isolating. However, along this journey, I’ve had the invaluable opportunity to connect with and learn from individuals of all walks of life. These experiences have funda- mentally shaped me to become the person and resident I am today. As authors Liz Fosslein and Mollie West Duffy stated, “Diversity is having a seat at a table, inclusion is having a voice,
and belonging is having that voice heard.” It is only through diversity and inclusion that we can foster belonging and serve our fellow humans in the best way possible.
Shyam Desai, MD,
- Secretary
Minorities must function both within the dominant culture as well as within their own cultures, and it is because of this unique duality in perspective that I feel that minority voices are invaluable at each level of decision making, from individual patient care to structural healthcare management. To allow for such diversity in perspective, we must recruit doctors at all levels of training who mirror our patient population in background, identity, and race. My experiences in- and outside of medicine have reinforced my belief that minority students need to see individuals who look like them in careers that were historically unavailable to them. I feel strongly that it is the responsibility of our council and our allies to educate others on the necessity of anti-racism efforts. I am eager to continue to learn about these topics from fellow members and faculty, and to help us all better understand our roles in the collective agenda toward diversity and inclusion.
Surya Manickam, MD
- Resident Community Engagement Liaison
Every child, everywhere deserves the opportunity (and belief) that they can become anything they want to be. Unfortunately, with the inequities in our systems both domestically and globally, this is far from true. Wealth, race, sexual orientation, gender identification, and other institutional and social norms bar children from this ideal. When we fail to represent our communities as we build resident, faculty, and health administration leadership, we fail our patients by not providing them the relationships and role models they deserve to grow into whoever they'd like to be. Diversity matters so that we can live in a more equitable world, one where every difference is highlighted so that we might advance into a greater whole. It is up to us, some of whom benefit from these inequities, to be allies in an effort to realize this ideal.
Anoushka Sinha, MD, PGY3
- Resident Scholarly Liaison
I believe that a critical part of our training as physicians should entail learning about and addressing issues of injustice in medicine. I am grateful to the Pediatric Diversity & Inclusion Council for making space for uncomfortable but necessary conversations, and I hope my involvement as scholarly liaison will spur me to continue to grapple with these questions, listen deeply to my colleagues and patients, and advocate effectively for health equity.
Lisa Ditchek, MD
- Resident LGBTQ Liaison
Diversity has always been important to me and has enriched my life. Growing up in Brooklyn and attending public high
school taught me from a young age the importance of surrounding yourself with others who have different lived experiences from my own. Through my education and residency, this has only rang more true. The times I spend with others who aren’t like me, the more I learn and grow as a person. I am committed to the ideals of inclusion and in my current and future career apply these principles every day.
Patrice Pryce, MD (Critical Care)
- Fellow Liaison
Ensuring diversity and inclusion has always been a passion of mine. As the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, and as a black, female physician, I have a firsthand understanding of its importance in society and medicine. Throughout my academic career, I remain dedicated to transforming clinical training and empowering those underrepresented and allies to address the environmental and social factors that influence the health of populations disproportionately affected by diseases and policies. Through my experiences, I can attest that MSCH values it's anti-racist credo and inclusivity. I am proud to be a part of this institution and excited to help improve upon a foundation dedicated to combatting racism and bias in medicine.
Amanda Esteves, MD, (General Pediatrics)
- Fellow Liaison
I am a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion as it is integral to the fabric of our society. I believe that it is critical that healthcare institutions are held accountable to upholding the tenants of diversity and inclusion to ensure equitable healthcare outcomes and I am proud to be a part of the PDIC's efforts to do so.
Emily Mace, PhD (Pediatric Immunology)
- Research Faculty Liaison
My laboratory’s research focus is on understanding how innate immune cells develop and the role that this process plays in human health. I am grateful for the work that the PDIC does to promote anti-racist practices in medicine and medical training and to increase inclusion and equity in our institutions. I am a passionate advocate for increasing the representation of historically under-represented persons in academic research and look forward to working closely with the PDIC and our research trainees, faculty, and staff to foster a healthy, just, and equitable research community.
Jacqueline Outlaw, MS
- Lead Administrator
We are a “product of our experiences,” and many of the experiences I have had in the last five years as a member of the Pediatric Diversity and Inclusion Council have been particularly powerful, and have influenced my thinking, values, and interests. Through professional and personal immersion, my commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives is stronger than ever. Working with people from various backgrounds and helping progress the mission of the council brings out the best in me.
Members
Residents
Iqra Akram, MD
Monica Amoo-Achampong, MD Gav Apfel, MD
Arsenoi Asfour, MD
Samrie Beshah, MD
Serina Bsales, MD
Doreen Chang, MD
Estefania Chavez, MD
Michelle Corkrum, MD
Abbey Dallas, MD
Shyam Desai, MD
Lisa Ditchek, MD
Sarah Frantz, MD
Brigitta Gehl, MD
Shari Gurusinge, MD
Erin Hannon, MD
Kathryn Hensche, MD
Nabanita Hossain, MD
Maya Kailas, MD
Olivia Kan, MD
Joanna Kinney, MD
Lisa Lavelanet, MD
Surya Manickam, MD, MSc
Nicole McLean, MD, MPH
Brandon Mogrovejo, MD
Sheneiza Moore, MD
Pamela Nunes, MD
Daniel Pahl, MD
Victoria Robinson, MD
Berni Schor, MD
Anoushka Sinha, MD, MS
Danielle Steinberg, MD
Lindsey Szymanski, MD
Aishwarya Thakur, MD
Matthew Theoharakis, MD
Katrina Thornburgh, MD
Tiffany Truong, MD
Russ Valle, MD, MS
Blake Wall, MD
Ameila Warshaw, MD
Faith Williams, MD
Sanford Williams, MD, MS
Teddy Wohlbold, MD, PhD
MengMeng Xu, MD, PhD
Jennifer Yao, MD
Pediatric Neurology Residents
Juan Duran, MD
Pediatric Fellows
Zaynah Abid, MD, MPH
Elorm Avakame, MD
Evianna Cruz, MD
Sophia Berger, MD
Senayit Demie, MD
Ezinne Emeruwa, MD
Amanda Esteves, MD
Julen Harris, MD
Claire Hennigan, MD
Nadir Ijaz, MD
Qais Karim, MD
Francesca Kingery, MD
Alexandra Linder, MD
William Patten, MD
Patrice Pryce, MD
Natasha Ramsey, MD
George Ru, MD
Samiksha Tarun, MD
Andrea Webster, MD
Faculty
Wanda Abreu, MD
Priyanka Ahimaz, CGC
Francis Akita, MD
Sarah Ann Anderson, MD, PhD
Kwame Anyane-Yeboa, MD
Linda Aponte-Patel, MD, FAAP
Dominique Bailey, MD
Sumeet Banker, MD, MPH
David Bell, MD, MPH
Evelyn Berger-Jenkins, MD, MPH
Erika S. Berman-Rosenzweig, MD
Jocelyn Brown, MD
Steve Caddle, MD
Alexandra Canetti, MD
Marina Catallozzi, MD, MSCE
Hetty Cunningham, MD
Almaz Dessie, MD
Valerio Dorrello, MD, PhD
Amanda Estevez, MD
Cristina Fernandez, MD, MPH
Ilene Fennoy, MD
Benjamin Hooe, MD
Rebecca Hough, MD, PhD
Candace Johnson, MD
Ganga Krishnamurthy, MD
Divya Lakhaney, MD
Leonardo Liberman, MD
Mary Ann LoFrumento, MD
Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD
Emily Mace, PhD
Mercedes Martinez, MD
Luz Matiz-Zanoni, MD
Dodi Meyer, MD
Mara Minguez MD, MSc
Andrew Mutnick, MD
Jordan Orange, MD, PhD
Manuela Orjuela, MD, ScM
John Rausch, MD
Edith Bracho-Sanchez, MD
Taylor Sewell, MD, MBA
Marisa Spann, PhD
Danielle Taylor, MD
Alejandro Torres, MD
Diana Vargas-Chavez, MD
Ileana Vargas-Rodriguez, MD
Patrick T. Wilson, MD, MPH
Jennifer Woo-Baidal, MD, MPH
Social Worker/Health Team Members
Gabriela Asch-Ortiz, MS, LCAT, MT-BC
Angela Barman
Eunice C. Clark, NP
Gloria Gomez MS, RN, FNP, NE-BC
Whitney C. Harris, MSN, RN, ACCNS-P, CPNP-PC
Jennifer Joseph, MEd
Aisha M. Payne, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CPN
Jasmin Robinson, BSN, RN, CCRN
Winsome Sewell, LCSW
Ethelore Sow, LCSW