Senior Vice President
Katz Institute for Women’s Health

Stacey E. 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 currently serves as the President, Board of Directors, Eastern States for the AHA. In 2018 she received the AHA’s Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award.

Stacey is a graduate of the six-year medical program at Boston University School of Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians, and the American Heart Association (AHA).

Stacey is a recipient of numerous media, industry and healthcare awards and is regularly called upon by the media as an expert on women’s heart health.

Follow Stacey on twitter @DrStaceyRosen

Associate Chief, Labor and Delivery
Department of ObGyn
Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Dr Monique De Four Jones received her baccalaureate degree from Hunter College and her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After completing a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at North Shore University Hospital, now known as Northwell, she was CEO of Monique De Four Jones, M.D., P.C. for close to 25 years. Board-certified in Obstetrician and Gynecologist she is passionate about education and she prides herself on being a lifelong learner.

Currently employed as the Associate Chief of Labor and Delivery at Northwell-LIJ, she is a senior physician executive who exemplifies vision, expertise, and leadership in understanding and responding to healthcare changes. Dr. De Four Jones is a dynamic and forward-thinking healthcare executive that executes skills to ensure that the Department of Ob/Gyn is providing quality and safety. With her strategic leadership training, she focuses on cultivating a deep working relationship and alliance with the faculty so that they will adhere to the rigorous systems compliance standards, policies and procedures.

She has published numerous articles and continue to do research and lecture in her field. Dr. De Four Jones loves doing medical missions and has provided care to those in need in several areas such as Africa, Guatemala, Haiti and several other areas. Through the charitable organizations she is involved with, she has lectured both locally as well as internationally empowering and educating people especially women to take charge of their health. She has been featured in Essence Magazine: Doctor’s You Love, Top Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Top Black Doctors in New York and New Jersey. She has received several honors and awards and was even honored by the late Maya Angelou in 2001.

Married 30 years, she has a son who is autistic and disabled, a daughter who graduated from NYU Tandon School of Engineering and doing a master in individualized genomics and health at John Hopkins. In May 2020, Dr. De Four Jones graduated with an MBA and MS in Healthcare Leadership and Policies from Cornell University Johnson School of Business and Weill Cornell Medicine. These additional degrees will strengthen her skills in finance and healthcare leadership and align with her already strong clinical, research and administrative background.

Vice Chair for Patient Experience, Department of Radiology
Chief, Breast Imaging
Northwell Health Imaging

Dr. Nina Vincoff is the Imaging Service Line Vice Chair for Patient Experience and the Chief of the Division of Breast Imaging at Northwell Health. She a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, both undergraduate and medical school, and she completed her Diagnostic Radiology residency and Ultrasound fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Vincoff joined Northwell Health in 2015, after 16 years as a private practice radiologist on Long Island. Throughout her career, Dr. Vincoff has been an early adopter of new technologies which improve patient outcomes through early cancer detection and intervention. She is also a nationally recognized advocate for patient and family centered care; currently serving as a member of the American College of Radiology Patient and Family Centered Care Commission, the Co-Chair of the ACR Patient and Family Centered Care Outreach Committee, and Chair of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria Patient Engagement Subcommittee. At Northwell Health, she is a member of the Steering Committee for the Katz Institute for Women’s Health, and a member of the Board of Governors for Northwell Health Physician Partners, where she is also the Chair of the Quality Committee.

Chief Medical Officer
Westchester Health

Nancy R. Beran, MD MHCDS CPE is a founding member and Chief Medical Officer of Westchester Health. She has been integral to the strategic recruitment and integration of new physicians and clinical growth of our practices in Westchester, NY and Stamford, CT.

Leading Westchester Health’s practice transformation over the past 10 years, she focuses on patient-centered, value based care. She has overseen the implementation of NCQA, Patient Centered Medical Home certifications in all of our primary care sites. Dr. Beran has worked as an innovative regional leader on Medicare’s Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative. Dr. Beran has designed numerous quality and population health based programs at Westchester Health. She oversees Westchester Health’s population health strategy and participation in the Northwell Medicare Shared Savings Program. Currently, she serves as the Director and Chief of Quality in Westchester and Fairfield counties for Northwell Health Physician Partners.

Dr. Beran is a practicing Internist with over 20 years of experience who focuses on Women’s health. She performed her undergraduate work at Washington University in St. Louis, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She attended medical school at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College (formerly Jefferson Medical College) as a McClellan scholar, and performed her residency at the prestigious University of Texas Southwestern Internal Medicine program. Most recently, she completely her Masters of Healthcare Delivery Science at Dartmouth College.

Dr. Beran has been recognized for many years as a Top Doctor in Westchester County, Exceptional Women in Medicine and outstanding clinical practice with the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative. Her commitment remains first to her patients and to improving healthcare delivery for all.

Dr. Kelly currently serves as the 2021 President of the American Psychological Association. She is a licensed psychologist and is Board Certified in Clinical Health Psychology. She is the director of the Atlanta Center for Behavioral Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. As a Clinical Health Psychologist, Dr. Kelly addresses a variety of mental health concerns in her practice, with expertise in treating disorders that involve the relationship between physical and emotional conditions.

A native of Gulfport, Mississippi, Dr. Kelly earned her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Florida State University in 1987. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi.

In addition to her independent practice in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Kelly is actively involved in numerous professional organizations. In addition to serving as the President of the American Psychological Association, she most recently served as Co-Chair of the Advocacy Coordinating Committee of the American Psychological Association Services, Inc. She served on the Board of Directors as Recording Secretary for APA from 2013-2018. Prior to that, she served on the Board as a member-at-large. Other leadership positions within APA include Council of Representatives six years, Past-Chair of the Board of Professional Affairs, member of the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP), Past-Chair of the Committee of State Leaders, Past-President of the Division of State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Association Affairs (Division 31), Division 29 Member-at-large, and numerous task-forces.

A past president of the Georgia Psychological Association, Dr. Kelly has served as the Federal Advocacy Coordinator of the Association for 22 years. She was Treasurer of the GPA Political Action Committee 21 years. Other past positions held within GPA include Chair of Membership and Ethnic Minority Affairs Committees.

Dr. Kelly was recognized at the 2019 APA Services, Inc. Practice Leadership Conference for her Leadership in Advancing the Profession of Psychology through Federal Advocacy. Other Advocacy recognitions include the 2011 State Leadership Award, Karl F. Heiser Advocacy Award and Legislative Award of the Georgia Psychological Association in 2000, and the Federal Advocacy Award by the APA Practice Organization in 2004. She was the 2012 recipient of the APA Division of Health Psychology/American Psychological Foundation Timothy B. Jeffrey Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Health Psychology. In 2011 she was presented with the Diversity Award from the Committee of State Leaders of APA. She received the Outstanding Psychologist Award from Division 31 of APA in 2006.

Dr. Kelly served as a member-at-large of the American Board of Professional Psychology Foundation from 2014-2019. She is a graduate of the 2003 class of Leadership Atlanta. She is a member of Lions Club International. Dr. Kelly was an Associate Editor of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice from 2006-2011.

Jessica Grose is the parenting columnist at The New York Times. She is working on a new book of nonfiction called ALL POWERFUL AND TOTALLY USELESS: The Creation of the Ideal American Mother. Jess was the founding editor of Lenny, the email newsletter and website. She also writes about women’s health, culture, and grizzly bears. She was named one of LinkedIn’s Next Wave top professionals 35 and under in 2016 and a Glamour “Game Changer” in 2020 for her coverage of the pandemic.

Principal Consultant & Founder, Transgender Equity Consulting
Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine

Cecilia Gentili started Transgender Equity Consulting in the beginning of 2019 after serving as the Director of Policy at GMHC, the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy from 2016 to 2019.

Originally from Argentina, Cecilia came to the United States for a safer life as a transgender woman and lived, in the country undocumented for 10 years. During this time Cecilia gained her living through sex work, which came with drug use - for which she was continually targeted for policing. After multiple arrests and an immigration detention, she accessed recovery services and with more control over her life fought and won asylum.

Her experience surviving this time in her life impassions her desire to ensure that all people living on the margins are provided with access to the dignity and respect deserved in all spaces.

Cecilia’s first role within community services was when she started working as an intern at The LGBT Center in New York City. From 2012 to 2016 she was brought into Apicha Community Health Center to develop the transgender health services into a stand alone program where she managed a team of of 3 Patients Navigators and 6 Health Home Outreach Workers. Cecilia’s involvement was instrumental in expanding the program from 27 patients in 2012 to over 500 in 2016.

Seeing so many clients affected by institutional discrimination and widespread lack of access, Cecilia decided to move from direct services into policy work at GMHC from 2016 to 2019. There she became the Managing Director of Policy and was one of the hardest fighters for the passage of GENDA (Gender Non-Discrimination Act).

Her successes in policy inspired her to found Decrim NY, a coalition working towards the decriminalization, decarceration and destigmatization of people in the sex trade. Cecilia was instrumental in the development of two statewide bills to provide survivors of trafficking with record relief, and to end the criminalization of ‘loitering’ - a charge overwhelmingly leveled against transgender women, regardless of their involvement in the sex trade.

Cecilia started working independently with Trans Equity Consulting in 2019, and has already collaborated extensively with organizations including the AIDS Institute, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Borealis Foundation and Cicatelli Associates Inc. Her reputation amongst these organizations, and many more, is reflective of the deep personal commitment she brings to the work, and her unique insight which enables a deeper connection with queer and trans communities.

Emily Tisch Sussman has been at the forefront of executing strategy for the progressive movement in America for more than a decade. She is a leading democratic political strategist with over 250 appearances on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, HLN, and CBS, and nearly 100 in the past election. Her views are also frequently featured in national news outlets including The New York Times, Newsweek, Reuters, and Politico.

Emily is the host of the popular all-women interview-style podcast Your Political Playlist, formerly Your Presidential Playlist, a guide to politics in the new presidential administration and Congress. Every week, the podcast releases bite-size conversations with women at the seat of power and activism like President Biden's Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon, Nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget Neera Tanden, White House Council of Economic Advisers Member Heather Boushey, and Acting Chair of the Federal Communications Commission Jessica Rosenworcel. Over the course of three seasons, more than 50 guests have come on the show including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Stacey Abrams. The podcast has had several features on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher and was named one of Refinery29’s Best New Podcasts for 2020.

Emily's January 2020 interview with Hillary Clinton made headlines in The New York Times, The Washington Post, POLITICO, The Hill, and several other outlets, driving a 48-hour news cycle in the midst of the Senate impeachment trial and the weekend leading up to the Iowa caucuses. Her May 2020 live podcast recording with Senator Cory Booker at the 92Y was viewed by more than 70,000 people in 120 countries. The show was called "required listening for any Democrat" by the National Field Director for Swing Left and "an in-depth policy brief with context around the democratic evolution on these issues" by a national political reporter for a major news outlet.

In 2019, Emily launched ETS Advisory which allows her to work directly with advocates across the country to drive progressive change through legislation, advocacy, the electoral process, and policy development. She has had the opportunity to provide counsel to organizations including Change the Ref, an initiative sponsored by March For Our Lives; Town Hall Project; the Baker Project, which is a part of Eleanor's Legacy; Funny or Die: Glam Up the Midterms; and Vote Vets.

Emily is a member of the EMILY'S List Creative Council and has also served as a Senior Advisor to Swing Left, where she executed a national celebrity surrogate tour with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Natalie Portman, and Jessica Alba and coordinated the "The Last Weekend" project to mobilize key stakeholders in the final days of the 2018 midterm elections. Previously, Emily held the role of Vice President of Campaigns for the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP), the largest progressive think tank in Washington, DC, overseeing issue campaigns to impact policies at the national and state levels.

She shaped key strategies to resist the Trump Administration's harmful policies and turned up the heat on the Repeal and Replace debate as Republicans worked to dismantle healthcare for millions of Americans. She also worked with CAP's youth outreach arm to cultivate young activists through Generation Progress and helped establish a Gun Violence Prevention Network.

Emily is a staunch advocate of women's rights and helped shape the leading principles for the inaugural Women's March in January 2017. She has extensive experience guiding young activists, having previously served as executive director of Young Democrats of America, and as the founder of Think Blue, an organization to increase youth participation in the democratic electoral process.

She is a member of the New York Bar, earning her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Key recognitions include the Cardozo Alumni of the Decade, New Leaders Council 40 under 40 Emerging Leaders in Politics, Washington Life Magazine 40 Under 40, American Association of Political Consultants 40 under 40, "We Are Emily" award from Emily's List, and the Truman Values Award from Truman National Security Project.

A New York Giants fan and a life-long musical theatre enthusiast, Emily considers her experience as a camp counselor for girls in Massachusetts amongst her most fulfilling roles. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children.

Mariel Hemingway is considered an expert in health — both mental and physical — and is a longtime advocate of personal power, life balance, authenticity, joy and finding peace of mind through a devoted practice of healthy living. She’s both a committed teacher and student in this holistic concentration. In 2014 Mariel co-executive produced the Emmy-nominated Running From Crazy, a rich and evocative documentary about the Hemingway family, collaboration with Oprah Winfrey. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and documents her boundless advocacy for mental health awareness, the dignity and rights of people of all circumstance and ability, and her commitment to connecting those of like mind and heart in order to optimize their lives in the best and worst of times.

In May 2015, in alignment with National Mental Health Awareness month, Regan Arts Publishing released two new books including her memoir, Out Came The Sun and a young adult targeted diary form project about the journey from surviving to thriving, entitled Invisible Girl.

In 2013, Mariel co-wrote the book, Running With Nature, wherein she and her life partner Bobby Williams share their insights about the import and impact of nutrition, meditation, mindfulness, movement, silence, the beauty of simple living, compassion for self and community, and staying a student of life at all ages. Mariel’s bestselling book, Finding My Balance, is an honest and inspiring story of her life’s journey through the lens of her personal yoga and meditation practices. Her second book, Mariel Hemingway’s Healthy Living from the Inside Out is a how-to guide to finding a greater sense of balance and meaning through self-empowering techniques and strategies. Her 2009 cookbook, Mariel’s Kitchen, offers creative gluten and sugar free recipes and was one of the first to shine the national spotlight on the benefits of this type of diet and lifestyle.

Mariel is a regular keynote speaker at conferences, conventions, and on academic panels where those of like mind and heart gather to educate, engage, entertain, and to enrich each other’s experiences. She is also an educator for Prime My Body, an organic hemp oil designed to reduce inflammation and stimulate the immune response. Recent health, wellness, inspirational, advocacy and entertainment media profiles include those in USA Today, LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Times of London, The Today & Dr. Oz shows, Huffington Post/AOL video sites, Vanity Fair, the New York Times, Interview, People, and USA Today Best of Magazines. In 2014, Mariel was the focus of a one-hour interview about her books with Oprah Winfrey’s on OWN’s premiere show, Super Soul Sunday.

Director, Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry
Zucker Hillside Hospital

Dr. Anna Costakis completed her undergraduate and medical degrees at Loyola university Chicago and Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. Following psychiatry residency at Northwestern McGaw Hospital in Chicago, she practiced at Mercy Hospital Chicago in consultation-liaison, early versions of integrated care in primary medical settings and was director of the inpatient psychiatric unit there. After ventures in outpatient at the VA, private practice on Michigan Ave and ACT team work with Thresholds, she moved to NYC in 2013. Dr. Costakis practiced at Mount Sinai St. Luke's until 2015, serving as director of the Psychiatric Recovery Center during that time. In 2015, she went on to become a faculty member at Columbia New York Presbyterian and worked to develop the DSRIP-funded Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Program, of which she was the Medical Director until May 2018. She has since transitioned to Northwell LIJ Zucker Hillside Hospital as the Adult Ambulatory Psychiatry Director, where she also serves as faculty at Hofstra Zucker School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Costakis has been active in the American Psychiatric Association since residency and most recently served as the president of the New York County Psychiatric Society 2017-2018 and now serves on the APA Assembly as a state representative. She is also the proud mom of 13 year old boy/girl twins and a 11 year old daughter as well as 2 rescue dogs, 3 rescue cats and a tortoise.

Vice Chair & Director Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Zucker Hillside Hospital

Victor M. Fornari, M.D., M.S. is the Vice Chair, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and the Director of the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, including the Zucker Hillside Hospital & the Cohen Children’s Medical Center. He is also Professor of Psychiatry & Pediatrics at the Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

In 2010, Dr Fornari participated in the development of CAP PC, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry for Primary Care, (Project TEACH) funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health to facilitate and collaborate with Primary Care Providers in the care of youth with mild to moderate mental health concerns. In 2017, CAP PC was the recipient of the American Psychiatric Association’s Psychiatric Services Achievement Bronze Award for Innovation.

Dr. Fornari is an Investigator of MOBILITY, a PCORI-funded Grant to study whether metformin added to healthy lifestyle may be more effective than healthy lifestyle alone for overweight and obese youth taking second generation antipsychotic medications. (2015-2023)

Dr. Fornari is an Investigator in a PCORI-funded Grant entitled Pre-START (Suicide Treatment Alternatives for Teens) to determine the most appropriate treatment for suicidal youth. (2019-2024)

Dr. Fornari is the Co-Editor of the book Evidence Based Treatments for Eating Disorders: Children, Adolescent & Adults (Nova Science Press: 2009 & 2014) and well as the Editor of a new book entitled: Psychiatric Nonadherence: A Solutions Based Approach (Springer, 2019)

Dr. Fornari was the President of American Association of Directors of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2018-2020).

Director of Energy Healing and Reiki Master
Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine

Tina Conroy, E-RYT, RMT, is the Director of Energy Healing and Reiki Master at the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine. She also teaches all the Reiki certification programs and is a yoga instructor.

Energy work for Tina comes naturally and springs from the deep well of passion and love she found in her own healing journey. From childhood, she had an intuitive calling and an expansive gift. As an adult, she began cultivating her natural abilities and uses her sensitivity and attunement in her readings and healing sessions at the Center. Tina’s methods take many exceptional forms, all designed for the personal healing and transformation - unique for each of her clients.

Tina received her BA from American University. Inspired by several early teachers, including her teacher Rev. Terri A. Heiman, RMT, Tina found the confidence to use Reiki to heal herself and share this energy with others. Tina is trained in the traditional Usui Shiki Ryoho method of natural healing, and holds Reiki Master Teacher Degree.

Tina is also a gifted yoga instructor at the RYT-200 level. She was initially drawn to yoga after the birth of her daughter and loves working with children and moms-to-be! Tina completed her Yoga Teacher Certification with Suzanne Cardinal at Into This World Yoga Teacher Training. Tina’s many offerings at the Center include meditation classes and healing circles, individual Reiki sessions and Certification classes.

Tina is also the Producer of the The Intuitive Woman Podcast, a weekly show which includes guided mediations, spiritual topics and featured guests.

Tina’s passion is working with women to enhance their life and well-being. Tina is delighted to bring her passion and gifted healing work to the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine.

Fran Drescher has a reputation for passion and commitment. She received two Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal as the lovable “Miss Fine” on CBS’s hit series, The Nanny, which she both created and executive produced. She also created, executive produced and starred in the groundbreaking TV Land sitcom, Happily Divorced, which was inspired by her real-life relationship with her gay ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson. Fran recently starred in the new NBC sitcom, Indebted, about a Baby Boomer couple who go broke and have to move in with their adult son and his young family. She has worked with many great directors in films such as Rob Reiner’s This is Spinal Tap, to which Fran won Esquire Magazine’s One Minute Oscar, Milos Forman’s Rag Time, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Jack. She also starred in Beautician and the Beast opposite Timothy Dalton. Her famous voice is currently featured in the top-grossing SONY animated feature franchise film, Hotel Transylvania: In her role as Eunice, the wife of Frank Stein. In 2019, Fran starred in two indie films, The Creatress and After Class.

An accomplished author, Fran received the prestigious NCCS writer’s award for Cancer Schmancer, which, along with Enter Whining, were New York Times Best Sellers. She also penned the celebrated children's book, BeingWendy. Furthermore, Fran made her Broadway debut as “Madame” in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Tony-Award winning, Cinderella.

Fran is a 20-year cancer survivor and founder of the Cancer Schmancer Movement; dedicated to educating, motivating, and activating patients into medical consumers by connecting lifestyle to disease with her Master Class Health Summit and teen-targeted education video, Be The Change, starring Jamie Foxx.

Fran has won countless awards for her leadership in the health space, including the John Wayne Institute Woman of Achievement Award, the Gilda Award, City of Hope Woman of the Year Award, The Albert Einstein Medical School Lifetime Achievement Award, Queens College Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Citizen Artist Award.

Furthermore, the Knesset in Israel also honored Fran for being the first female, Jewish actress since Molly Goldberg in 1948 to play an openly Jewish character in a starring role on primetime TV in her role on The Nanny. The series and Miss Fine were lovingly embraced by not only Israel, but by most of the world including many nations in the Arab world. Fran was also honored with the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally for Equality Award for her efforts to defend civil liberties and, most recently, the Stonewall and Liberty Bell Awards for her advocacy of Gay Civil Liberties. She is a vetted and appointed Public Diplomacy Envoy for Health Issues with the U.S. State Department. She is in high demand as a public speaker on a myriad of subjects and shares her unique take on life through the prism of self-deprecating humor in her stand up comedy act.

Beauty Director, Town & Country Magazine

April Long is the Beauty Director at Town & Country. An expert in the beauty and wellness space for more than a decade, her work has won 12 Fragrance Foundation Awards for Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Writing, and 5 Women’s Dermatologic Society Rose Gold Awards for Excellence in Dermatologic Reporting.

Vice Chair, Gynecology
Chief, Gynecologic Oncology
Lenox Hill Hospital

Dr. Jeannine Villella, DO, FACOG, FACS, is the Vice Chair of Gynecology, Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital, and Associate Professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell Health. Dr. Villella is a devoted gynecologic oncologist, leader and mentor who is committed to improving screening, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for women with gynecologic cancers. She has built a robust and comprehensive program at Lenox Hill Hospital and is growing it to reach women throughout Manhattan and surrounding areas.

Dr. Villella believes in all-inclusive care of gynecologic oncology patients as evidenced by her practice that includes screening, diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, clinical trials, translational research, survivorship and palliative care to deliver the optimum continuity of care. As an integral component of patient care, Dr. Villella emphasizes the importance of patient education to complement clinical therapies and to support recovery and wellness. She is highly experienced in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgery to treat cancers and offer a faster recovery. Additionally, form women with large more advanced tumors, comprehensive advanced open abdominal procedures aimed at maximal tumor resection to optimize surgical outcome.

As a leader in the field of gynecologic oncology, Dr. Villella is highly committed to research and advancing science. She participates in progressive ovarian cancer immunotherapy research aimed at enhancing the immune response to malignancy. She is known for her passion in this area for over 16 years, and has brought these clinical trials to Northwell Health that foster collaboration and offer novel therapies to ovarian cancer patients. She continues to collaborate in translational research and is an ACRP Certified Principle Investigator, serves on the Vaccine Sub-Committee of the Gynecologic Oncology Group of NRG Oncology and is on multiple advisory boards due to her experience in this area. She has been a recipient of several research awards and grants for her work.

Senior Vice President, Cancer Services
Physician-in-Chief & Director
Northwell Health Cancer Institute

Richard Barakat, MD is an internationally recognized surgeon and clinical investigator who was Chief of the Gynecology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering from 2001 to 2013 and held the Ronald O. Perelman Chair in Gynecologic Surgery. Dr. Barakat was the lead investigator on several influential clinical trials at MSK, including a study to compare the benefits of laparoscopic versus standard surgery for patients with endometrial cancer and was the lead investigator on an NIH funded national study evaluating symptomatic lower-extremity lymphedema in women undergoing lymphadenectomy for cervical, uterine and vulvar cancer. Dr. Barakat is author or co-author of more than 340 peer-reviewed articles and numerous textbook chapters and was the lead editor of Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology, one of the leading texts in the field.

In addition he served as a member and examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and for five years served as a director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. He was President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology from 2013 to 2014 and past President of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (2014-2016). From 2013-2017, he served as Director of the MSK regional care network and Cancer Alliance.

In 2018 Dr. Barakat joined Northwell Health to lead all cancer services and research and serve as professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. In January 2020 Dr. Barakat was named the Edward and Carole Miller Distinguished Chair in Cancer.

Senior Vice President and Regional Ambulatory
Physician Executive, Northwell Health;
Chair, Department of ObGyn,
South Shore University Hospital

As senior vice president and regional physician executive for Northwell Health's Eastern Region, Benjamin Schwartz, MD, MHCM, serves as the region's key physician executive, working to optimize ambulatory operations, improve patient experiences and assist with overall clinical strategy.

Dr. Schwartz also serves as the Eastern Region director of Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at South Shore University Hospital.

A board-certified subspecialist in gynecologic oncology and minimally invasive and robotic surgery, Dr. Schwartz is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Surgeons.

After graduating from Dartmouth College, Dr. Schwartz obtained his medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine. He then completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine and served as administrative chief resident.

During his residency, Dr. Schwartz completed a Galloway Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He then completed subspecialty training in Gynecologic Oncology at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Dr. Schwartz has a master’s degree in health care management from the Harvard University School of Public Health.

Colorectal Surgeon
The Center for Colon and Rectal Diseases

Dr. Andrea Zimmern, MD, FACS, FASCRS is a fellowship trained, board certified Colorectal Surgeon treating a full range of diseases/conditions affecting the colon, rectum, and anus. This includes colon/rectal/anal cancer, diverticular disease, colon polyps, fecal incontinence, pilonidal disease, rectal prolapse, anorectal abscess, fistula, fissure, anal warts, rectocele, and hemorrhoids.

After completing a general surgery residency at SUNY Stony Brook, she went on to complete a fellowship in Robotic surgery at University of Illinois at Chicago followed by her colorectal fellowship at St. Vincent’s health System in Erie, PA. Dr. Zimmern specializes in the use of robotic and laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery and also performs advanced diagnostic/therapeutic colonoscopy as well as pelvic floor testing.

Dr. Zimmern is extremely involved in resident and medical student education. In addition to the general surgery residency program she holds faculty positions in the colorectal and urogynecology fellowship programs. She serves as a residency mentor as well as participates in the Women in Medicine mentorship program for the school of medicine. She is also a faculty member of the school of medicine ICE program (Initial Clinical Experience) for first year medical students.

Associate Chief, Breast Imaging, Eastern Region

Dr. Jocelyn Park is the Associate Chief of the Division of Breast Imaging at Northwell Health. In addition to her clinical practice, she oversees and coordinates the functioning and growth of multiple breast imaging sites in Long Island. Dr. Park is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and has enjoyed teaching residents, fellows, and medical students throughout her career.

Dr. Park received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and attended medical school at the University of Virginia. She completed her Diagnostic Radiology residency at Beth Israel Medical Center and a fellowship in breast imaging at Columbia University.

Dr. Park is the co-founder and physician lead of the Breast Ultrasound Quality Committee of the Imaging Service Line, which seeks to monitor and improve the performance of evidence-based and innovative breast ultrasound across Northwell Health. Dr. Park is passionate about breast ultrasound and its potential as an accessible modality that can play a key role in the early detection of breast cancer in conjunction with mammography.

Vice President, Cancer Care Management and Research
Northwell Health Cancer Institute
and Deputy Director, Center for Personalized Health
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research

Catherine Alfano, PhD, is an international leader in cancer survivorship and cancer rehabilitation. At Northwell Health, she leads both clinical care design and research across the health system. Operationally, she develops and oversees the implementation and integration of a high-quality cancer survivorship program for the health system that monitors patients from diagnosis forward, delivering timely and effective care. The goal of this effort is to simultaneously improve long-term patient outcomes and experience of care while reducing unnecessary costs. She also oversees the development of a Learning Health System for oncology where research is imbedded in care to facilitate translational research and allow patient data to drive personalized care. Before joining Northwell, she served as the Vice President of Survivorship at the American Cancer Society where she provided vision and leadership to ACS research, programming, and policy efforts nationwide to improve the lives of cancer survivors. She previously served as the Deputy Director of the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Survivorship where she created funding opportunity announcements to fill gaps in cancer survivorship and transdisciplinary research. Dr. Alfano’s research aims to speed the effective translation of research into practice and inform supporting policy to optimize patient outcomes and clinic efficiency, address provider shortages, and decrease healthcare costs. This research focuses on: 1) Domestic and global efforts to improve interventions and models of care delivery for oncology, cancer rehabilitation, and survivorship; 2) Integrating multi-source Big Data including Real World Evidence to generate insights for predictive and prescriptive analytics and creating mobile health and other digital health tools leading to better-personalized care approaches; 3) Incorporating rehabilitation, healthy behavior change, and self-management into oncology and cancer follow-up care; and 4) The integration of biological and behavioral pathways governing health, accelerated aging, function, and cancer prognosis. In addition to her roles at Northwell, she has led work with the American Society of Clinical Oncology to help American healthcare systems develop risk & need-stratified survivorship care that focuses on helping patients self-manage their health and delivers care outside of clinic walls. She has held leadership positions as the Chair of the Cancer Special Interest Group of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and Co-Chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Panel: Diet, Physical Activity and Weight Management During Cancer Treatment. She has served on the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Survivorship Committee and Energy Balance Sub-committee, and on the Research Task Force of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Cancer Networking Group.

Senior Vice President, Center for Equity of Care
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Northwell Health

Dr. Jennifer H. Mieres is a leading expert in the fields of nuclear cardiology, cardiovascular disease in women and patient-centered healthcare advocacy. As Senior Vice President of Northwell Health’s, Center for Equity of Care, Dr. Mieres serves as the health system’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, with oversight of all diversity and health equity initiatives and is a member of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health at Northwell Health. Dr. Mieres is also the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and a professor of cardiology, at The Zucker School of Medicine.

A graduate of Bennington College and Boston University School of Medicine; she is a Fellow of The American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and Master of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and served as the first female President of the ASNC in 2009.

Dr. Mieres’ clinical focus and research are centered on the elimination of health and gender disparities and cardiovascular disease in women. She is a leading advocate for patient-centered healthcare and medical education reform and has authored/co-authored over 60 scientific publications, including as lead author of the 2005 and 2014 AHA cardiac imaging guidelines for women. As an international speaker, she has presented her research as distinguished faculty at over 100 forums and conferences; both nationally and internationally including scientific sessions of the ACC, AHA, ASNC, the International Conference of Nuclear Cardiology and IHI/BMJ International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare. A true patient and community advocate; Dr. Mieres is actively involved in service. served as chair of several national AHA committees as well as the Scientific Advisory Board for WomenHeart.

A prolific communicator; Mieres recently co-authored 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 Corazon Saludable Para La Mujer Moderna -Seis P.A.S.O.S en Seis Semanas Para Mantener La Salud Del Corazon published January 2019. Her previous book Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas: A Five Week Program for Living a Heart- Healthy Lifestyle was published in 2008. Following her Emmy-nominated documentary A Woman’s Heart, (2001); her creative ingenuity has evolved as an executive producer of a two part documentary series Rx: The Quiet Revolution and Doctors of Tomorrow, (2015). The films have forged a change in narrative while garnering placement on national TV network PBS and in educational institutions. Dr. Mieres is routinely called upon by national and local media for expert commentary and has been designated as a most credible voice in the healthcare industry.

Dr. Mieres has been recognized as a tireless force working to foster diversity in medical education. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, which include; one of Crain’s NY Notable Women in Healthcare, September 2018; Good Housekeeping/L’Oreal’s one of ten Humanitarians Over 50, April 2018; Delta Sky Magazine Heart Disease: Calculating Risk, July 2018; CardioSource (ACC) Pioneering African-American Physicians, February 2018 and one of “15 Hospital, Health System Chief Diversity Officers to know” by Becker’s Hospital Review, April 2016. Dr. Mieres has also received; The Association of Black Cardiologists Walter M. Booker Sr. Health Promotion Award, October 2015, The AHA’s; National Chairman’s Award, November 2014 and Louis B. Russell, Jr., Memorial Award, June 2011.

Tara Narula Cangello, MD
Associate Director, Women’s Heart Health, Lenox Hill Hospital
CBS News Senior Medical Correspondent

Dr. Tara Narula is a board certified cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, an Assistant 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 2014-2020. Her interests include women's health and prevention.

CEO, American Heart Association

Nancy Brown is Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association (AHA). The Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives dedicated to ensuring equitable health for all – in the U.S. and around the world.

Serving as CEO since 2008, Nancy has elevated the AHA as a global leader in heart disease and stroke science innovation. Under her leadership and 30+ year AHA career, the Association established the first-ever definition of “cardiovascular health” and just announced its bold 2030 global aspiration: “Together with global and local collaborators, we will equitably increase worldwide healthy life expectancy from 64 to at least 67, by 2030.” The Association’s work is led by over 40 million volunteers, scientists, staff and donors.

System Director, Cardiovascular Prevention, Northwell Health`
Director, Women’s Heart Health, Lenox Hill Hospital

Dr. Eugenia Gianos is an Associate Professor of Cardiology at the Zucker School of Medicine. She is system director for Cardiovascular Prevention at Northwell, director of the Women’s Heart Program at Lenox Hill and Director of the Western region, Katz Women’s Heart Program at Northwell. She is board certified in medicine, cardiology, nuclear cardiology, echocardiography and lipidology. She completed her residency and fellowship training at North Shore and Long Island Jewish Hospitals before becoming an attending at NYU Langone Medical Center for 11 years. She currently directs multiple clinical, research and teaching programs to improve cardiovascular health in our health system, with a specific focus on women's heart health. She is applying her expertise nationally as a member of the American College of Cardiology Prevention Council and she is President elect for the Northeast Chapter of the National Lipid Association.

Medical Director, Echocardiography
North Shore University Hospital

Dr. Sonia A. Henry is the Medical Director of Echocardiography at North Shore University Hospital. She graduated Downstate-SUNY College of Medicine. She completed Medicine residency, Chief Residency, and cardiovascular fellowship at Northwell. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Cardio-Oncology, Echocardiography, Nuclear Cardiology, Cardiovascular CT and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and American Society of Echocardiography. Under her leadership there has been growth in education, quality and advanced Echo procedures which supports structural heart, electrophysiology, cardiac transplant and cardiomyopathy programs at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital. One of Dr. Henry’s most notable contribution to the Northwell was the development of the Cardio-oncology Program in collaboration with Katz Institute for Women’s Health. This program was urgently needed because of the increase in cardiotoxicity seen from cancer treatment. Through this program, she created partnerships with the Monter Cancer center, Cohen’s Survivorship cancer program and radiation-oncology. Dr. Henry is an Assistant Professor of Cardiology at Zucker School of Medicine. She is devoted to education and has received the Cardiology Teaching Attending of the Year Award. She was an honoree for The Network Journal’s “40 Under Forty” Achievement Awards 2014 for leadership. She was recognized by Kicked It in Heels organization at their 3rd Annual Breast cancer benefit “Life after cancer – Celebrating Survivorship” for innovation in cardio-oncology. She also received the National Medical Association – “Top Healthcare Professionals Under 40 Award” for clinical expertise.

Director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Director, High Risk Cardiovascular Obstetrics, Lenox Hill Hospital

Dr. Catherine Weinberg is the director of Adult Congenital Heart Disease and High Risk Cardiovascular Obstetrics Programs at Lenox Hill Northwell Health. As a clinical cardiologist, she has expertise in congenital heart disease, and pregnancy-related heart disease. She collaborates closely with obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, pediatric cardiology, and surgical colleagues to provide the highest quality care to her patients. She also treats general cardiology patients.

After graduating with an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Lawrence University, Wisconsin, she earned her medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine where she was a member of Iota Epsilon Alpha Honor Society. She completed her Internal Medicine residency and Cardiology fellowship at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City. Dr. Weinberg’s passion for treating adults with congenital heart disease led her to complete an advanced fellowship at the Wisconsin Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. In 2012 she joined Concorde Medical Group. In addition to seeing general cardiology patients at Concorde, she helped build and grow the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at NYU Langone Health. She joined Lenox Hill Northwell Health in 2020 to grow their Adult Congenital Heart Disease and High Risk Cardiovascular Obstetrics Programs programs.

Dr. Weinberg shares her knowledge by teaching medical school students, residents, and fellows. She has co-authored journal articles and textbook chapters on advancements in echocardiography, women with coronary artery disease, pregnancy and heart disease and adult congenital heart disease. Dr. Weinberg has been named one of New York’s Super Doctors®.

Program Director, Western Region
Katz Institute for Women’s Health

Sharon Zarabi is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Fitness Trainer by trade and currently serves as the Program Director for the Katz Institute for Womens Health, Northwell Health System. For over 15 years Sharon has been a transformational expert, helping patients optimize their wellness through lifestyle medicine. She takes a no nonsense approach to incorporating whole foods and movement to daily rituals as a means to living your best self. She has counseled patients, led nutrition classes, created support groups and hosted various community walks to support funding for what she is most passionate about. To spread her ardent belief, she has coauthored several nutrition books and publications, presented internationally and shares her wisdom in various media outlets. Committed to solving the conundrum of defining “healthy,” Sharon is active in research studies studying glucose regulation, weight loss/bariatric surgery, and most currently evaluating gut microbiome and metabolism. She is an active member in Dietetic Practice groups, and held leadership roles in the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. She received her Bachelors of Science from NYU and completed her dietetic internship at CW Post Long Island University.

Director of Yoga
Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine

A devoted yogi and meditator for over 35 years, with over 15,000 hours of teaching experience, Lisa is a master yoga teacher who inspired many over two decades of teaching on Long Island to become practitioners and to train with her to become yoga teachers.

Always a student Lisa studied Hatha, Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga with some of the best teachers in the world including David Swenson and Shelley Washington, Tim Miller, Dharma Mittra, Eddie Stern, Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor, Shiva Rea, Alan Finger and Pattabhi Jois. Among her specialty certifications, Lisa teaches Cardiac Medical Yoga, Laughter Yoga, Yoga Kids and Baby Yoga, and Reiki 2. Lisa is currently working toward certification in Yoga Therapy through the Kundalini tradition with Guru Dharum.

Lisa’s teaching style is masterful and empowering. She inspires all of her students (from teen elite athletes to fabulous octogenarians) to move beyond the bounds of the mind and expand into an experience of authenticity and self-realization. Lisa’s intention and expertise lies in her ability to lead students on a healing, transformational journey—body, mind and soul.

In addition, Lisa is a natural gourmet and macrobiotic cook who has been part of the organic and holistic health lifestyle movement for the past 30 years. Her passion is clean living/eating and detoxification/ cleansing, believing both enhance a greater & direct experience of vibrant living and robust health.

Integrative Nurse Practitioner and Health and Wellness Coach
Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine

Deborah McElligott, DNP, ANP-BC, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, CDE, is a board certified Adult and Holistic Nurse Practitioner, an Integrative Health and Wellness Coach and a Certified Diabetes Educator. Her nursing career spans 40 years (30 with Northwell) with experience in Cardiac Surgery, Integrative Medicine, Administration and Education. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra –Northwell and Associate Faculty with the International Nurse Coach Association, mentoring both medical students and nurses.

Deborah has practiced in both acute and out-patient settings with her most recent focus on health promotion, wellness and healing. In the past three years, Deborah has collaborated with the Integrative team at the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine and the many donors who support programs to develop and hold groups, trainings and programs to meet the needs of Northwell employees and the community. These include health and wellbeing education, a focus on comfort management with chronic diseases and expanding the skills of employees who wish to become certified or trained in Integrative Therapies. She facilitates numerous community support groups focused on wellness including the Heart Healthy Living Program and the Diabetes Prevention Program. Deborah works closely with integrative health care teams to focus on whole person wellbeing, risk assessment and the prevention and self-management of cardiac disease, cancer and diabetes.

Deborah has been the primary investigator in nursing research studies involving imagery, massage, and three studies focusing on health promotion and wellness. She has published these studies, papers and book chapters on topics including self-care, reflection, integrative assessment, coaching, reflexology and healing. A frequent speaker in the community, faith -based and professional organizations, she has presented the results of her research both nationally and internationally.

Deborah’s formal education included various outstanding universities. She received her BSN from Hunter –Bellevue, her MA from NYU, her Post Masters NP from SUNY Stonybrook and her DNP from Case Western Reserve University. She also holds certifications in AMMA Massage, Reflexology, Integrative Imagery, Reiki, and as an Urban Zen Integrative Therapist. Long Island has always been her home, and she enjoys living in a beach community with her family.

Chief, Neuro-Endovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuroradiology Northwell Health Western Region and Lenox Hill Hospital

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.

Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who specializes in understanding the mind-body connection. As a pioneer in the field of "science-help," her mission is to translate insights from psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies that support personal well-being and strengthen communities.

She is the bestselling author of The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress. You might also know her from her TED talk, "How to Make Stress Your Friend," which is one of the most viewed TED talks of all time, with over 20 million views.

Through the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism, she helped create Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training, a program now taught around the world that helps individuals strengthen their empathy, compassion, and self-compassion.

In January 2020, Oprah Magazine honored her ability to “transform scientific data into wisdom” by naming McGonigal the first ever O! Visionary, people whose groundbreaking way of seeing the world mean a better future for us all.

Her new book, The Joy of Movement, explores why physical exercise is a powerful antidote to the modern epidemics of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

An award-winning journalist, bestselling author, television host, and motivational speaker, Joan Lunden has been a trusted voice in American homes for more than 40 years. For nearly two decades, Lunden greeted viewers each morning on Good Morning America making her the longest running female host ever on early morning television.

Lunden continues to be one of America’s most recognized and trusted personalities which has made her a sought-after speaker for events across the country. As an ardent health & senior advocate, Lunden has testified before the Food and Drug Administration advocating mandatory mammogram reporting and the Congressional House Ways and Means Committee advocating for the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Lunden is the host of the Washington Post Podcast series, Caring for Tomorrow on the future of healthcare. She also hosts the PBS television series, Second Opinion with Joan Lunden, premiering January 2021. Additionally, Lunden has become the ambassador to the Poynter Institute’s MediaWise for Seniors program which educates individuals over 50 on media literacy – separating fact from fiction online.

As a part of the sandwich generation, Lunden’s demographic is far-reaching. She is a mother of 7 including two sets of teenage twins. Like many Boomers in America she has juggled being a working mom while caring for an aging parent, and brings this experience to her role as the spokesperson for the nation’s leading senior referral service, A Place for Mom, a company helping caregivers and families find the right care and resources for their loved ones. Lunden also encourages Americans to ensure that they have adequate medical insurance coverage to protect their health and wellbeing as spokesperson for the Assurance Medicare Advantage program.

One of the most visible women in America, Lunden has graced the covers of more than 60 magazines and book covers. Lunden’s newest book, Why Did I Come into This Room: A Candid Conversation About Aging quickly became a New York Times bestseller.

In June of 2014, Lunden was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. An eternal optimist, she turned her diagnosis into an opportunity to become an advocate and help others. She chronicled her experience in her memoir Had I Known. Lunden continues to interact with American’s daily on her website, Joanlunden.com as well as her social media platforms.

Lunden has served as national spokesperson for various organizations such as the American Heart Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, American Lung Association, American Red Cross, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Colon Cancer Alliance.

Joan Lunden’s books include Why Did I Come into This Room: A Candid Conversation About Aging; Had I Known; Chicken Soup for the Soul: Family Caregiving; Growing Up Healthy: Protecting Your Child From Diseases Now Through Adulthood; Wake-Up Calls; A Bend in the Road is Not the End of the Road; Joan Lunden’s Healthy Living; Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking; Mother’s Minutes; Your Newborn Baby; and Good Morning, I’m Joan Lunden.

Joan Lunden truly exemplifies today’s modern working woman.

Founder and President
Women’s Brain Health Initiative

Lynn Posluns is the Founder and President of Women’s Brain Health Initiative, the only organization dedicated solely to protecting the brain health of women. Since the charity launched in Canada and the U.S. in 2012, Women's Brain Health Initiative has made tremendous strides in raising awareness about the inequity in brain aging research for women, in funding that research, and in creating compelling education programs to help women protect their cognitive vitality.

Lynn has held a number of executive positions within the Retail and Fashion industries, and throughout her career, has raised millions of dollars for many philanthropic causes, focused primarily in the healthcare industry.

Lynn has received numerous awards for her work in philanthropy and giving back to the community, including Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award, the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management’s Top Ten High Achieving Women Award, Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellowship Award and recently the Kurt and Edith Rothschild Humanitarian Award.

In June 2019 Lynn was presented with the Honorary Doctor by York University in Toronto recognizing Lynn’s exceptional commitment to women’s health with the establishment of Women’s Brain Health Initiative, promoting health education and community engagement while raising essential research funding to advance women’s brain health.

Chief, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Medical Director, Post-acute Services

Dr. Maria Torroella Carney is Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and Medical Director of Post-Acute Services for Northwell Health. She is Professor of Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and clinical attending at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, part of the 23 hospital Northwell Health system in New York. In her roles at Northwell, Dr. Carney aims deliver reliable high quality care to older adults and those with advanced illness, while providing education and conducting research to promote improved care and quality of life.

Previously, Dr. Carney served as Commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Health on Long Island, New York. During her role as commissioner, she focused on bringing senior health issues to public health such as adult immunization promotion, minimizing falls risks, educating on advance directives and emergency response for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Carney has worked in every aspect of health care – ambulatory care, hospital care, nursing home, house calls, and public health. She has published on advance directives, end of life, clinical program development focusing on aging and advanced illness populations. Dr. Carney has written several opinion and advocacy pieces in national media publications and has been interviewed by national and international media. She has been very active with American College of Physicians (ACP) since 1995 and considers it her professional home.

Dr. Carney served the last four years as Governor of the New York ACP (NYACP) chapter representing the Long Island District, and was President of the NYACP in 2020-2021. This past year was an incredibly challenging, but proud year for New York and the NYACP chapter. The NYACP was able to be a resource for internists as well as the New York State Department of Health on COVID 19 response. She has served on the national ACP Immunization Technical Advisory Committee and ACPs Awards Committee. In 2019, she received the NYACP Chapter Laureate Award.

In 2019, she was recognized by Crain’s Business New York by being on their Most Notable Women in Health Care List.

Most recently she is working to make Northwell Health an age-friendly health system by working collaboratively with the clinical transformation leaders of Northwell Health.

Psychiatrist and Investigator
The Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research

Jeremy Koppel, M.D., received his medical degree from Indiana University. He completed his clinical training in psychiatry and his geriatric psychiatry fellowship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and his basic science training in Alzheimer’s disease research in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Davies. He works in clinical and basic science research at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.

AVP, Preventive Medicine and Clinical Programs
Katz Institute for Women's Health

Penny Stern MD, MPH, FACPM, FACOEM is the AVP of Preventive Medicine & Clinical Programs at the Katz Institute for Women’s Health and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology, and Prevention. She is physician oversight for the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine and serves on the Employee Wellness Team. Dr. Stern is the Immediate Past President, Faculty Council of the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, the Co-Chair of Northwell’s Continuing Medical Education (CME) Committee and Director of Joint Accreditation Initiatives for the CME committee. Deeply involved in public health education, she routinely presents to dozens of community and workplace groups each year, as well as at various Northwell sites. She provides oversight and has participated in clinical screening activities, influenza vaccination programs, as well as in health education efforts for the Employee Wellness Team. She is a facilitator and speaker for Unconscious Bias training as part of the Northwell Center for Equity of Care’s efforts throughout the system and has presented hundreds of 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. She maintains appointments as a Clinical Assistant Professor at both Weill-Cornell and Mount Sinai and has 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.

Prior to coming to Northwell, Dr. Stern was the Associate Medical Director and later the Deputy Medical Director at the World Trade Center Health Program at Mount Sinai and served as Medical Director at the Pfizer manufacturing facility in Brooklyn NY until its closure. At Pfizer, where she oversaw the medical department, she was responsible for the workplace health and safety of over 1200 employees. Her fields of expertise in the occupational health setting include safety and environmental health (through the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program, she helped shepherd the Pfizer facility to achieve OSHA Star status); medical surveillance; disability management; the use of acupuncture and other integrative modalities in the workplace; and wellness. A former president of the Queens County Medical Society and the New York Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association (NYOEMA), Dr. Stern continues to be involved in organized medicine on both the local and national levels, having served two terms as a Regent on the American College of Preventive Medicine’s Board of Regents. Currently, she is the Chair of the Undergraduate Medicine Education subcommittee for ACPM. She is also the Delegate to the ACOEM’s House of Delegates, representing NYOEMA. She is also an experienced medical editor and journalist, having worked in television (Lifetime Medical Television), on-line (ReutersHealth.com), and print (multiple outlets). In those capacities, she published hundreds of medical news articles for both consumer and professional audiences.

Tracee Stanley is an author and radiance advocate on a mission to help people explore their birthright to deep rest and awakened clarity that comes from the spiritual practice of Yoga Nidra.

As a lineaged teacher with over 20 years of experience, Tracee shares ancient teachings sourced from years of study in the tradition of the Himalayan Masters, Sri Vidya, and Tantra. It is her passion to create and hold space to transform, inspire, and empower utilizing the practices of Yoga Nidra, Self-inquiry, Perfect Sankalpa, Meditation, Kriya, Mantra, and sacred movement.

Tracee’s forthcoming book, Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation & Awakened Clarity published by Shambhala Publications, will be available March 9th, 2021. In Radiant Rest, Tracee guides individuals towards the door of awakening to their true nature: full of luminosity, truth, wisdom, and bliss. She offers heart-centered practices, techniques for everyday living, and ancient rituals for modern times. Tracee also hosts the Radiant Rest Podcast, where audiences join her for spacious conversations and a deeper dive into the practices that lead to deep rest and all of the treasures that come from being rested. Her guests have included Tricia Hersey of The Nap Ministry, Dr. Gail Parker, and Andrew Holecek, along with upcoming episodes with Nicole Cardoza and Octavia Raheem.

Tracee is highly sought after for her in-person and online trainings and retreats. She has worked with Marianne Williamson, Wanderlust, and the Lightning in a Bottle festival, and also offered yoga and meditation on the most recent Oprah and Gayle’s Girls’ Getaway to the Bahamas. Tracee serves as a faculty member at the Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, and Kripalu. She is the Founder of the Sankalpa Shakti Yoga School and the Co-Founder of Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra Training School.

A former model and filmmaker, Tracee has produced over 35 films. Her wish is for everyone to have access to the practice of Yoga Nidra to support and nurture them in their life.