26 NYC Health + Hospitals Doctors Recognized for Outstanding Patient Care at Annual Doctors’ Day Celebration
Apr 28, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals today celebrated the public health care system’s Doctors’ Day and the 26 doctors recognized for their outstanding patient care. The physicians were nominated for their unwavering commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care, and their exceptional leadership in advancing equitable health care in New York City’s largest public hospital system. This year’s honorees include pediatricians, primary care doctors, emergency department physicians, a dermatologist, an ophthalmologist, OBGYNs, and other providers who have transformed the lives of countless patients. The doctors come from a diverse array of nations such as the Philippines, Nigeria, South Korea, India, Bulgaria, Egypt, Dominican Republic, Pakistan, etc. Biographies of the 26 doctors recognized in this year’s event are available here.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees across the public health care system,” said Dr. Mitchell Katz, CEO and President, NYC Health + Hospitals. “Our extraordinary doctors continue to go above and beyond delivering exceptional care, showing deep compassion, and helping patients feel supported and confident during some of life’s most important moments. As I often say, patients can’t always tell whether we know what we’re doing — but they always know whether we care. To this year’s honorees and all of our physicians, thank you for leading with kindness, for your unwavering dedication, and the meaningful difference you make in the lives of New Yorkers each and every day.”
“The physicians we are recognizing today are incredible,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Services and Population Health, Ted Long, MD, MHS. “They are diverse, coming from all around the world, but what they have in common is that they all came here, driven by their commitment to our mission at NYC Health + Hospitals to treat healthcare as a fundamental human right. I am incredibly lucky to be on their team.”
“We are excited to celebrate these 26 doctors from across our facilities today,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Affairs and Business Strategy, Sewit Teckie, MD, MBA,. “Our doctors understand that medicine is not just a profession — it is a commitment to human dignity. We honor these doctors’ incredible care of their patients and their dedication to our public hospitals.”
This year’s Doctors’ Day honorees include:
- Dr. Vani Dandolu grew up in a small town in India and trained at the highly selective Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research before coming to the United States. When she arrived at Metropolitan, Dr. Dandolu learned that the hospital’s cervical cancer screening rate earned only a one-star Medicaid rating. So, she launched an outreach campaign, opened Saturday and evening clinics. Within two years, Metropolitan had a five- star rating and was ranked number one across NYC Health + Hospitals. She has performed more than 200 robotic procedures, and when NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan recruited her as chair of OBGYN in November 2022, bringing robotic surgery to the hospital was central to her mandate.
“There is deep satisfaction in knowing that your workday leaves a positive, tangible impact on the community every day,” said Dr. Dandolu. - Dr. Daniela Atanassova-Lineva joined Gotham Health in 2012 after more than a decade as an attending physician in the pediatric emergency department at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where she treated children at some of their most urgent and vulnerable moments. She continues to extend that commitment beyond her clinic through volunteer work with Doctors Without Borders.
She often moves between four or five languages in a single day, helping children and reassuring their parents, and seeing them relax the moment they realize they are understood.
“I did not decide to become a doctor – I grew into it,” said Dr. Atanassova-Lineva. “I learned that care is not rushed and healing is never forceful, it is earned through presence.” - Dr. Joon Park joined NYC Health + Hospitals/ Correctional Health Services in 2010 after completing a residency in family medicine and a fellowship in sports medicine. At first, he considered it just a first job, a stepping stone, but he soon found his calling at Rikers. Over more than a decade, Dr. Park has taken on a wide range of roles — including primary care provider, assistant medical director, onboarding trainer and telehealth physician — consistently stepping forward to support colleagues and deliver care without judgment, one patient at a time. “Dr. Park is one of the most considerate and cheerful physicians working in Correctional Health Services,” says Dr. Zachary Rosner, Chief of Medicine for Correctional Health Services.
“In a mercurial environment, we have but a few moments with each patient to build trust,” said Dr. Park. “In that snapshot, correctional healthcare professionals rise up to the challenge.”
Here is the full list of NYC Health + Hospitals Doctors’ Day 2026 Award recipients:
BRONX
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Belvis
Hamid Gilak, MD
Attending Physician, Obstetrics & Gynecology
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Morrisania
Hossam Fayed, MD
Attending Physician, Primary Care
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
Jeremy D. Sperling, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Chair, Emergency Medicine
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
Mason Blake Pimsler, MD
Attending Physician, Ambulatory Care
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Tremont
Tanya Tandon, MD, FAAP
Pediatrician
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx
Vimala Ramasamy, MD
Vice Chair, Medicine;
Director, Hospitalists Division
BROOKLYN
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Broadway
Alisen Huang, MD, FAAD
Attending Physician, Dermatology
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Cumberland
Jayshree J. Modi, MD
Attending Physician, Pediatrics
NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney
Sima Pendharkar, MD, MPH
Post-Acute Care Physician
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, East New York
Jana Widell, OD, FAAO, DABO
Optometrist
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
Bonny J. Baron, MD
Emergency Department Trauma Director
NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health
Georgia A. Patikoglou, MD, Ph.D.
Attending Physician, Internal Medicine/Geriatric Medicine
NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull
Elizabeth Jalkut, MD
Vice Chair, Medicine
MANHATTAN
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Taiye Odedosu, MD, FACP
Attending Physician, Internal Medicine
NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter
Jose C. Robles, MD
Attending Physician
NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler
Hyesung Kim, MD
Attending Physician
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur
Gavriil Ilizarov, DO
Attending Physician
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Gouverneur
James A. Schmidtberger, MD
Chief of Service, Medicine
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Sydenham
Darcy Tabotabo, MD
Attending Physician, Pediatrics
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem
Aracelis D. Fernandez, MD
Chief, Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Disease
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
Vani Dandolu, MD, MPH, MBA
Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology
QUEENS
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Jackson Heights
Daniela Atanassova Lineva, MD
Pediatrician
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
George Agriantonis, MD, FACS
Chair, Department of Surgery and
Trauma Medical Director
NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens
Anila Siddiqi, MD
Medical Director, Partial Hospital Program
STATEN ISLAND
NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View
Neena Gadangi, MD, DO
Ophthalmologist
CITYWIDE
NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services
Joon Park, MD
Attending Physician
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation, serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.