NYC Public Hospitals Recognize Outstanding Physicians
Donation Continues Nearly 40 Year Tradition of Giving to Coler-Goldwater by Philanthropist Hank Carter
Apr 17, 2012
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) today honored 28 physiciansfor their leadership and commitment to advancing the mission of the public hospital system and providing the highest quality healthcare to New Yorkers.
“The exceptional men and women we honor today are helping to make HHC a national model of safe, efficient, and patient-centered health care delivery,” said HHC President Alan D. Aviles. “They are vital to the well-being of our city and represent the remarkable talent among the several thousand HHC doctors who are committed to excellence and deeply care about our mission to serve New Yorkers regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status.”
The awards were presented at the annual HHC National Doctors’ Day Ceremony at Metropolitan Hospital Center in Manhattan. The award winners are a talented group of physicians from every borough who vary in age, education, specialties and years of service and represent the ethnic diversity of New York City. Together they bring several hundred years of medical experience to bear on the expert care they provide to HHC patients.
Among the Doctors’ Day Award winners is a group of seven primary care community physicians who represent HHC’s relationship with doctors who serve outside the public hospital system and work closely with the public hospitals to manage care to HHC patients. These doctors have embraced and advanced HHC programs to improve patient safety and the effective treatment of chronic diseases in children and adults, such as asthma and diabetes.
The HHC Doctors’ Day honorees are:
Doctors’ Day Awards – Brooklyn
- Manjula Vara, MD, Chairperson of the Pathology Department & Director of Laboratory Services, Coney Island Hospital
- Henry Reyna, MD, Internist, Cumberland Diagnostic & Treatment Center
- Glenis Strachan, MD, Associate Medical Director, East New York Diagnostic & Treatment Center
- Patricia O’Neill, RN, MD, FACS, Director of the Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Service, Kings County Hospital Center
- Inna Sosina, MD, Vice-President of the Medical and Dental Staff, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
- Yaw Ling Chen, MD, Assistant Director of Medicine and Director of Geriatrics, Woodhull Medical & Mental Health Center
- Romeo P. Jones, MD, Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Community Physician
- Natalya Kozlov, MD, Community Physician
- Shiush Wang, MD, Family Practice, Community Physician
Doctors’ Day Awards – Bronx
- Maria Abadi, MD, Vice-Chair of the Department of Pathology at the North Bronx Healthcare Network, Director of Surgical Pathology and Cytopathology, Jacobi Medical Center
- Rawle Philbert, Doctor of Dental Surgery, Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center
- Swarupa Gaddipati, MD, Morrisania Diagnostic & Treatment Center
- Sharon Deans, MD, Director of Gynecology and Labor and Delivery, North Central Bronx Hospital
- Debora Velasco, MD, Podiatrist, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Diagnostic & Treatment Center
- Marguerite Bernard, MD, Internist, Community Physician
- Roy J. Goldberg, MD, Medical Director of Kings Harbor Multicare Center, a nursing home, Internist and Geriatrics Specialist, Community Physician
Doctors’ Day Awards – Manhattan
- Jennifer Havens, MD, Director and Chief of Service of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bellevue Hospital Center
- Edwin Williams, MD, Associate Director of Hospital Medicine Department, Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital & Nursing Facility
- Lawrence Jacobson, MD, Director, Department of Ophthalmology, Gouverneur Healthcare Services
- Marguerite Silvera, MD, Director of Pediatric Ambulatory Care, Harlem Hospital Center
- Augusta Belmonte, MD, Chief of Pathology, Metropolitan Hospital Center
- Jacqueline Avin, MD, Renaissance Healthcare Network Diagnostic & Treatment Center
- Frederick Lewis, MD, Internist, Community Physician
Doctors’ Day Awards – Queens
- Benjamin Malkin, MD, Director of Otolaryngology for the Queens Health Network, Elmhurst Hospital Center
- Laurie Vitagliano, MD, Deputy Director of Psychiatry, Queens Hospital Center
- Joseph Saccoccio, MD, Medical Director, New York Foundling Hospital, Community Physician
Doctors’ Day Award – Staten Island
- Frank Carpiniello, MD, Nephrologist, Sea View Hospital, Rehabilitation Center & Home
Doctors’ Day Award – Health & Home Care
- Ferdinand Visco, MD, Chief of Cardiology, Metropolitan Hospital
National Doctors’ Day, officially observed on March 30, dates back to 1933 and marks the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery. In 1991, National Doctors’ Day was established by Congress to show appreciation for the contributions of physicians to increase scientific knowledge of treating disease, and for the work they do to apply modern and patient-centered methods to improve healthcare and patient well-being.
Contact : Ian Michaels (HHC) (212) 788-3339
About HHC
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlusHealth, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission’s John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nychhc.org/hhc or find us on facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or twitter.com/NYCHealthSystem.