Thank you for taking an interest in wanting to know my background, because it does influence who I am, and my viewpoints on medicine and life in general.  I was born and raised in NYC, attending Fordham University for my undergraduate degree, and NY College of Osteopathic Medicine on an Army scholarship for my medical degree. I completed my pediatric residency while on active duty in the US Army, at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC (both facilities have since been closed due to Dept. of Defense base closures). I was also an active-duty pediatrician at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for 3 years.
 
My children are adults, so my dog is my adopted furry child. In fact, there will probably be many occasions where my dog will be at the office (and hopefully not causing trouble!). I think there are many similarities between Pediatricians and Veterinarians – so much so, that I could have easily seen myself being a Vet rather than treating humans if there were “re-dos” in life.
 
After I left active duty with the Army, I joined a multispecialty group, MidHudson Medical Group, in Fishkill, NY, in the late 1990’s. Until opening Pleasant Valley Pediatrics in 2024, I had been practicing pediatric medicine in Fishkill – first with Midhudson Medical Group, which then merged into Mt. Kisco Medical Group in 2015. This soon changed into Caremount Medical and, finally, being bought by Optum Medical in 2020 – owned by United Health Group, the insurance company.
 
I am board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, continue with the ongoing requirements to maintain this board certification, and also a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. My hospital affiliation is with Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, NY.
 
One particular area of Pediatrics that I would consider my focus is Asthma diagnosis and management. However, I still involve the Allergist or Pulmonologist with certain types of asthma. I will readily consult with the appropriate subspecialist in other fields locally or at the regional children’s hospitals for uncommon or unusually presenting problems. I believe laboratory and radiology testing should be done (outside of routine well visit screenings) when there’s a diagnosis that needs confirmation for either myself or the parent to feel more comfortable with the plan. Otherwise, I only order tests to help decide which is the appropriate consultant for a referral when it’s not obvious what specialty area a child needs to be sent to. After practicing for so many years, I appreciate this common-sense approach to the “Art” of medicine.
 
Over the span of my career, as I belonged to increasingly larger and larger group medical practices, I saw firsthand how the personal touch with patients became less important with each larger iteration of the company. Medicine, particularly pediatric medicine, is not really meant for a corporate mentality where efficiency and the bottom line of the profit margin are the goals. I’ve come to appreciate the huge differences with how adults take care of their own personal medical problems (which is usually by ignoring them) and how they’ll worry and quickly react to their child’s ailments. Parents want to know their child’s medical team – the provider and assistants – and develop a comfort level with them as their relationship grows over time. My goal for Pleasant Valley Pediatric Medicine is to earn this type of trust.