Leadership
Mount Sinai South Nassau provides top-notch health care for you and your loved ones. Our experienced leaders strive to meet your every need with science and compassion. From our administrative team to our Board of Directors and medical leaders, we are all committed to serving you. We pledge to provide high quality, comprehensive, and easily accessible health care services to everyone in the Long Island South Shore community.
Administrative Team
Adhi Sharma, MD, MHA
President
Dr. Sharma is board certified in toxicology and emergency medicine. He has been the clinical quarterback of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his guidance, the hospital surged capacity to 500 beds. We cared for more than 1,700 COVID-19 patients during the worst of the pandemic.
Dr. Sharma obtained his medical degree from New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, and completed his emergency medicine residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Jacobi Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center. He also completed a fellowship in medical toxicology at NYU Langone and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Medical Center. He holds a Master’s in Health Care Administration from George Washington University. Dr. Sharma is an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He is a co-author of journal articles published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, Academy of Emergency Medicine, and Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America. In addition, Dr. Sharma has authored chapters in clinical textbooks, including Rosen’s Emergency Medicine; 5-Minute Pediatric Emergency Medicine Consult, and Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies. Prior to working at Mount Sinai South Nassau, Dr. Sharma served as the Chair of Emergency Medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, New York.
Joe Calderone
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Development
Mr. Calderone directs Mount Sinai South Nassau’s corporate communication strategy to enhance the hospital’s philanthropic mission. He serves as the hospital’s primary spokesperson on various public issues and corporate communications. He also oversees hospital publications, including periodicals, journals, press releases, advertisements, and other communication tools. As the hospital’s lead development administrator, he develops personal and business relationships with philanthropic organizations and individuals to enhance direct giving, fundraising, grants, and other related activities.
In addition to his professional responsibilities, Mr. Calderone also serves as an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University. While he was a reporter at Newsday, he was a member of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting.
Stacey Conklin, MSN, RN-BC, MHCDS, NE-BC
Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer, Patient Care Services
Ms. Conklin is responsible for the planning, coordination, and delivery of quality nursing care to patients throughout the hospital. She also ensures that the hospital follows exemplary practice standards wherever nursing care is delivered. Ms. Conklin holds degrees from Molloy University, Walden University, and Dartmouth College, and maintains professional certifications as a nurse executive and nurse informaticist.
Ms. Conklin holds memberships in the American Nurses Association, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and Sigma Theta Tau International, and was named a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.
John A. Pohlman, CPA
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Pohlman is responsible for the overall financial management of Mount Sinai South Nassau, including financial reporting and related internal controls. He directs financial planning related to growth, financing, and associated issues. Mr. Pohlman also coordinates all relationships with auditors, third-party reimbursement agents, managed care companies, investment bankers, and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.
Mr. Pohlman joined Mount Sinai South Nassau after nearly two decades at Catholic Health Long Island. His most recent role there was Chief Operating Officer for Catholic Health Long Island’s St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown. Previously, he had served as the hospital’s Vice President of Finance and Administration. Mr. Pohlman also served as Catholic Health Long Island’s Regional Vice President of Finance, coordinating the financial operations of three acute-care hospitals and two skilled nursing facilities in Suffolk County.
Mr. Pohlman is a member of Healthcare Financial Management Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is a 1995 graduate of Fordham University and holds a Master of Business Administration from Molloy University.
Alan Wong, DO, MBA
Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs
Dr. Wong joined us from Catholic Health, where he served in multiple leadership roles at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, New York, including Vice President for Patient Safety and Chief Quality Officer, Chair of Internal Medicine, and Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care. During his time there, he was responsible for patient quality and safety issues, risk management, and hospital accreditation. Dr. Wong also co-chaired the Performance Improvement Committee, the Patient Experience Committee, and many other clinical and quality initiatives. As Chief Medical Officer at Mount Sinai South Nassau, he is responsible for and works with all medical staff throughout the hospital, employed and attending.
A long-time Nassau County resident, Dr. Wong attended medical school at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he also obtained his MBA. He completed his internal medicine residency and pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the then-Winthrop University Hospital.
Josh Kugler, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Vice President, Physician Services Vice President, Physician Services
Dr. Kugler began at Mount Sinai South Nassau in 2001 as an emergency medicine physician. He was appointed Clinical Chair for the Department of Emergency Medicine in 2004. From 2007-2009, Dr. Kugler served as the Chief Medical Officer, resuming his role as Clinical Chair until 2020. At that point, he maintained a close relationship with us working as a liaison for the Mount Sinai Network team.
Dr. Kugler obtained his bachelor’s degree at Duke University, his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and a Master’s in Health Care Management from Harvard University. Dr. Kugler’s clinical training includes an internship in general surgery (Walter Reed National Military Medical Center) and an emergency medicine residency (North Shore University Hospital), where he was a chief resident. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Margaret Pfeiffer, MSN, RN, CCRN, NE-BC
Vice President, Patient Care Services
Ms. Pfeiffer brings more than 25 years of clinical and management experience in nursing to Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Patient Care Services Department. She collaborates with all disciplines throughout the organization to improve nursing practice and maintain the highest quality of patient care delivery. Focusing on the future of nursing, she strives to apply all advances in nursing practice principles to the organization. She holds a Master’s of Science in Nursing and holds certifications as a nurse executive and in critical care nursing.
Laura Righter, RN, MBA
Vice President, Operations
Ms. Righter brings many years of medical administrative experience to overseeing the hospital’s wound care program, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation therapy programs, orthopedic service line, radiology services, and laboratory services. She holds a BSN from Adelphi School of Nursing and an MBA from Dowling College.
Samuel Sandowski, MD
Vice President, Medical Education
Dr. Sandowski is a Professor of Family Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the VP for Medical Education at Mount Sinai South Nassau. He also serves as Residency Director at Icahn School of Medicine’s South Nassau Family Medicine Program.
He graduated cum laude from the Technion Faculty of Medicine in Israel. After completing his family medicine residency at South Nassau Communities Hospital and a Faculty Development Fellowship at the State University of New York Health Sciences Center, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, he served as Medical Director of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s Family Medicine Center.
Dr. Sandowski has served as a commission member of the New York State Association of Family Physicians’ Leadership Commission and as Vice Chair of their Education Commission. He has published several articles and book chapters, co-edited the textbook Primary Care, and has presented papers both regionally and nationally. He has also served as a reviewer for the journal American Family Physician. Dr. Sandowski is board certified in family medicine and adolescent medicine.
Dana Sanneman
Vice President, Public Affairs and Development
Ms. Sanneman oversees the planning, implementation, and synchronization of strategic communications and development programs. She coordinates the hospital’s strategic communications and public messaging in collaboration with stakeholders and community advocates, including the news media, civic leaders, elected officials, government leaders, hospital volunteers, and auxiliary. Ms. Sanneman orchestrates the hospital’s annual and long-term development plans, which include direct giving, annual giving, major gifts, capital campaigns, bequests, grants, and fundraising events. In addition, she directs the hospital’s award-winning Truth in Medicine quarterly public health poll, the Vaxmobile (the region’s first mobile COVID-19 vaccination bus), and other public health initiatives. Ms. Sanneman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Siena College and a Master of Public Administration in Public And Nonprofit Management And Policy from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Andrew Triolo
Vice President, Facilities, Planning, and Development
Mr. Triolo oversees the Department of Design, Development, and Construction, and is responsible for property management at our main campus and all off-site facilities. He serves as the architectural and administrative liaison for strategic planning and program development. In addition, he leads master facilities planning for Mount Sinai South Nassau's integrated health care delivery system.
Joshua Yedvab
Vice President, Human Resources and Business Development
Mr. Yedvab oversees all recruitment and retention activities, employee relations, employee benefit and recognition programs, employee health, volunteers, and cultural initiatives. He also enhances relationships with our physicians and other providers; grows new physician relationships; and develops innovative programs, strategies, and partnerships. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master of Health Administration from Cornell University.
Jennifer Clark
Assistant Vice President, Finance
Ms. Clark supervises the day-to-day functions of the Accounting Department and the Finance Department. Areas of responsibility include payroll, budgeting, financial planning, reimbursement, accounts payable, and general accounting. She is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Peter Fromm, MPH, RN, FACHE, FAHA
Assistant Vice President, Cardiac Services
Mr. Fromm has served as the Administrative Director of the Heart and Cardiac Care Services at Mount Sinai South Nassau for about 15 years. He is responsible for the oversight and expansion of cardiology services within our hospital and the communities we serve. He volunteers for the American Heart Association as National Chairman of the Systems of Care Subcommittee and as a member of the Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee. He is a board certified health care executive and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Heart Association.
MaryBeth Micheels
Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Applications, Information Services
Ms. Micheels oversees the support of software applications for revenue cycle, finance, human resources, payroll, time and attendance, and supply chain. This includes the Employee Space and Requisition Centre.
An information technology leadership professional with more than 25 years of experience, Ms. Micheels has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and Spanish from King’s College.
Ann Amato, CPA, MBA, CHC, CHPC, CPC
Compliance and Privacy Officer
Ann Amato joined Mount Sinai South Nassau in 1997. She oversees all aspects of internal audits and corporate compliance for the hospital, outpatient departments, and Captive Professional Corporations. Ms. Amato is a Certified Public Accountant with a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Adelphi University and Master of Business Administration from Molloy College. She received both her Certification in Healthcare Compliance and Certification in Healthcare Privacy Compliance from the Healthcare Compliance Association.
Ms. Amato earned a Certified Professional Coder credential from the American Academy of Professional Coders and served on the Board of the Healthcare Financial Management Association Metro New York Chapter, where she chaired the Compliance and Internal Audit Committee for 10 years. In addition, Ms. Amato was appointed as the Chair of the Compliance Committee for the Nassau Suffolk Hospital Council in 2017.
Prior to joining South Nassau, Ms. Amato was Director of Internal Audit for Staff Builders Home Health Care from 1992 to 1997 and Senior Auditor and Assistant Tax Specialist at KPMG from 1998 to 1992.
Advisory Board
Mount Sinai South Nassau's Advisory Board is comprised of a diverse and representative group of community leaders.
Officers
Anthony Cancellieri
Co-Chairman
George Schieren
Co-Chairman
Joseph J. Fennessy
Immediate Past Chairman
Peter C. Breitstone
Treasurer
Edward Scott
Secretary
Members
Laura Curran
Paul DiCosimo
Christine Ferazani
Lowell Frey
Jeffrey Frisch
Steven Gold
Jeffrey Greenfield
Nancy Koopersmith
Sheldon Kleiman
Wayne Lipton
Wendy Ponte
Michael Sapraicone
Michael Schamroth
Joel Schneider
Adhi Sharma, MD
Sally Valenti
Robert Wild, Esq.
Helena Williams
Butch Yamali
Clinical Leadership
At Mount Sinai South Nassau, our clinical leaders and their departments work diligently to ensure your safety, comfort, and satisfaction. Our department leadership includes:
Anesthesiology
Alan Sim, MD
Department Chair
Emergency Medicine
Jay Itzkowitz, MD
Department Chair
Lincoln Ferguson, MD
Chief, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Family Practice
Samuel Sandowski, MD
Department Chair; Vice President, Medical Education
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology
Steven Drexler, MD
Department Chair, Interim
Medicine
Aaron E. Glatt, MD, MACP, FIDSA, FSHEA
Department Chair
Chief, Infectious Diseases
Raul Mendoza, MD
Associate Chair, Medicine
Physician-in-Charge, Critical Care Unit
Lawrence Kanner, MD
Department Chair, Cardiology
Director, Electrophysiology/Arrhythmia Services
Jason Freeman, MD
Director, Interventional Cardiology
Jonathan Altus, MD
Chief, Pulmonary Medicine
Frank Coletta, MD
Chief, Critical Care
Associate Director, Center for Sleep Wellness
Louis Saffran, MD
Director, Center for Sleep Wellness
Stanley Goldstein, MD
Chief, Allergy/Immunology
Russell Cohen, MD
Chief, Dermatology
Effie Tsomos, MD
Chief, Endocrinology
Jonathan Zinberg, MD
Associate Chief, Gastroenterology
Louis Swartz, MD
Chief, Nephrology
Frank Gress, MD
Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Director, GI Fellowship Program
Clifford Feiner, DO
Chief, Geriatrics
Steven Kadish, MD
Associate Chief, GI Endoscopy, General
Richard M. Lee, MD
Chief, Hematology/Oncology
Ricardo Cruz, MD
Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Stuart Kaplan, MD
Chief, Rheumatology
John Ioannou, MD
Director, Outpatient Dialysis
Michael Sood, MD, MS, FACC, FACP, FSCMR
Director, Non-Invasive Cardiology
Hai-Wen Ma, MD
Chief, Hospitalist Services
Associate Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Cheriyan Thomas, MD, FACP, MBA
Associate Chief, Hospitalist Services
Steven Weiss, MD
Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Yelena Markovskaya, MD
Medical Advisor, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program/Infectious Diseases
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Alan Garely, MD
Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Director, Urogynecology
Edmund Tomlinson, MD
Vice Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chief, Obstetrics
Robert Dean, MD
Coordinator, Medical Student Education
Dina El Kady, MD, FACOG
Chief, Maternal Fetal Medicine
Ira Bachman, MD
Director, Gynecology
Ann Buhl, MD
Director, Gynecologic Oncology
Claudia Ravins, MD
Director, Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery
Salma Rahimi, MD, SCM
Director, Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program
Fredric R. Moon, DO
Director, Family Medicine Center for Ob/Gyn
Pediatrics
Lincoln Ferguson, MD
Department Chair
Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
Felix Sterling, MD
Department Chair, Interim
Radiology
Ari Steiner, MD
Department Chair
Michael Brisman, MD
Chief, Surgical Neuro-Oncology
Co-Director, Gamma Knife Center
Surgery
Rajiv Datta, MD, MBA, FACS, FRCS, FICS
Department Chair
Director, Gertrude and Louis Feil Cancer Center
Director, Surgical Oncology/Head and Neck
Kenneth Becker, MD, FACS
Director, General Surgery
Eric Seitelman, MD, FACS
Program Director, General Surgery
Christine Hodyl, DO
Director, Breast Services
Dean Pappas, MD
Chief, Colon and Rectal Surgery
Rajeev Vohra, MD
Director, Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery
Stephen Onesti, MD
Director, Neurosurgery
Richard Nauheim, MD
Director, Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology Residency
Robert Licul, DDS
Director, Oral Surgery
Rajesh Kakani, MD
Director, Otolaryngology
Stelios Koutsoumbelis, MD
Chief, Orthopedic Surgery
Juan Goez, DPM
Director, Podiatry and Orthopedic Surgery
George Xipoleas, MD, FACS
Director, Plastic Surgery
Foula Kontonicolas, MD
Director, Surgical Critical Care
Shahriyour Andaz, MD
Director, Thoracic Oncology
Joshua Melamed, MD
Director, Thoracic Oncology
James Maurer, MD
Trauma Medical Director
Michael Herman, MD
Director, Urology
Daniel McCally, MD, FACS
Assistant Director, Urology
Harmandeep Singh, MD
Director, Vascular Surgery
Charles C. Sticco, DO
Director, Wound Care Center
Ganesh Gunasekaran, MD
Director, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Service