Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine

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Faculty

Abrams, Robert, M.D.

Robert Abrams, MD

Dr. Robert Abrams, M.D., is a graduate of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and completed residency training in psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is currently Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and attending psychiatrist in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, with an outpatient and consulting practice in geriatric psychiatry at the Wright Center on Aging. He has published numerous research and review articles on depression and aging, personality disorders, suicide, elder abuse and the humanities.

Adelman, Ronald D., M.D.

Ronald Adelman, MD

Ronald D. Adelman, M.D., is a graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Adelman is the Co-Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is the Emilie Roy Corey Professor of Geriatrics and Gerontology. Dr. Adelman is also the Director of the Irving Sherwood Wright Center on Aging, Director of the Center for Aging Research and Clinical Care and directs Adult Palliative Care at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Adelman’s research interests are in older patient-physician communication, caregiving and a range of palliative care topics.

Bakar, Melissa, M.D.

Melissa Bakar M.D., is a graduate of Albany Medical College and completed her Internal Medicine Residency at The University of Maryland. In 2019, Dr. Bakar completed her fellowship training and Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai and joined the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine as Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine. Dr Bakar practices outpatient Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, serves as Assistant Attending Physician in the Pallitative Care Consultation Service, and is the Assistant Director of the EGL House Call Program. Her educational and research interests focus on the education of other healthcare providers on the principles of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and curriculum development.

Breckman, Risa, L.C.S.W.

Risa Breckman

Risa Breckman, L.C.S.W, received her master's degree from Adelphi University and her clinical fellowship at the Albert Ellis Institute. Ms. Breckman is Director of Social Work Programs and Education at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and Director of the NYC Elder Abuse Center. Since 1982, Ms. Breckman has been developing psychosocial programs, resources and services for NYC's older adults. A thought leader in the field of elder abuse, Ms. Breckman worked with the Department for Justice and others to develop a roadmap for the elder justice field utilizing concept mapping methodology.

Capello, Carol F., Ph.D.

Carol Capello, Ph.D, graduated from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education. She joined the Division in 2002 as Director of the Reynolds Training Program – a multi-million dollar, four-year grant to integrate geriatrics into the school’s student, resident, and physician curriculum. In 2005, she assumed the role of Associate Director of the Office of Curriculum and Educational Development at Weill Cornell Medical College. She has been co-director of the Student Summer Scholars in Aging Program since 2002. Her educational and research interests include using the humanities in the aging curriculum across the training continuum, mentoring students interested in pursuing a career in academic medicine, and developing faculty’s teaching, evaluation, presentation, and writing skills.

Chu, Erica, M.D.

Czaja, Sara, Ph.D.

Dr. Sarah Czaja

Sara J. Czaja, Ph.D., is Professor of Gerontology and the Director of the Center on Aging and Behavioral Research in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care at Weill Cornell Medicine. She has extensive experience in Aging research both theoretical and applied, and coordination and leadership of multi-site collaborations. She is the PI of the NIA funded multi-site Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) . Her research interests include: aging and cognition, aging and healthcare informatics, caregiving, older workers, human-computer interaction, training, and functional assessment. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the Gerontological Society of America. She is also a member of the National Academy of Science Board on Human Systems Integration. She is the Immediate Past President of Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) of APA and recently served on the Institute of Medicine Committee on Healthy Cognitive Aging and the Institute of Medicine Committee on Family Caregivers of Older Adults.

Del Carmen, Tessa, M.D.

Tessa Del Carmen

Tessa Del Carmen, M.D., graduated from the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (Philippines) and completed her residency and chief residency at New York Medical College-Richmond Program and her Geriatrics fellowship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. After completing her fellowship, she served as Chairman of Geriatrics and Director of Palliative Care Services at Richmond University Medical Center before joining the Cornell Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine faculty in September of 2011 as Assistant Professor. Her interests focus on community medicine and palliative care.

Diamond, Randi R., M.D.

Randi R. Diamond, M.D., is a graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at UCLA Medical Center and at Montefiore Medical Center where she also completed her geriatrics fellowship. Dr. Diamond joined the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2009 as an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of the Liz Claiborne Center for Humanism in Medicine. Dr. Diamond is interested in palliative care, bioethics and medical humanities.

Eiss, Brian, M.D.

Brian Eiss, MD

Brian Eiss, M.D., is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine. After completing his geriatrics fellowship in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, he joined the medical faculty. Dr. Eiss is interested in quality improvement and patient safety, serving on several committees and participating in quality improvement initiatives and research projects.

Finkelstein, Emily S., M.D.

Emily Finkelstein, MD

Emily S. Finkelstein M.D., is a graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine. She completed both a residency and a chief residency in Internal Medicine at Stanford Medical Center. After completing her fellowship in geriatric medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, she joined the medical faculty in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. She has a clinical interest in preventive medicine, and a research interest in adult child caregivers.

Lachs, Mark, M.D., M.P.H.

Mark Lachs, MD

Mark Lachs, M.D., M.P.H., graduated medical school from NYU School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Pennsylvania and was on the faculty at Yale before joining the geriatrics program at Cornell’s Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Lachs is the Irene and Roy Psaty Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College and Co-Chief of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and the Director of Geriatrics for The New York Presbyterian Health Care System. His major area of interest is the disenfranchised elderly, and he has published widely in the areas of elder abuse and neglect, adult protective services, the measurement of functional status, ethics and the financing of health care.

Lam, Megan, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN

Megan Lam, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN is a graduate of New York University’s College of Nursing nurse practitioner program. She graduated with a specialty in palliative care. She has worked in hospice, long term care, and as a visiting nurse. Ms. Lam is the nurse practitioner for the EGL House Call Program. Her interests include end of life care, caregiver burden, and palliative care for the elderly.

Lien, Cynthia, M.D.

Cynthia Lien, MD

Cynthia Lien, M.D., is a graduate of SUNY Upstate Medical University and completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Chief Residency at Hofstra NS-LIJ School of Medicine. In 2015, Dr. Lien completed her fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and joined the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine as Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine. Her educational and research interests focus on community medicine, vulnerable populations and geriatrics education and curriculum development.

Lo Faso, Veronica, M.D.

Veronica Lo Faso, MD

Veronica Lo Faso, M.D., is a graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Lo Faso's experience as a nurse practitioner before attending medical school gives her a broad and valuable range of experience in patient care. Dr. Lo Faso, Associte Professor of Clinical Medicine, joined the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in 1997 and is currently is the Director of Geriatric Medical Education at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and has an interest in advancing research to protect older adults from abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.

Maciejewski, Paul K., Ph.D.

Paul Maciejewski, PhD

Paul Maciejewski, Ph.D., received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University. He joined the Division in February of 2014 as an Assistant Professor of Biostatistics in Radiology and the Co-Director of the Center for Research on End-of-Life Care. Dr. Maciejewski’s research activities are focused on the design, analysis and interpretation of studies to better understand psychological, social and cultural processes that influence end-of-life medical decision-making and care, and of studies to channel those processes toward improving end-of-life outcomes in ways that reflect the values and preferences of patients and their families.

Mehta, Sonal Subhash, M.D.

Sonal Subhash Mehta, MD

Sonal Subhash Mehta, M.D., is a graduate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Boston University Medical Center and at New York University Medical Center. In 2008, Dr. Mehta joined the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine after completing her fellowship training in Geriatric Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Currently, Dr. Mehta is Associate Program Director of the Geriatrics Fellowship and serves as the Managing Director of the Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation Service. She is particularly interested in managing symptoms related to chronic diseases, caring for older adults with dementia and other chronic conditions.

Ouchida, Karin, M.D.

Karin Ouchida, MD

Karin Ouchida, M.D., is a graduate of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and completed her Internal Medicine residency and geriatrics fellowship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. At Montefiore Medical Center Dr. Ouchida served as the Medical Director of Montefiore Home Health Agency and the Co-Director of the Geriatrics Home Visiting Program. In 2011, Dr. Ouchida joined the Division and currently serves as the Co-Director of the Geriatrics Fellowship and the Clinical Director of the Geriatrics House Call Program. Her educational and research interests focus on improving the safety of care transitions.

Phongtankuel, Veerawat, M.D.

Veerawat Phongtankuel, MD

Veerawat Phongtankuel, M.D., is a graduate of SUNY Downstate Medical College and completed his residency at Temple University Medical Center. Dr. Phongtankuel joined the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine as an Assistant Professor after finishing his geriatric medicine fellowship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2014. Dr. Phongtankuel is an AFAR/Hartford Foundation COE Scholar and an Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program Scholar. His research interest focuses on improving quality of care for patients at the end of life.

Prigerson, Holly, Ph.D.

Holly Prigerson, PhD

Holly Prigerson, Ph.D., received her graduate degrees in History and Sociology from Stanford, was a postdoctoral fellow in the epidemiology of aging at Yale, and received an honorary master’s degree from Harvard. She was approved for tenure as a faculty member at Yale and Harvard Medical School (HMS); she was recently promoted to Professor of Psychiatry at HMS. In 2014, Dr. Prigerson joined the Division as the Director for Center for Research on End-of-Life Care, Irving Sherwood Wright Professor of Geriatrics, and Professor of Sociology in Medicine. The theme of her research across studies has been on examining psychosocial and behavioral influences on medical care and care outcomes for patients and families confronting life-threatening illnesses and death.

Raik, Barrie, M.D.

Barrie Raik, MD

Barrie Raik M.D., is a graduate of New York University School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in Internal Medicine. Dr. Raik was a member of the Division of General Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center where her interest in geriatrics grew out of a program making house calls to homebound elderly in Washington Heights. She was Fellowship Program Director of the Weill Cornell Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine from 1999 to 2014. Her current work in the Division includes aging and technology, chronic illness and psychosocial complexity, and multidisciplinary collaboration with colleagues in nursing and social work.

Reid, Cary, Ph.D., M.D.

Cary Reid, PhD, MD

Cary Reid, Ph.D., M.D., is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Reid completed his residency in Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and fellowships in both Clinical Epidemiology and Geriatrics Medicine at Yale University. Dr. Reid has received many research awards over the years, including a Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Physician Scholar Award and a highly coveted Paul Beeson Faculty Scholar on Aging Research Award. He is also a section editor of the journal Pain Medicine. Dr. Reid’s work at TRIPLL supports translational research on pain and aging in New York City. He joined the faculty of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in January 2003.

Riffin, Catherine, Ph.D.

Catherine Riffin, Ph.D., is a developmental psychologist who studies family relationships in later life. She received her master's and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University and completed a T32 research fellowship in Geriatric Clinical Epidemiology and Aging-Related Research at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Riffin is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Her research focuses on family management of chronic illness, patient-caregiver communication, and the interpersonal processes that facilitate or undermine older adults’ chronic illness care. Her current work examines family involvement in older adults' chronic illness care, with a specific focus on caregivers’ interactions with the health care system.

Sanders, Barton, M.D.

Barton J. Sanders, M.D. is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and stayed at UAB complete a fellowship in Palliative Medicine. He joined the Cornell Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine where he serves as an attending for the inpatient palliative care consultation service, and also sees patients in the outpatient palliative care practice. His interests include the clinical delivery of palliative care and postgraduate physician education.

Shen, Megan, Ph.D.

Megan Shen, Ph.D. is a social psychologist with specializations in communication and psycho-oncology. She received her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Baylor University and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In July 2015, Dr. Shen joined the Division as Assistant Professor of Psychology in Medicine in the Center for Research on End-of-Life Care at Weill Cornell Medicine. Her research examines the cultural, religious and social (e.g., stigma) influences on communication between patients, family members and providers. Additionally, she develops and evaluates interventions designed to improve communication as well as patients’ decision-making, end-of-life care and psychosocial outcomes. Much of Dr. Shen’s work focuses specifically on addressing health disparities in end-of-life care.

Siegler, Eugenia, M.D.

Eugenia Siegler, MD

Eugenia Siegler, MD is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency at Bellevue and New York University Hospitals, and her geriatrics fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Siegler is an Attending Physician and the Medical Director of the Geriatrics Inpatient Services at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is also Mason Adams Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, whose faculty she joined in 2000. Dr. Siegler's clinical interests include inpatient geriatric care, aging with HIV, and the effective use of the electronic medical record (EMR). She is also involved in house staff geriatrics education and improvement in quality of care for hospitalized elders.

Silva, Milagros D., M.D.

Milagros Silva, MD

Milagros D. Silva, M.D., is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Northwestern University-McGaw Medical Center. In the summer of 2014, Dr. Silva completed her fellowship training in Palliative Medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and joined the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Silva is developing an outpatient palliative care practice and serves as Assistant Attending physician in the Palliative Care Consultation Service. Her educational and research interests focus on palliative care in the cancer population and improving end-of-life care to Limited English Proficient patients.