WELCOME!Healthcare Rocks is a celebration of 2020’s heroes with a stellar lineup of musical performances, candid conversations with frontline workers and insights from industry leaders. It’s all to benefit 3 NYC-based charities addressing the major issues New Yorkers face: food insecurity, mental health access and children’s health.
OUR HOSTSGil Addo
CEO & Co-founder, RubiconMD
Bunny EllerinPresident & Co-founder, NYCHBL; Director, Healthcare
Management Program, Columbia Business School
THE MUSICIANSDr. Collin Brathwaite & Dr. Suedeh Ranjbar
Surgeons from NYU Langone Hospital on Long Island who are docs that truly rock! By day, Dr. Brathwaite is the
hospital’s Chairman of Surgery; but he’s also a piano maestro with vocals to match. He was featured on Good Morning America
performing “Rise Up” during the height of the pandemic. Dr. Ranjbar is a surgical resident whose voice is magical.
Adam Lieber & Varsha Subramaniam Mount Sinai fourth-year medical students, who have been on the
front lines during COVID-19 both as doctors and musicians
Gan Family Rocks! A pop/rock family band bringing together people of all ages
through music & L.O.V.E.
Steff Reed Warrior for social justice, singer, songwriter, producer &
GRAMMY-nominated music educator
LaGuardia High School’s New Music EnsembleGifted music students from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (known for being the real-life
school that inspired the feature film and TV show Fame)
HEALTHCARE LEADERSMike Cunnion
CEO, Remedy Health Media
Robert Fields, MD MHASVP, CMO Population Health, Mount Sinai Health System
Sloan GaonCEO, PulsePoint
A. J. LoiaconoCEO, Capital Rx
HEALTHCARE HEROES OF 2020
Frontline RoundtableDr. Ben Gold
Cardiology Fellow, Mount Sinai Health System
Dr. Ray LorenzoniFellow, Pediatric Cardiology, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore
Dr. Arabia MolletteEmergency Medicine Physician, Brookdale University Hospital
Click here to see all of our nominated heroes
THE CHARITIES
Strengthening children and families with skills,
opportunities, and emotional support to
build healthy, successful lives.
The city’s largest hunger-relief organization,
helping low-income New Yorkers overcome
their circumstances and achieve greater
independence.
At the forefront of promoting emotional
well-being for all people through crisis care tools,
community service, and advocacy and education work.
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
SPECIAL THANKSJeremy Miller and Terese Cunningham, for your generosity
PRODUCTION TEAMAnand Gan
Rachel Kamsler
WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU!Concert artwork provided by
Katie Ryan Hennessy Design Group
Musical IntroductionsJulien DubuisPeter Frishauf
Anand and Leela GanSherman Leung
Geraldine McGinty, MD
Program DesignLandon Westbrook DT Media New York
Special FriendsKal Dolgin
Joe Habboushe, MDNadia and Ted Leather
Tony RosselloRosie’s Theater Kids
ALEXI NAZEM, MD, MBACEO, Nomad Health
Nominated by: Brenton Fargnoli, MD, MBAPartner, AlleyCorp
Nomad Health stepped up to support hospitals in urgent need of staffing more nurses and doctors. Nomad additionally supported the doctors and nurses
they place by providing extra N95 masks, covering their health insurance, and covering their pay if they became sick or quarantined.
ANNETTE OSHER, MDInternal Medicine and Cardiologist, Osher CCPHP
Nominated by: Sean ConnollyChief Strategy Officer, Castle Connolly Private Health Partners LLC
After contracting and recovering from COVID-19, Dr. Annette Osher began volunteering at the Bellevue ICU. She should be celebrated for her tireless
efforts on the front lines in NYC.
ARABIA MOLLETTE, MDEmergency Medicine Physician, Brookdale University Hospital
Nominated by: Bunny EllerinDirector, Healthcare Program, Columbia Business School
Dr. Arabia Mollette is a force and inspiration. She takes care of patients at Brookdale in Brooklyn, which serves a vulnerable population with limited
resources. During COVID-19, she described the hospital as a “medical war zone.” She went to extra lengths to advocate for her patients, peers and community.
BEN GOLD, MDCardiology Fellow, Mount Sinai Health System
Nominated by: Raahul Ramakrishnan, MDConsultant, Boston Consulting Group
Dr. Ben Gold exemplified what anyone would want from a physician during the early days of the pandemic. He helped care for so many sick patients at Elmhurst during the peak of the outbreak. He cross-covered
infectious disease from his cardiology fellowship.
2020 HEALTHCARE HeroesBack in October, we asked the NYCHBL healthcare community
to let us know about the people in their lives making a difference during COVID-19. Here are their heroes.
BONNIE CAO, MBAFounding Member, OffTheirPlate
Nominated by: Sherman LeungMedical Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
OffTheirPlate has fed countless healthcare staff throughout the country and provides a lifeline to food insecure families. The NYC team, led by Bonnie Cao, raised over $6M to support frontline healthcare workers and provide economic
relief to local restaurants in NYC.
CARDINALE SMITH, MD, PHDMedical Oncologist, Palliative Medicine Physician,
Mount Sinai Health System
Nominated by: Mark LiuDirector of Strategic Initiatives, Oncology,
Mount Sinai Health System
Dr. Cardinale Smith has shown what it truly means to be a leader during a crisis. She has been referred to as the “source of truth.” Even if she was not delivering
news we wanted to hear, we always knew it was accurate and real. I am truly grateful to be working alongside a colleague who has helped me get through the
most unconventional and unexpected course of events.
DARA HUANG, MDNephrologist, NY Culinary Medicine
Nominated by: Julie Kolzet, PhDLicensed Psychologist
Through the lens of Culinary medicine, Dr. Dara is a forefront leader in medical cannabis treatment. She has helped countless patients navigate opioid-free solutions for chronic pain; tolerate chemotherapy; and reclaim their PTSD-
symptom stricken lives amidst public health uncertainty. She has been instrumental to several of my psychotherapy patients during the pandemic.
2020 HEALTHCARE Heroes
ERICA SHEEHAN, RNCardiothoracic Intensive Care Nurse, Mount Sinai Health System
Nominated by: Chaitenya RazdanCEO, Care+Wear
I couldn’t be more proud of all the amazing work that Erica Sheehan has done to help patients. She added another hospital and shifts to her busy schedule to
take care of COVID-19 patients at both Mt. Sinai and NYU.
GEORGE LIAKEAS, MD & NICOLE LIAKEASInternist, Lexington Medical Associates
Nominated by: Sean ConnollyChief Strategy Officer, Castle Connolly Private Health Partners LLC
Dr. George Liakeas put himself in harm’s way to provide care for others and almost paid the ultimate price. His daughter Nicole organized
Scoops 4 Smiles to bring free ice cream (and lots of smiles) to frontline workers at several NYC hospitals.
KRITHIGA SEKAR, MD Neurologist, NYU Langone Health
Nominated by: Jonathan HowardMD Neurologist, NYU Langone Health
Dr. Krithiga Sekar is a neurologist at Bellevue Hospital who stepped up and managed a COVID-19 team during the spring, despite it being completely
outside the scope of her normal practice.
MICHELLE BERNABE, RNProgram and Innovation Lead, Brooklyn Minds
Nominated by: Carlene Macmillan, MDCEO, Brooklyn Minds
Michelle Bernabe has been instrumental in establishing safe practices for our staff to continue to treat people with severe psychiatric conditions throughout
the pandemic with life-saving treatments Her passion, thoughtfulness and skills as a RN made a huge difference during a very difficult time.
2020 HEALTHCARE Heroes
OMAR Z. MANIYA, MD, MBAEmergency Medicine Resident, Mount Sinai Health System
Dr. Omar Maniya spent the COVID-19 surge in the Elmhurst Hospital ER managing hundreds of critically ill patients in the ER and a makeshift ED-ICU. He caught the virus, recovered, and went back to work. He has shared his experiences in articles and on TV to help mobilize citizens in other states to take COVID-19 precautions.
PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY DEPARTMENT, THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER
Drs. Daphne Hsu, Ray Lorenzoni, Austin Mercadante, Nicolas Hidalgo-Corral, and Ellis Rochelson
Nominated by: Kate Feiner, LMSWAssistant Clinical Director and Psychotherapist at
Linda Garcia-Rose and Associates, and Multisystemic Therapy Supervisor at The New York Foundling
Montefiore’s Pediatric Cardiology team, led by Dr. Daphne Hsu, volunteered to create the first-of-its kind pediatric team to care for adult COVID-19 patients. Their dedication, ingenuity, and sacrifice are a testament to their profession
and the medical community.
PHIL CHOW, MDGeneral Practitioner, Rapid Care Solutions / SOMOS
Since COVID, Dr. Phil Chow has taken over two in-office practices in the Bronx and Washington Heights, one where the prior physician succumbed to COVID-19.
He is also performing house calls to the home-bound and the debilitated.
SAMANTHA SIMPSON, RN, BSN, CCRNClinical Nurse, Clinical ICU, New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Nominated by: Elizabeth BarnhardOf Counsel, Leason Ellis LLP
As a highly dedicated, intelligent nurse, Samantha Simpson contributed to the survival of many patients during the April surge. She is not one to seek recognition,
but her selfless dedication, her leadership as a charge nurse, and her experience from the spring will be important factors in saving lives as the next wave builds.
2020 HEALTHCARE Heroes
SARAH URKE, PTPhysical Therapist, New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Nominated by: Lauren UrkeManager, Flatiron Health
Sarah Urke worked tirelessly during COVID-19, taking on responsibilities far beyond her role. She was part of the org that pioneered proning vented
patients for better outcomes and her rehab allowed vented patients to take their first steps after recovery. She stepped up in the ICU at NYP and as a
lead PT at the Ryan Larkin Field Hospital in her first year of PT.
VASAVI DEVIREDDY, MDClinical Director, Internal Medicine Hospitalist, Northwell Health
Nominated by: Pavan Mankal, MDGastroenterologist
During the height of COVID-19 in NYC, Dr. Vasavi Devireddy, not only took care of patients at Northwell LIJ, she was also deployed to Javits Center. She chose to leave her administrative duties at LIJ and show her leadership on the field
when her team needed her the most.
VIOLETA MICHEL PANTELEON, RNIndian Health Service Hospital
Nominated by: Peter FrishaufSuper Human!
Violeta Pantelon is an inspiration. I hired Violeta as a high school intern at Medscape in 1998. She was the first member of her family to attend college,
and her goal was to become a clinician. She realized her dream at age 30, when she graduated as a nurse from Johns Hopkins. She currently works in the Navajo Nation at an Indian Health Service Hospital in New Mexico, a COVID-19 epicenter, but hopes to return to NYC at the end of her IHS service next year.
2020 HEALTHCARE Heroes
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