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The physicians and staff involved in your child's care were:
Board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon:
Thomas Steineke, M.D.
Board-certified neuro-oncologist:
Joseph Landolfi, M.D.
Board-certified child neurologist:
Yongming Mao, M.D.
Michael Seyffert, M.D.
Kavitha Velicheti, MD
Board-certified anesthesiologists:
Adam Moises, M.D.
Gabor Simon, M.D.
Board-certified neuro-radiologist:
Noam Eshkar, M.D.
Larry Tannebaum, M.D.
Board-certified neuro-pathologist:
David Nochlin, M.D.
Neuro-psychologist:
Joseph Giacino, Ph.D.
Terry Horowitz, Ph.D.
Keren Isaacs-Lebeau, Ph.D.
Sleep Multi-Disciplinary Team:
Sudhansu Chokroverty, M.D.
Carl Mazzarra, M.D. (ENT)
Board-certified pediatric intensivist:
Steven Choi, M.D.
Lisa Grimaldi, M.D.
Jaqueline Williams-Phillips, M.D.
Lisanne Hauck, M.D.
Okey Anene, M.D.
In-house board-certified
pediatric hospitalists:
Vani Gayam, M.D.
Shohba Jawaharani, M.D.
Jacek Grzybowski , M.D.
Margarette Pierre, M.D.
Sheeba Ben, M.D.
Pediatric Rehabilitation/Developement Disorders:
Patricia Munday, D.S.c. (Director)
Norma Prisco, MSN (Manager)
Susan Winning (RPT/OT)
Pediatric Neuroscience Nurses:
Patricia Anthony, CCRON (Neuroscience Nurse manager)
Shaija George, MSN ( Pediatric Unit Nurse manager)
Mary Van-Horn MSN (Neuroscience Pediatric Nurse practitioner)
Dianne Poracky, CCRN (Epilepsy)
Nancy DePinto (Pediatric Neurosurgery)
….and teams of pediatric nurses, respiratory therapists, physical,
occupational and rehabilitation therapists and other technicians.
Pediatric Neurology
As a parent, you know how difficult it is to care for your child on an
everyday basis. It is often harder to make a decision that affects
your child's welfare than it is to make a decision about yourself.
When you then develop a concern about your child, worry and anxiety
may take over as a normal reaction. While this experience may be new
to you, you may rest assured that this is "routine" for us
at the Pediatric Neurology Division of the Children's Neurological
Center.
We recognize that every child is a unique individual with his/her own
set of strengths and weaknesses. Our goal is to maximize these
strengths allowing every child to reach his/her own potential. At the
same time, we recognize that behind every child is a concerned, caring
family and that the child must be viewed and treated in this context.
The Pediatric Neurology program at the New Jersey Neuroscience
Institute offers individualized comprehensive evaluations for children
with a variety of conditions. These conditions include, but are not
limited to: epilepsy, developmental delays, pervasive developmental
disorder/autistic spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, brain tumors,
migraines, head injuries and Tourette syndrome.
Parents and children will work closely with our multidisciplinary
team. Following the initial evaluation by one of our two pediatric
neurologists, a goal-oriented, family-centered treatment plan will be
implemented with your input. Other members of our multidisciplinary
team include: pediatric neurology nurse clinician, pediatric
neuropsychologist and child study team specialists, psychologists, as
well as physical, occupational and speech therapists affiliated with
the Pediatric Rehabilitation Department of the JFK Johnson
Rehabilitation Institute.
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Please see the more detailed descriptions of our pediatric epilepsy
and pediatric spasticity (cerebral palsy) programs.
Of course, your child's symptoms may not be clear-cut and further
tests may be necessary. All of these tests are accomplished in a
child- friendly environment with caring personnel. EEGs (brainwave
tests primarily used to detect seizure activity) and Brainstem
Auditory Evoked Responses (to check hearing in young, non-verbal and
possibly uncooperative children) can be accomplished simultaneously in
collaboration with the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology.
If necessary, sedative medication can be given to young children in
order to perform these studies. Our pediatric intensive care
physicians supervise the procedures involving sedation on the
inpatient pediatric floor. Inpatient video EEG and outpatient 24-hour
ambulatory EEG services are also available. Neuroimaging studies, such
as MRI and CT scans, can be obtained on site at JFK Medical Center.
Children can be referred for these studies directly by their
physicians or after consultation with Neuroscience Institute
physicians.
Close collaboration with the pediatric neurosurgery program enhances
care for children with such conditions as spina bifida, hydrocephalus
and intractable epilepsy. The pediatric neurologist works closely with
an experienced dietitian in managing children with seizure disorders
on the ketogenic diet.