Medical Professionals from across Westchester and Fairfield County gathered to celebrate their achievements at the VIP Country Club in New Rochelle.
The awards ceremony, held on the evening of Sept. 21, was the tenth annual event hosted by the Westfair Business Journal. Doctors, nurses, physicians’ assistants, dentists, and veterinarians from across both counties were recognized for accomplishments ranging from innovative new procedures to demonstrating the ways that the medical profession can be a family business.
Adam D. Hammerman, vice president and CFO of New York Medical College as well as a volunteer EMT for more than 30 years, served as the keynote speaker and master of ceremonies. Calling the opportunity to address those recognized with awards as well as the audience an honor, Hammerman launched into the ceremony by congratulating the winners and saying, “Thank you for what you do to make us all healthier.”
Nominees for the night’s awards were nominated by their peers and selected by a two-person panel of judges: Janine Miller, the executive director of the Westchester County Medical Society and Westchester Academy of Medicine, and Gary Sastow, a partner at the firm Danzinger & Markhoff LLP who specializes in legal cases pertaining to health care.
The judges decided in the cases of several ties to award multiple awards.
The award winners were:
All in the Family Award
Dr. Kaare Weber, Director of Surgery and Associate Medical Director of Surgical Services; Dr. Pamela Weber, Director of Breast Imaging; Dr. Philip Weber, Director of the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Robotics and Bariatrics – all at White Plains Hospital.
Compassionate Concierge Doctor
Dr. Mindy Gallagher, Pediatrician, Rivertown Pediatrics PC
Cutting Edge
Dr. Sandra Wainwright, Medical Director of the Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Healing Center, Greenwich Hospital, Yale New Haven Health
Dentists
Dr. Naidia Henriquez, Chief Dental Officer, Open Door Family Medical Center; Dr. Gina Lodolini, Pediatric Dentist, Kids Are Great Dental, a Division of Caremount Dental
Doctor Without Boundaries
Dr. Fawaz Al-Mufti, Associate Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Radiology, Associate Chair of Neurology, Research Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education Research, Neuroendovascular Surgeon, New York Medical College, Westchester Medical Center.
Female Innovators
Dr. Sandra Brennan, Director of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Westchester; Jessica Marraffa, Nursing Clinical Instructor, Stamford Hospital and Fairfield University; Dr. Lisa Sammaritano, Rheumatologist, Hospital for Special Surgery; Dr. Debbie Palmer, Physician, Medical Director, Co-founder, Dermatology Associates of New York
Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Barry Kraushaar, Orthopedic Surgeon, Montefiore Northeast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine; Dr. Athanassios Petrotos, Medical Director of Trauma, Greenwich Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor in Surgery at Yale School of Medicine, Greenwich Hospital; Dr. Francis Polcari, Medical Director, Wartburg Adult Care Community
Outstanding Nurse
Stephanie Petropoulos, Registered Nurse, Silver Hill Hospital; Jacquelyn Trenck, Registered Nurse, Northeast Medical Group and Yale New Haven Health
Physician Assistant
Ana Evelyn Riccio, Physician Assistant, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and Westchester Medical Center
Power Couple
Drs. Andrew and Kseniya Kobets – the Kobets are respectively Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics and Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Kseniya is also Director of Cosmetic Dermatology, Montefiore Medical Center.
Promise for the Future
Dr. Kristoffer Kranz Bauer, Veterinarian, Community Veterinary Clinic; Thomas Gagliardi, Medical Student, New York Medical College.
Team Awards
Accepting on behalf of Darien Signature Health: Dr. Amanda Collins-Baine, Physician and Founder; Dr. Jennifier Drummond, Physician.
Accepting on Behalf of NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester OCH Spine: Dr. Peter D. Angevine, Neurological Spine Surgery; Dr. George C. Christolias, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Dr. Marc D. Dyrszka, Orthopedic Spine Surgery; Dr. Samantha Erosa, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Dr. Justin A. Neira, Neurological Spine Surgery.
Veterinarian
Dr. Alison Allan, Veterinarian, White Plains Veterinary Hospital.
Gold sponsors of the event included Yale Hew Haven Health and Montefiore Einstein. Yale New Haven Health serves both counties through Bridgeport and Greenwich Hospitals while maintaining a commitment to education and research. Montefiore Einstein partners with top companies in the region and provides comprehensive care throughout Westchester County and the Hudson Valley.
White Plains Hospital, part of the Montefiore Health System, and the Wartburg Home of the Evangelical Lutheran Church both served as medical Silver Sponsors of the event. New England Antique Lumber, purveyors of fine reclaimed wood, also served as a silver sponsor.
Bronze tier sponsors included CClean Commercial Cleaning, Mercedes-Benz of New Rochelle, and the Open Door Family Medical Center.
