Pediatric Endocrinologists near Hackensack, NJ

Care Philosophy: Pediatric endocrinologists diagnose and treat conditions caused by disturbances in hormone production or function. These conditions often require a multifaceted and coordinated approach among the medical teams, families, school staff, and most importantly the child being treated. I specialize in the care of children with type 1 diabetes, growth and pubertal disorders, thyroid disorders, and the multiple hormone disorders that can result following treatment for childhood cancer. I believe the most important part of a patient-doctor relationship is having an open and honest line of communication with patients and their families. Involving the children in decisions about their own care helps then overcome any fear and anxiety on their part, and leads to the most successful therapeutic outcomes.

Biography: Patricia Vuguin, MD, MSc, is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Pediatric Endocrine Fellowship Program at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). She is also Medical Director of the Pediatric Thyroid Center at CUMC and NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. Her expertise includes thyroid disease, metabolic syndrome, glucose metabolism, growth, puberty and disorders of puberty, and fetal programming of adult disease. Dr. Vuguin is an accomplished clinician, researcher, and educator. She is fluent in Spanish and English and empathetic to the medical needs of New York's Hispanic community. In her leadership role for the Pediatric Thyroid Center, she collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of specialists to care for children and adolescents with thyroid disorders, such as thyroid nodules and papillary thyroid cancer. In addition, Dr. Vuguin was the recipient of K08 and R21 awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), independent grants from pharmaceutical companies, and funding from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles in research journals; presented her research findings at national and international meetings; and is an active member of the Pediatric Endocrine Society and the Society of Pediatric Research. Dr. Vuguin also completed a Master of Science Training Program in Clinical Research, an NIH-funded program offered by the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Prior to Columbia, Dr. Vuguin provided clinical care at Jacobi Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, and North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System (now Northwell Health). She is a member of the SuperDoctors ® list and received an Outstanding Teacher Award from North Shore-LIJ Health System. The American Medical Association's Board of Trustees also selected her to serve on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Review Committee for Pediatrics.

Biography: Dr. Kristen Williams, MD is an Endocrinology, Diabetes /amp Metabolism Specialist who practices in New York, NY. Dr. Kristen Williams, MD is affiliated with Newyork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and Newyork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital.

Biography: Dr. Marisa Censani is Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, an Associate Attending Pediatrician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, andDirector of the Pediatric Obesity Program at NYP Komansky Children's Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine.She is board certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology and in Obesity Medicine.Dr. Censani received a B.S. in Biology from Fordham University in Bronx, New York, graduatingsumma cum laude. She received her medical degree (M.D.) from Penn State College of Medicine where she was the recipient of the Bedrick Pediatric Medical Student Research Scholarship and completed both her internship and residency at Weill Cornell Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York. After residency, she remained in New York City and completed a fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Censani's professional areas of interest and expertise include pediatric obesity, bone and mineral metabolism, growth, and diabetes. During her fellowship, she was involved in several obesity and bone mineral metabolism related patient oriented research studies, including the effects of bariatric surgery and weight loss on adolescent bone health, and was the recipient of a 2012 Clinical Research Grant from the Genentech Center for Clinical Research in Endocrinology.She has published original articles in peer-reviewed journals pertaining to her research and has presented her work at both national and international conferences. Dr. Censani was one of three featured speakers in the 2012 Endocrine Society Annual Meeting news conference on vitamin D and her research has been reported in numerous media outlets, including Clinical Endocrinology News,Science News, and Science Daily.DR. CENSANI IN THE NEWS[Endocrine News, July 2017]:An Ounce of Prevention: New Studies Look at Childhood Obesity[Medscape, 4/3/17]: Low Vitamin D Tied to CV Problems in Kids -- Improving Vitamin D Status May Reduce Cardiometabolic Risk[VIDEO: NY1]Fit Kids: Families Learn to Tame Kids' Taste Buds

Biography: Dr. Oberfield, a professor of pediatrics, has been the director of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Columbia University Irving Medical Center since 2004. Throughout her career, Dr. Oberfield has been dedicated to educating the next generation of pediatric endocrinology sub-specialists. She was for many years director of the fellowship training program in pediatric endocrinology, and is currently associate program director. Since 2005 she has been the principal investigator of a T32 training grant in pediatric endocrinology from the NIH National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, one of only a handful of such programs in the country. Since 1998, she has mentored more than 35 fellows and more than 30 pre-doctoral students including Endocrine Society, DERC, and Doris Duke summer fellows. From 2021-2022 Dr. Oberfield served as president of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society (PES), an international organization of more than 1,300 members, that provides resources for healthcare professionals and trainees and affords educational support for patients and families affected by disorders of the thyroid, adrenal, and pituitary glands; growth disturbances; and conditions of bone metabolism and diabetes. Her priorities as president, she says, were "to maintain and expand the relevance of bench, translational and clinical researcher as well as the importance of the practicing pediatric endocrinologist, even in an era when delivery of health care and research related to children and adolescents is being dramatically eroded." Dr. Oberfield has been engaged in patient-oriented research for her entire career, with a particular focus on disorders of adrenal hormone synthesis, adrenarche, and PCOS. She has conducted studies of body composition in children and continues to be involved in multiple studies of childhood obesity. Her clinical research has centered around the developmental/pediatric endocrinology, specifically the HPA axis which intimately affects metabolic function, interacting with adiposity, including studies of body composition in adrenarche and PCOS. She has been the author or co-author of more than 225 articles, multiple chapters and reviews, and is an invited speaker at national and international meetings, including the 2012 NIH-sponsored Evidence Based Methodology Workshop on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. She is currently an editor for the Journal of Pediatrics and is an associate editor for Hormone Research in Pediatrics. She continues to be listed in Castle Connelly's "America's Top Doctors" and NY Magazine's "Best Doctors."

Biography: My interest in the physical and mental wellbeing of children and adolescents started in medical school and was solidified during my pediatric residency. I cared for underprivileged children and teenagers with growth failure, failure to thrive, and obesity. Those experiences led me to the field of pediatric endocrinology, which provided me with the opportunity to treat children of all ages with a wide spectrum of endocrine disorders. I have a special interest in growth and puberty disorders as well as the late endocrine effects of childhood cancer. My clinical academic background has helped me to build a unique practice in which I take care of very complex patients with endocrine disorders, including oncology patients, transplant patients, and international patients with complex endocrine disorders. My training in pediatric endocrinology and metabolism also sparked my interest in clinical research. In a study funded by the New York Empire Clinical Investigator Program I explored the metabolic effects on children exposed to diabetes in utero, and I also worked on the NIH Bone Mineral Density Childhood Project. Following these projects I had five years of rich experience working with Columbia's Center for Children's Environmental Health, exploring the effects of air pollution and endocrine disruptors on children's metabolism and their link to obesity. I have been lucky to share my experience and passion for endocrinology through teaching many pediatric endocrinology fellows, pediatric residents, and medical students. My goal as a physician is intertwined with my goal as an educatorteaching the new generation of physicians the art of pediatric medicine and endocrinology.

Biography: I am a pediatric endocrinologist with interests that include polycysytic ovary syndrome (PCOS), bone health, disorders of puberty, thyroid disorders, pituitary disorders and growth disorders. In addition to my training in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, I have Master of Science degrees in Nutrition (1999) and in Patient Oriented Research (2014) and have completed a research fellowship at the Body Composition Unit of Columbia University Medical Center (2003). I comleted the TRANSFORM KL2 program sponsored by the Irving Institute of Clinical and Translational Research, a mentored career development program. My responsibilites include my clinical practice, overseeing clinical and research fellows, mentoring students, and running a clinical study. I have been certified as a clinical densitometrist by the International Society of Clinical Densitometry and interpret pediatric bone mineral density studies performed at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. My research project, "A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial assessing the efficacy of metformin for hepatic fat in adolescents and young adults with polycystic ovary syndrome" has the primary goal of exploring the use of novel and noninvasive testing and a pilot double-blind placebo-controlled trial of metformin with the intention of identifying and potentially treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adolescents and young adults with PCOS. My research is unique in that it uses minimally invasive body composition methodology, which makes it particularly attractive for use in adolescents and young adults. My overall clinical research goal is early identification and treatment of metabolic and body composition abnormalities associated with PCOS and to prevent lifelong morbidity associated with this disorder in a young population

Biography: Dr. Fennoy is a board certified pediatric endocrinologist with additional certification as a Physician Nutrition Specialist as well as an Obesity Medicine specialist. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree form the University of California, San Francisco and her Masters Degree in Public Health from Columbia University, School of Public Health. Her pediatric training was done in the Department of Social Pediatrics, Montefiore Hospital, Bronx, New York, Nutrition training at the Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University and Pediatric Endocrine training with the Pediatric Medicine Branch off the National Institute of Child Health, Bethesda, Maryland. She has focused much of her research on the comorbidities identified in morbidly obese children and adolescents as well as the impact bariatric surgery has on these problems. In addition, she has been involved in a school based study to evaluate the impact of a nutrition education curriculum and exercise program on the changes in insulin resistance in middle school children.

Biography: Emily Coppedge is Chief Nurse Practitioner for the Pediatric Subspecialty Practice at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a Certified Diabetes Educator at Weill Cornell Medicine in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology. Ms. Coppedge received her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of North Carolina. She received her Masters in Nursing from New York University. She is board certified in as an advanced practice nurse specializing in pediatrics. After finding her passion working with children with diabetes, she became a certified diabetes educator.Ms. Coppedge'sareas of interests include Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, puberty, thyroid disorders and growth disorders. She is the Director of Camp Freedom, a day camp for children with Type 1 Diabetes, as well as the Co-Director of the Diabetes Transition Clinic, and works closely with diabetes organizations in the New York City area to help provide programs to patients, families and nurses regarding diabetes care.

Biography: Dr. Rachelle Gandica, MD is an Endocrinology, Diabetes /amp Metabolism Specialist who practices in New York, NY. She has been practicing for 21 years. Dr. Rachelle Gandica, MD is affiliated with Newyork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and Newyork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital.

Biography: Dr. Brittany Wise-Oringer, MD is an Endocrinology, Diabetes /amp Metabolism Specialist who practices in New York, NY. She is 38 years old. Dr. Brittany Wise-Oringer, MD is affiliated with Newyork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.

Biography: Isabel Reckson is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Weill Cornell Medicine in the Divisions ofPediatric Endocrinologyand Pediatric Nephrology.Ms. Reckson is a member of the diabetes team, specializing in nutrition therapy for children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and part of the Pediatric Obesity Program team. She is a course co-leader with Dr. Marisa Censani for the Kids and Teens Healthy Weight Program, which delivers small group sessions to children and families focused on healthy eating and other food and nutrition concepts.Within the Pediatric Nephrology Division,Ms. Recksonprovides medical nutrition therapy to children with kidney diseases and disorders such as chronic kidney disease, hypertension, nephrotic syndrome, and proteinuria.Ms. Reckson received her B.S in dietetics from the University of Maryland, College Park, her R.D from Rutgers, School of Health Related Professions, and her M.P.H from City University of New York. After her dietetic internship, she worked within the Mount Sinai community to provide nutrition care to an inpatient population, while also becoming a certified diabetes educator to provide comprehensive care in diabetes management and prevention.

Biography: Ms. Gunckle received a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Studies and Child Development at Vanderbilt University, graduating magna cum laude. She received a Master of Science in Nursing at Vanderbilt University, where she was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Ms. Gunckle is board certified in pediatric primary care by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). She continued her training at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center where she completed a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Fellowship, which involved intensive pediatric practice training in an urban, safety net setting and a PCMH model of primary care. Ms. Gunckle remained at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center where she served as the nurse practitioner in the pediatric endocrinology clinic and as the same-day sick provider in the pediatric outpatient clinic.Ms. Gunckle's areas of interest include diabetes, growth disorders, thyroid disorders, and precocious puberty. She participates in Camp Freedom, a day camp for children with Type 1 Diabetes and provides inpatient teaching for new-onset type 1 diabetes patients.

Biography: Dr. Karen Su, MD is an Endocrinology, Diabetes /amp Metabolism Specialist who practices in New York, NY. She has been practicing for 28 years. Dr. Karen Su, MD is affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Biography: I became a pediatric endocrinologist because of my desire to make a difference in the lives of children with obesity. The subspecialty training gave me tools to understand the complex systems of hormones and environmental influences on weight control, to better help my patients. My journey took me to Boston Children's Hospital followed by return to New York and my current position at Columbia University. I provide care for children of all ages with obesity and type 2 diabetes. In addition, I have expertise in other endocrine conditions, such as thyroid disease, growth hormone disorders, adrenal disorders, and bone related abnormalities. I enjoy working at Columbia West Side Pediatrics on 86th Street with a close-knit group of clinicians and staff who care deeply about the health and well-being of children and their families. There are many ways to manage endocrine conditions, and input from the family is one of the key pillars of care. I believe in empowering patients and their families with knowledge about their conditions so that they can share in decision making. Working together, we make it easier to navigate tough decisions and challenging paths. My research is focused on the genetic causes of early onset severe weight gain in children and adults. We are aiming to identify novel genetic causes of excessive weight gain, with a special focus on children from diverse backgrounds. We invite families to join in research efforts that require a large number of participants. Additionally, we are studying a rare condition called ROHHAD (rapid onset obesity, hypothalamic dysregulation, hypoventilation and autonomic dysfunction) syndrome, where children have severe weight gain early in life and a variety of other issues. My work extends into the study of physiological changes after weight loss surgery in adults and adolescents. The long-term goal of this work is to improve our understanding of weight gain and loss, to allow development of new therapies. Aside from clinical practice and research, I teach doctors in training, students from Institute of Human Nutrition, and students from the Mailman School of Public Health. I coach children from middle and high school in science and scientific methods. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and teenage children exploring the woods and mountains in New York and New England.

Biography: Dr. Vargas specializes in Pediatric Endocrinology and is an engaged educator. Dr Vargas joined our faculty in 1998. She has played an active role in the clinical care of pediatric patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center (NBDC), where she was an integral part in the establishment of its Pediatric component. Her work has focused on curriculum development for patient education in diabetes management and most recently in nutrition education. These efforts include hands-on and virtual cooking demonstrations as well as contributing to the NBDC monthly newsletter topics such as incorporating healthful foods and treats that can help maintain or improve blood sugar control. Dr Vargas participated in the establishment of a Pediatric Obesity Center, now called the Program for Overweight Education and Reduction (POWER) Clinic. She is involved in several ongoing clinical trials; recruiting patients from the community to participate in efforts to promote and study changes in lifestyle and their effect on childhood obesity. Dr. Vargas received a Master of Science in Nutrition at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University 2/2017. Her thesis research addressed childhood obesity prevention and management in an academic teaching center with a specific focus on resident education. Her findings lead to her involvement in curricular development for the medical student Pediatric Clerkship curriculum in nutrition and obesity which commenced July 2017. She is also co-chairing a committee on Developing a Pediatric Residency Training Curriculum in Nutrition and Obesity since 2018. Dr. Vargas and Dr. John Rausch worked with two residents on their scholarly projects on Culinary Medicine and focusing on the concept of Food as Medicine and are working on integrating their findings to improve outpatient care. In addition, she is involved with Kyle Murray, RD, CDE from NYP-CHALK in giving a monthly nutrition education workshop to the pediatric residents during their outpatient clinical rotation "Social Determinants of Health, Food Insecurity and Introduction to Culinary Medicine" where the residents get to do hands-on cooking demonstrations. She truly feels that Nutrition in our current environment needs to be well taught and that improving our diet quality can prevent and treat diseases such as diabetes. She is currently pursuing a Culinary Medicine Specialist Certification with expected completion spring 2021.