Concussion Center Care Team
At NYU Langone’s Concussion Center, you are treated by experts in concussion care and rehabilitation. Learn more about the members of our care team, including our experts in pediatric care.
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Dina Pagnotta, PT, MPT, MPH
Ms. Pagnotta is responsible for daily operations at the Concussion Center, including policy development and implementation, educational endeavors, marketing, research, and center expansion. As director of strategic initiatives, Ms. Pagnotta supports the development of new projects and programming within NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. She received a master of physical therapy degree from Hahnemann University (which has since merged into Drexel University) and a master of public health degree from Columbia University.
Program Manager
Mara F. Sproul, MPA, RN-BC, CRRN
Ms. Sproul is a registered nurse who has more than 20 years of experience in pediatric, geriatric, and cardiac rehabilitation and nursing administration. She has a master’s degree in public administration from NYU and is certified in rehabilitation nursing and geriatric nursing. In her role, she is responsible for day-to-day interactions with patients and facilitates various aspects of their clinical care, as well as helps with the overall development of the Concussion Center.
Program Coordinator
Victoria Juanito, RN, BSN
Ms. Juanito is a registered nurse who has more than 17 years of clinical and managerial experience, including as a training officer in a military hospital. She has worked as a school nurse, in a facility for adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, and, most recently, in several neurology clinics in an academic hospital. She is responsible for day-to-day patient interactions and assists in various aspects of their clinical care.
Athletic Trainer Coordinator
Julia D. Drattell, MEd, ATC
Ms. Drattell is a certified athletic trainer with seven years of collegiate experience. She has a master’s degree in athletic training from the University of Virginia and has worked at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and Division III levels. She fosters relationships between the Concussion Center and schools, colleges, universities, and youth leagues. She is also responsible for advancing clinical programming, supporting ongoing research, and developing educational programs for the community and healthcare professionals.
Occupational Therapy
Elizabeth J. Martori, MS, OTR/L, Vision Clinical Specialist
Ms. Martori specializes in vision rehabilitation for people who have concussion and traumatic brain injury. She helps improve visual perceptual and motor skills, including reading, writing, computer use, and other work- and school-related activities.
Margaret A. Waskiewicz, MS, OTR/L, Unit Supervisor, Occupational Therapy
Ms. Waskiewicz specializes in vision rehabilitation, helping people who have concussion and traumatic brain injury resume their usual routines, including self-care, home management, and work and school activities.
Psychology
Amanda Childs, PhD, Staff Psychologist
Dr. Childs specializes in rehabilitation and health psychology with a focus on the treatment of concussion, traumatic brain injury, and oncology. She provides neuropsychological assessments, cognitive rehabilitation, and individual and group psychotherapy. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (AART) at Rusk Rehabilitation.
Judy Creighton, PhD, Staff Psychologist
Dr. Creighton provides neuropsychological assessment, psychotherapy, and cognitive remediation for people diagnosed with concussion, traumatic brain injury, and dementia. She leads group therapy on concussion recovery and stress management.
Donna Langenbahn, PhD, Associate Director of Psychology—Outpatient Services
Dr. Langenbahn provides neuropsychological assessment and treatment to people dealing with cognitive, emotional, and behavioral issues related to brain injury and concussion. She has received the John G. Gianutsos Award for Special Educational Contributions from Rusk Rehabilitation and was named a distinguished member of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, which awarded her the Elizabeth and Sidney Licht Award in recognition of excellence in scientific writing in rehabilitation medicine in 2012.
Yuen Shan Christine Lee, PhD, Staff Psychologist
Dr. Lee specializes in the treatment of concussion and traumatic brain injury. She provides neuropsychological assessments, cognitive rehabilitation, and individual and group psychotherapy. She received the Dr. Lee and Linda Rosenbaum Family Award through Yeshiva University for excellence in clinical health and served as an Asian American Psychological Association leadership fellow.
William Lu, PsyD, Senior Psychologist
Dr. Lu’s special interests include traumatic brain injury, sleep and memory processing, mindfulness, neuropsychological testing, and cognitive remediation. Dr. Lu has published in the areas of traumatic brain injury and sleep and memory processing. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in rehabilitation research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Bonnie Marks, PsyD, Senior Psychologist
Dr. Marks specializes in rehabilitation psychology, traumatic brain injury, concussion, sports psychology, and mindfulness for stress management. She works in the Brain Injury Day Treatment program and performs concussion evaluations. She has received the Dr. Alfred H. Schwartz and Iris Nelson-Schwartz Humanitarian Award from the National Rehabilitation Association, Metropolitan Chapter.
Yuka Matsuzawa, PsyD, Senior Psychologist
Dr. Matsuzawa provides neuropsychological assessment and treatment for people who have neurological conditions, including concussion, that affect cognition, emotion, and behavior. She facilitates group psychotherapy sessions for people recovering from concussion. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in rehabilitation research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Physical Therapy
Jamie Cepeda, DPT, Senior Physical Therapist
Dr. Cepeda treats people who have concussions and other types of brain injuries. He evaluates their needs, helps develop a treatment plan, and assists people as they learn the skills they need to live independently and return to their normal activities.
Juli Deng, DPT, OCS, Cert. MDT, Senior II Physical Therapist
Dr. Deng is a board-certified orthopedic specialist and is certified in mechanical diagnosis and therapy. With her expertise in mechanical diagnosis and therapy, she helps people with concussion return to their prior level of function.
Teresa Iodice-Dadin, MA, PT, CCTT, Senior Physical Therapist
Ms. Iodice-Dadin is a certified craniofacial and cervical therapist. She specializes in treating disorders of the head and neck, including headache and temporomandibular joint disorders, related to concussion and other injuries. She performs advanced manual therapy with osteopathic training.
Mira Kaufman PT, DPT, OCS
Dr. Kaufman is a board-certified orthopedic specialist. She has a special interest in working with people recovering from concussion-related injuries and limitations. She helps them get back to their normal activities and responsibilities, as well as sports and exercise.
Andrew McGovern, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
Dr. McGovern is committed to helping people recover from postconcussion symptoms by using holistic approaches to optimize function and maximize the body’s healing potential. He has extensive training in osteopathic manual medicine techniques, which he uses to address cranial, cervical, and fascial dysfunctions. He is a board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist and a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
Mark Schulingkamp, DPT, OCS, Senior Physical Therapist
Dr. Schulingkamp is a board-certified orthopedic specialist. He helps people who have experienced concussion return to work, school, sports, and other activities.
Mark Vorensky, PT, DPT, SCS
Mr. Vorensky is a board-certified sports physical therapist with experience in treating athletes after a concussion. He completed a sports physical therapy residency at University of Rochester Medical Center, where he spent time on the sidelines for the football, lacrosse, and hockey teams. This is where he gained exposure to preseason and in-game testing for concussion care. Currently, he has an interest in aerobic testing and the impact exercise has on postconcussive symptoms.
Social Work
Pamela Singer, MSW, LCSW, Senior Social Worker
Ms. Singer has a master’s degree in social work from NYU. Ms. Singer has spoken extensively about the emotional issues inherent to brain injury and concussion, as well as the importance of groups in rehabilitation.
Speech–Language Pathology
Karen Gendal, MA, CCC-SLP, Clinical Specialist
Ms. Gendal’s expertise is in the evaluation and treatment of people with a variety of motor, speech, language, and cognitive communication impairments, including those with concussion.
Edna Schneider, MA, CCC/SLP, Clinical Specialist
Ms. Schneider specializes in working with people recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurogenic disorders. Her research has been published in The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal and she has been a contributor to Advance magazine.
Vestibular Therapy
Katie Ann Connors, PT, DPT, Senior Physical Therapist
Dr. Connors treats people who have a variety of neurological injuries, including neck pain, and helps them return to activity after concussion. She practices in the outpatient department at Rusk Rehabilitation.
Tara Denham, MA, PT, Outpatient Program Manager
Ms. Denham specializes in vestibular therapy for people with concussions. In addition, she supervises therapists who treat people in need of vestibular therapy and developed the vestibular concussion program at NYU Langone. She is involved in research about concussions and vestibular dysfunction and lectures nationally and internationally on the topic of vestibular rehabilitation.
Jennifer Fay, PT, DPT, NCS, Clinical Specialist
Dr. Fay specializes in treating people who have concussions and other types of brain injuries. She works with patients and families, educating them about the condition and assisting patients with their return to work, school, or sports. She is the lead clinician on a research project related to concussions and vestibular dysfunction.
David Malamut, MS, PT, Clinical Specialist
Mr. Malamut specializes in evaluations, treatment planning, and patient and family education for people who have concussions and other types of brain injuries. He helps patients return to work, school, or sports.
Mackenzie Root, PT, DPT, Senior Physical Therapist
Dr. Root specializes in treating people who have vestibular dysfunction related to concussions and other types of brain injuries. She evaluates, treats, and educates patients and families about the condition and assists the patient in returning to normal activities.
Artmis Youssefnia, PT, GCS, Senior Physical Therapist
Ms. Youssefnia treats people experiencing vestibular dysfunction after concussions and other types of brain injuries. She is a board-certified geriatric specialist and has advanced training in working with older adults. She helps people return to normal activities and evaluates, treats, and educates patients and families about the condition.
Pediatric Care Team
Michael Cao, PsyD, Staff Psychologist
Dr. Cao specializes in understanding the psychosocial factors that impact the concussion experience. He educates children and families about the condition and performs a neuropsychological assessment to provide appropriate school-based and return-to-life recommendations. Dr. Cao completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the evaluation and treatment of concussion and traumatic brain injury in people of all ages at the Sports Concussion Institute in Los Angeles.
Megan Conklin, PT, DPT, Supervisor
Dr. Conklin is a board-certified clinical specialist in pediatric physical therapy and is the pediatric physical therapy supervisor at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. She has advanced training in pediatric vestibular rehabilitation.
Cheryl Damilatis, PT, DPT, Assistant Supervisor
Dr. Damilatis is a board-certified clinical specialist in pediatric physical therapy and is the pediatric physical therapy assistant supervisor at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital.
Ava Dorfman, PhD, Staff Psychologist
Dr. Dorfman specializes in neuropsychological evaluation of children, adolescents, and young adults with neurological and medical conditions. She also provides cognitive remediation and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)–based treatments for patients with concussion and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Dorfman’s specialized research interests include cognitive and behavioral correlates between pediatric concussion and seizures and epilepsy. She completed a postdoctoral residency in pediatric neuropsychology at the Cleveland Clinic.
Iona D’Sa, MA CCC-SLP, Supervisor
Ms. D’Sa is a speech–language pathologist with more than 25 years of pediatric experience, particularly in the area of childhood brain injury. As supervisor of Rusk Rehabilitation’s Speech–Language Pathology Pediatric Program, she is responsible for program development, goal setting, and education of speech–language pathologists and other team members on the topics of pediatric brain injury occurrence, speech and language symptoms, assessment and intervention, and outcome measures.
Jessica Hubert, PT, DPT, Senior Physical Therapist
Dr. Hubert is a board-certified clinical specialist in neurologic physical therapy. She is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and is a certified brain injury specialist.
Tejaswi Khadka, PT, DPT, Senior Physical Therapist
Dr. Khadka is a board-certified clinical specialist in neurologic physical therapy. She has advanced training in pediatric vestibular rehabilitation and is a certified brain injury specialist. She evaluates and treats children and teenagers who have vestibular symptoms and traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury.
Allison U. Lam, PT, DPT, Clinical Specialist
Dr. Lam is a board-certified clinical specialist in pediatric physical therapy. She oversees clinical programming for pediatric concussion at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. She has advanced training in both adult and pediatric vestibular rehabilitation. She evaluates and treats children and teenagers who have vestibular symptoms and traumatic and nontraumatic brain injury.
Kelly Ann Peña, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech–Language Pathologist
Ms. Peña graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015 and completed her clinical fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta in the Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. Her clinical and research interests include traumatic brain injury and acquired brain injury, focusing on cognitive skills, language skills, and dysphagia specific to the pediatric population in all settings.
Christopher Rackley, PsyD, ABPdN, Supervisor, Pediatric Psychology
Dr. Rackley is a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at NYU Langone’s Child Study Center. He has more than 10 years of experience in the field of pediatric rehabilitation with a specialized focus on children and adolescents with acquired brain injuries. Dr. Rackley is involved in research on the neurocognitive impacts of concussion on children, adolescents, and young adults.
Carol Rosen, PhD, Senior Psychologist
Dr. Rosen provides neuropsychological evaluations and psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and young adults with various medical conditions. She also consults with schools to help her patients return to the classroom after a concussion. Dr. Rosen has published in the areas of self-concept and emotional–behavioral functioning of children with brachial plexus birth injury as well as the effects of chemotherapy on cognitive functioning. Dr. Rosen completed a neuropsychology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.