Palliative Care & Supportive Care for Adults Care Team

The palliative care and supportive care team at NYU Langone includes doctors, nurse practitioners, chaplains, and social workers who are focused on providing the highest level of care to people who are experiencing a serious or life-limiting illness. Listed below are care team members for the following locations:

• Tisch Hospital, Kimmel Pavilion, and NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital
• Perlmutter Cancer Center
• NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn
• NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island

Tisch Hospital, Kimmel Pavilion, and NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital

The palliative care and supportive care team at Tisch Hospital, Kimmel Pavilion, and NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital includes the following physicians:

• Joseph Lowy, MD, director of palliative care
• Nina J. Ricci, DO, associate director of palliative care
• Annette A. Georgia, MD, palliative care physician
• Yolanda Guzman, MD, palliative care physician
• Olivia Seecof, MD, palliative care and supportive oncology care physician
• Megan E. Rau, MD, MPH, palliative care and geriatrics physician
• Jennifer S. Scherer, MD, palliative care and nephrology physician

The team also includes nurse practitioners, social workers, and a chaplain:

Renata Shabin, MSN, RN, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN, Nurse Practitioner

Ms. Shabin is a board-certified adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner with specialty training and board certification in palliative care. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate education at NYU. In high school, she worked as an emergency medical technician and ambulance driver, which sparked her interest in nursing and desire to develop relationships with her patients. As a nurse, she cares for people with complex conditions and those in the emergency department. She serves as a clinical instructor for graduate nursing students at NYU Rory Meyers School of Nursing.

Erin Barnes, MSN, RN, FNP-C, ACHPN, Nurse Practitioner

Ms. Barnes, a nurse practitioner, joined the palliative care team in 2019 after working with patients who have genetic and acquired autonomic nervous system disorders. Before becoming a nurse practitioner, she worked as a critical care nurse for seven years. She received her doctor of nursing practice degree from NYU Rory Meyers School of Nursing.

Amy Sevick, MS, RN, FNP-BC, CHPN, Nurse Practitioner

Ms. Sevick is a board-certified family primary care nurse practitioner with specialty training in palliative care. Before becoming a nurse practitioner, she worked for many years as a registered nurse in inpatient psychiatry, critical care, and hospice.

Christopher Oates, LCSW, Social Work Manager

Mr. Oates is a licensed clinical social worker and a leadership fellow at the Zelda Foster Studies Program in Palliative and End-of-Life Care at NYU Silver School of Social Work. He received his master’s degree in social work from Columbia University and master of public administration degree from Baruch College. He has served on the executive boards of the New York City Chapter of the Society for Social Work Leadership in Healthcare, the Helen Rehr Center for Social Work Practice, and the East Side Council of the Aging.

Bena Reiter, LCSW, Senior Social Worker

Ms. Reiter holds a master’s degree from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. She joined NYU Langone in 2010 and has been a licensed clinical social worker with the Tisch Hospital, Kimmel Pavilion, and NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital teams since 2014.

Elizabeth Kitamura, BCC, Staff Chaplain

Chaplain Kitamura is a board-certified chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. She received her master’s degree in theology from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and is a master’s degree candidate at NYU School of Global Public Health. Before joining NYU Langone, she completed her clinical training at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and was also a research fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Perlmutter Cancer Center

The following physicians provide supportive care to patients at Perlmutter Cancer Center:

• Arum Kim, MD, director of the supportive oncology program at Perlmutter Cancer Center
• Akash Shah, MD, palliative care physician
• Olivia Seecof, MD, palliative and supportive oncology care physician

NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn

• Nancy E. Bael, MD, director of palliative care
• Lauren A. Parker, MD, medical director of geriatrics and palliative care

The team also includes nurse practitioners, a social worker, and a chaplain:

Elena A. Kuzin-Palmeri MSN, ANP, GNP-BC, AOCN, ACHPN

Ms. Kuzin-Palmeri is a board-certified gerontology, advanced oncology, and advanced hospice and palliative care nurse with more than 30 years of experience. Prior to joining NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn in 2013, she worked in a variety of settings, including palliative care and home-based care at the Brooklyn VA Medical Center, radiation oncology care at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, pain medicine and palliative care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, and several home-based care programs for homebound older adults.

Kate Rex, LCSW, Senior Social Worker

Ms. Rex holds a master’s degree in social work from Lehman College and completed the James J. Peters VA Medical Center Geriatric Research Fellowship in palliative care and social work. Ms. Rex has more than 13 years of hospital social work experience in Brooklyn and has been with NYU Langone since 2016.

Rabbi Kara L. Tav, BCC, Chaplain

Rabbi Kara L. Tav, BCC, leads the spiritual care department at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn and is staff chaplain for the palliative care team and preceptor for student chaplains. She is a board-certified chaplain with Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains and an ordained Conservative rabbi. She received her master’s degree in divinity from Jewish Theological Seminary and a master’s degree in education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before joining NYU Langone, Rabbi Tav worked at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst as director of their first multifaith spiritual care department and palliative care staff chaplain, and she was a palliative care chaplain and end-of-life care specialist at the Manhattan, NY Vet Center.

NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island

The Palliative Care and Supportive Care Program at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island is led by the following physicians:

• Jeffrey T. Berger, MD, program director
• Amanda J. Hafeez, MD, palliative care physician
• Priya A. Pinto, MD, palliative care physician
• Dustin E. Suanino, MD, palliative care physician

The team also includes nurse practitioners and social workers:

Latifat Adeyemi, MS, ANP-BC

Ms. Adeyemi is a board-certified adult nurse practitioner. She completed subspecialty training in palliative care and received a master’s degree from NYU. Before joining the palliative care team, she worked for more than seven years as an oncology–hematology registered nurse.

Kathleen DiGangi Condon, DNP, MA, ANP-BC

Dr. DiGangi Condon is a board-certified adult nurse practitioner with a doctorate of nursing practice from Stony Brook University. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Columbia University School of Nursing and holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Catherine A. Kobza, MS, AGACNP-BC, CCRN

Ms. Kobza is a board-certified adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and postgraduate certificate in adult oncology from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Kobza is certified in critical care nursing and holds a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University, and completed an advanced practice provider fellowship in critical care medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Before joining NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, she provided care and support for patients and families with various acute and chronic illnesses as a medical–surgical telemetry and cardiothoracic intensive care unit registered nurse.

Kathryn Stein, MS, AGPCNP-BC

Ms. Stein is a board-certified adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner. She received her master’s degree and subspecialty training in palliative care from NYU Rory Meyers School of Nursing. Ms. Stein also holds bachelor’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University and NYU. Prior to joining NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, she provided support and care for patients and their families in a variety of settings, including inpatient hematology–oncology, intensive care, and a multiple sclerosis outpatient practice.

Dana Ribeiro Miller, M. Div., LCSW, APHSW-C

Ms. Ribeiro Miller is a licensed clinical social worker. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University School of Social Work, where she was a recipient of the Dr. Maurice V. Russell Fellowship for Medical Social Work. She also received a master’s degree in divinity from Union Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s of science degree from Rutgers University. Ms. Ribeiro Miller completed her subspecialty palliative care training at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and is a clinical instructor of medicine and frequent lecturer at NYU Long Island School of Medicine. She has published in the bioethics and social work literature and lectures regionally and nationally for organizations such as the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network. She is also a member of the NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island Medical Ethics Workgroup and the Spiritual Care Services Advisory Committee.

Nicole Rossi, LCSW, APHSW-C

Ms. Rossi holds a master’s degree from Fordham University School of Social Work and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island. She has experience in hospice and oncology social work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, home care, outpatient clinics, and long-term care facilities. Ms. Rossi completed a postgraduate certificate program in palliative and end-of-life care through Smith College School for Social Work.