Meet Our Team

At the Center for Prenatal Pediatrics personalized patient care is led by an interdisciplinary team of physicians and counselors who are experts in their field. Our team will be with you and your family every step of the way.

	Mary E. D'Alton, MD Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Columbia University Medical Center Dr. D'Alton is a leader in the field of maternal fetal medicine and nationally recognized for advancing scientific techniques, research and policy development. She is an expert clinician renowned for her skills in prenatal diagnosis, multiple pregnancies and medical complications in pregnancy. Dr. D'Alton has used her extensive experience in managing academic divisions to establish the highest standards in high-risk care in the Division at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She was instrumental in identifying the need for a multidisciplinary team to take care of high-risk pregnancies diagnosed with malformations and spearheaded the development of The Center for Prenatal Pediatrics.
	Lynn Simpson, MD Medical Director, Center for Prenatal Pediatrics Columbia University Medical Center/NYPH Dr. Simpson provides ultrasound and fetal echocardiography as well as all special procedures such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS), amniocentesis and fetal blood sampling. In addition, she sets policies and procedures to ensure patients received the specialized personal care they need. Dr. Simpson's patients benefit from her expertise in multiple gestations and the treatment of maternal conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease and advanced maternal age. Her research interests include congenital heart disease, multiple pregnancies and complications of labor and delivery.
	Richard Polin, MD Director, Division of Neonatology Children's Hospital of New York Dr. Polin's clinical specialities include Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal Sepsis, Fluid and Electrolyte Management. As director of Neonatology at Morgan Stanley's Children's Hospital patients benefits from his expertise in the field as well as his broad range of scientific interests. Currently, his major scientific focus is on developmental immunology and infectious diseases, particularly the role of gamma interferon in neonatal immunity. As editor of the definitive text on Fetal and Neonatal Physiology, he is in touch with current developments in all areas of our specialty.
	Charles Kleinman, MD Chief of Perinatal Cardiology, NYPH As chief of pediatric cardiology for NewYork Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Kleinman specializes in assessment of fetal cardiovascular function and anatomic development in the human fetus. Dr. Kleinman played a key role in opening the country's first fetal cardiovascular center at Yale-New Haven in 1984 and served as the director of Pediatric Cardiology Training Program in order to support fellowship training in Developmental Cardiology.
	Charles Stolar, MD Co-Director, Center for Prenatal Pediatrics Chief, Division of Pediatric Surgery Children's Hospital of New York Dr. Stolar is internationally recognized for his expertise in the management of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. He has had a central role in developing strategies of life support (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation, or ECMO) for children with overwhelming respiratory failure. His clinical interests, however, span the broad range of pediatric general surgery, with special emphasis on newborns and children with cancer. Dr. Stolar has participated in the national Children's Cancer Group, and has a special expertise in managing children with tumors of germ cell origin and other solid tumors of childhood.
	Ronald Wapner, MD Director, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital Dr. Wapner is a nationally known clinician specializing in first trimester screening and invasive procedures, such as CVS, PUBS and amniocentesis. He was instrumental in developing CVS and multi-fetal reduction procedures. He has also authored or co-authored over 120 publications. He has been an active investigator in the area of Maternal-Fetal Medicine throughout his career and has been, or is, either a principal or co-investigator for a number of multi-center studies including much of the original work on chorionic villus sampling and multi-fetal pregnancy reductions.
	Ushta Davar Canteenwalla, MS Clinical Care Coordinator and Genetics Counselor Email: uvd1@columbia.edu Ushta is the clinical care coordinator for the Center for Prenatal Pediatrics. She is here to walk you through every step of your care from helping you understand medical information and providing support to collaborating your care between all your providers and giving feedback to your referring physician. Please speak to her about any questions or issues that you may have and she will do her best to help resolve them.
	Rosalie Perez, RN, NP Maternal Neonatal Coordinator and Nurse Practitioner Email: rp373@columbia.edu Rosalie is the maternal neonatal coordinator for the Center. She is here to assist you with your care and may see you in the office for some of your prenatal visits. She is also here to help you with any of your needs if you are admitted to the hospital and when your baby is in the NICU. Please speak to her about any questions or issues that you may have and she will do her best to help resolve them.
	Kimberly Cordero Financial Counselor Email: kbc2111@columbia.edu Kim is the financial coordinator for the Center. She is involved in obtaining authorizations and referrals for your visits will help clarify your specific plans and coverage. Kim also speaks Spanish and is a translator for the Center.
	Angel Otero Administrative Assistant Email: ao115@columbia.edu Angel is essential to the day-to-day running of the Center. He schedules appointments, request medical records, arranges translators, makes sure requisitions and paperwork for your appointments are in place and may escort you to certain appointments. Angel also speaks Spanish and is a translator for the Center.
	Anne Van der Veer Clinical Research Coordinator Email: av2284@columbia.edu Anne is the clinical research coordinator for the Center. She is involved with ongoing research studies to ensure that you and future patients benefit from the latest advancements and treatment in prenatal and pediatric care.