Carrie Quinn, MD

Executive Director

Executive Director, The Mount Sinai Parenting Center Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Dr. Quinn received her undergraduate degree in Science-Business from the University of Notre Dame and her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Quinn completed her residency in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center in the Boston Combined Residency Program. She is a board certified pediatrician and worked in private practice in Queens for many years prior to joining the Faculty Practice within the Department of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where she taught medical students, residents and mentored MD-PhD students in her clinical practice. Dr. Quinn has worked as the executive director of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center since its inception in 2014.

Blair Hammond, MD

Co-Founding Director and Director of Medical Education

Co-Founding Director and Director of Medical Education, The Mount Sinai Parenting Center

Dr. Blair Hammond is a board certified pediatrician who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Dartmouth College where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She also completed her medical training at Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society. She pursued a residency training in Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and received the Clinician-Educator Award. Dr. Hammond completed a medical education fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and was the Pediatric Clerkship and Sub-Internship Course Director from 2006-2017. In 2008, Dr. Hammond founded the General Pediatrics Faculty Practice where she still practices today. In 2010, she was awarded the Mount Sinai Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Hammond is now the Co-Founding Director and Director of Medical Education for the Mount Sinai Parenting Center. Dr. Hammond continues to be involved in medical student and resident education in addition to her general pediatric practice. She lives with her husband and 3 children in Westchester.

Aliza W. Pressman, PhD

Co-Founding Director and Director of Clinical Programming

Co-Founding Director and Director of Clinical Programming, The Mount Sinai Parenting Center, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Host of Raising Good Humans Podcast, Author of NYT bestselling book The Five Principles of Parenting

Dr. Aliza Pressman is a developmental psychologist with nearly two decades of experience working with families and the health care providers who care for them. Aliza is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of Behavioral Health in the Department of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital where she is co-founding director of The Mount Sinai Parenting Center. Aliza is the host of the award winning podcast, Raising Good Humans and author of New York Times bestselling book, The Five Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College, an MA in Risk, Resilience and Prevention from the Department of Human Development at Teacher’s College and her PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Aliza also holds a teaching certificate in mindfulness and meditation from The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California at Berkeley. Aliza is the mother of two teenagers.

Mariel Benjamin, LCSW

Director of Programs

Director of Programs, The Mount Sinai Parenting Center, Teaching Assistant, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Ms. Benjamin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York City with over 15 years of experience at Mount Sinai Medical Center working with families and children. She received her B.A. and B.S. summa cum laude from Northwestern University and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University. In addition to serving as the Program Director at the Mount Sinai Parenting Center, she is on faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health. She is certified in parent management training from the Yale Parenting Center and is a trained facilitator of Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs.

Chelsea McGowen

Project Manager

Chelsea comes to the Parenting Center after receiving her Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Cornell University where she studied Psychology and worked as a research assistant in a developmental psychology laboratory. With particular interests in outreach and development, she is passionate about the Parenting Center’s mission of increasing the accessibility of developmental research to families.

Nora Engeldrum

Project Coordinator

Nora comes to the Parenting Center after spending four years providing administrative support in a non-profit setting, with a focus on tutoring and educational advocacy for underserved youth from across New York City. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at the Macaulay Honors College at Lehman College, CUNY. She is passionate about the Parenting Center’s mission to support families within the healthcare field.

Alice Bradley

Associate Director of Operations and Team Management

Associate Director of Operations and Team Management

Alice is a seasoned strategy and operations leader specializing in high-impact programs serving children and families. With 10 years of experience managing complex projects and operations, Alice’s work in two-generational early childhood development has included coalition building for child and family health, family engagement and empowerment, citywide initiatives supporting trauma-informed care, workforce development for early childhood education, large-scale grant implementation for Head Start programming, and strategic advocacy to elevate family voice in early childhood policy. Previously, Alice managed strategic health initiatives at Bank Street College of Education, where she led schools and families through the COVID-19 pandemic. She drove operations for family engagement in early childhood at the NYC Department of Education, and supported special projects for child and family wellbeing at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Through her independent consulting work in PreK-12 workforce development, Alice has piloted innovative programs in social-emotional learning and culturally responsive practice. Alice graduated with honors from The New School in New York City as a member of the inaugural Cohort-21 Fellowship. She completed her Americorps service in 2017, and is a 2018 Education Pioneers Fellowship recipient.

Roxanna Morse

Program Assistant

Roxanna comes to the Parenting Center after receiving her Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College where her focus was in History and Art History. With a background as a literacy tutor at an underserved public elementary school in Brooklyn, Roxanna is dedicated to providing access to healthy development for all children and has a solid understanding of the many factors that contribute to a happy and healthy childhood. Roxanna is enthusiastic about the Parenting Center’s mission to promote positive parenting behaviors and strengthen parent-child relationships.

Tori Tamu

Data & Analytics Project Manager

Tori received her B.A. in Education Studies with a focus in Human Development from Brown University and her Master’s in Education from Stanford University. She has taught middle school math in both San Francisco and New York, gaining a deep understanding of the diverse needs of children. She joins the Parenting Center from the edtech sector, where she focused on improving educational outcomes through innovative technology solutions. Tori is passionate about whole child development and addressing childrens' social, emotional, and cognitive needs, and she is excited about the Parenting Center's mission to integrate early childhood development into pediatric healthcare moments.

Victoria Trinko

Manager of Growth & Outreach

Victoria Trinko is a health educator, advocate, and strategic communicator with an MA in Psychology in Education with a Spirituality, Mind, Body concentration and an Advanced Certificate in Sexuality, Women & Gender: Reproductive and Maternal Well-Being from Teachers College, Columbia University. With expertise in program development, outreach, and integrated communications, she has scaled evidence-based initiatives, led impactful marketing campaigns, and built strategic partnerships to expand health literacy and enhance visibility and impact. Victoria’s work with organizations like Khora, The Maternal & Reproductive Psychology Lab at Teachers College and Seed Mother reflects her passion for improving health outcomes and supporting the resilience, well-being, and positive development of families through public health education, promotion, and community-building. As Manager of Growth and Outreach at the Mount Sinai Parenting Center, Victoria is excited to bring her skills to advance the integration of early childhood development into pediatric healthcare and bridge the existing gaps in provider, parental, and early childhood education.

Gwen Raphan, MD

Keystones of Development Ambassador

Associate Professor | Associate Residency Program Director | Medical Student Clerkship Site Director at the Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai NYC H+H/ Elmhurst Hospital

Dr. Raphan received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her medical degree with a distinction in research from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She continued on at Mount Sinai for her Pediatric Residency training and Chief Resident year. Following her time at Sinai Dr. Raphan transitioned to Elmhurst Hospital, a city hospital with an academic affiliation with Mount Sinai. Dr. Raphan is a board certified pediatrician, who serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Icahn School of Medicine at Elmhurst Hospital. In addition, Dr. Raphan is actively involved in medical student and resident education through her work as Associate Residency Program Director and Medical Student Clerkship Site Director at Elmhurst Hospital.

Ariana Komaroff, DNP, FNP-BC, IBCLC, PMH-C

Keystones of Development Ambassador

Assistant Professor of Nursing at CUMC | Columbia University School of Nursing

Ariana Komaroff is a doctoral prepared family nurse practitioner working in primary pediatric care at the Center for Advanced Pediatrics (TCFAP) in southern CT. She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, international board-certified lactation consultant and holds a perinatal mental health certification. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. She is the Clinical Director of the Breastfeeding and Lactation Program at TCFAP. In her current clinic role, she works with patients and their families providing general pediatric primary care, breastfeeding support to new mothers and parents, and medical management of lactation disorders. Ariana recently opened a private lactation practice in Westchester, NY providing fourth trimester care for new parents and infants. Ariana is committed to family-centered care, honoring the cultures, traditions, and expertise that families bring to the provider-patient relationship. She has participated in several research and quality improvement initiatives surrounding infant growth, development, nutrition, and breastfeeding. Ariana is also an Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of Nursing teaching graduate nursing students in the family, pediatric, midwifery, and women’s health programs. She is passionate about nursing education and has a long history of mentoring students in the clinical setting. She is known for her clinical innovation and dissemination of best clinical practices through her knowledge of evidence-based practice.

Quang-Tuyen T. Nguyen, MD, FAAP

Keystones of Development Ambassador

Associate Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics & Vice-Chair for Health Equity, Respect, and Opportunity (HERO) in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah

Dr. Quang-Tuyen T. Nguyen (“Dr. Q”) is an associate professor in the Division of General Pediatrics and the Vice-chair for Health Equity, Respect, and Opportunity (HERO) in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah serving the larger community through the University of Utah and Primary Children’s Intermountain Medical Center. Dr. Nguyen’s research, advocacy, and education interests focus on early childhood experiences, working with under-resourced families and supporting family units using frameworks of relational health and preventative care. She believes that families who are least resourced are the ones most at risk of longer term behavioral and physical health issues across their lifespan. Empowering patients to be seen and cared for in a humanistic health system ensures resilience, family and community cohesion, and medical service that is individually appropriate and relevant. Within her academic community, Dr. Nguyen has had a heavy focus on education, working with medical students and trainees, faculty development and engagement. Education efforts have included workshops and trainings on bias, course facilitation on difficult themes such as discrimination, parity, error, and justice in medicine.

Erika Sullivan, MD

Keystones of Development Ambassador

Faculty, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah

Dr. Sullivan is a board-certified family physician. She completed her residency in Family Medicine from the University of Utah in 2014. She attended medical school and graduate school at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, where she received both an MD and an MS degree in Pathology in 2011. She also attended the University of Hawaii, Manoa for graduate school, receiving her first MS in Microbiology in 2004. She is a proud graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara where she received two bachelors degrees, a BA in French and a BS in Microbiology in 2001. Her clinical interests include providing safe and reliable contraceptive services, gender-affirming primary care including gender-affirming hormone therapy, and LGBTQIA+ primary care including HIV PrEP. She also enjoys providing whole person preventive medicine across the lifespan, management of chronic disease, and providing comprehensive care for the whole family. Academically, she is interested in teaching residents about gender affirming and LGBTQIA+ primary care, contraceptive care and clinical/EHR efficiency and skills. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two children and two dogs, reading (and writing!) books, trying new restaurants, sewing, crafting, cooking (but not doing the dishes!) and dancing.

Elizabeth S. Erickson, MD, FAAP

Keystones of Development Ambassador

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatrics at the Duke University School of Medicine

Over the last 10 years, Dr. Erickson has focused her career on clinical care and the promotion of Early Relational Health in clinical spaces, with a focus on how literacy and reading with young children can promote healthy attachment and development. In her roles as a primary care pediatrician in clinic and the newborn nursery, she has the opportunity to impact children starting at the very beginning of their lives. Evaluation and support of children’s holistic development is a passion of hers and she has actively sought out opportunities to center this in her research, clinical care, community partnerships, and education of future physicians. As we learn more about the neurological impact and sociodemographic effects of early childhood experiences, we have a responsibility to our patients to promote and encourage healthy home environments that foster positive development and nurturing relationships. Her work has focused on finding ways to support these interactions through sharing books and enhancing the home literacy environment. She has served as the medical director for Duke’s Reach Out and Read program for the last 8 years and has had successful grant applications to support research on literacy interventions in the newborn period. As the inaugural Early Relational Health Fellow for Reach Out and Read, she has solidified a position at the center of national conversations on this topic. Finally, she was elected to serve as the co-lead for the Carolinas Collaborative, a cohort of academic pediatric residency programs in North and South Carolina dedicated to promoting advocacy education in pediatric residency programs. Overall, her career has been dedicated to supporting and evaluating interventions that allow children and families to thrive.

Anjali Rao, MD

Keystones of Development Ambassador

Associate Professor, Division of Developmental Pediatrics & Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Dr. Anjali Rao is clinical associate professor in the Division of Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine. She is active with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and serves on the executive board for the Council on School Health. In addition, she is a member of the AAP section of Developmental and Behavior Pediatrics and is an advisor for the AAP Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority partnership. Rao was selected to be a scholar for the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Research Symposium. For the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), she served as co-chair for the national Autism Special Interest Group. Rao is also a fellow with Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders (LEND). She received her BS at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina and her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois and completed her fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Rao practiced general pediatrics in Chicago, Illinois, for nearly 20 years before subspecializing in developmental and behavioral pediatrics. Her major clinical interests are focused on the developmental point where typical child development becomes developmental delay. She takes a whole-family approach to her care delivery, and she partners with caregivers to support active parenting models. Rao’s research interests include building scalable models to promote access to care, increasing capacity, and strengthening the workforce. In addition, she is an active medical educator with scholarly efforts focused on promoting developmental pediatrics curricula at all stages of medical education.