Siham Accacha M.D. is a pediatric endocrinologist, a clinical research investigator and an Associate Professor of clinical Pediatrics at NYU Long Island School of Medicine. She is the Division Chief and Director of the Pediatric Diabetes program in the pediatric endocrinology division at NYU Long Island School of Medicine, NYU Langone Ambulatory Care Garden City, NY. Dr Accacha is particularly interested in research on Diabetes and obesity in children. She has been a Principal Investigator, co-Investigator, and sub-Investigator of many obesity and diabetes-related clinical trials such as the Reduced Obesity and Diabetes (ROAD) study, a school-based preventive intervention among middle-school students, Trial Net, the study of the natural history of diabetes and Discovery Study, as well as the BCG study for the treatment of children and adolescents with new onset and known type 1 diabetes. She has been an invited speaker, Chair, and Co-Chair for local, regional, and national symposia in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism.

Dr. Barillas is a bilingual (English and Spanish) pediatric endocrinologist at NYU Langone Long Island. Her clinical and academic interests focus on childhood obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, diabetes, adrenal disorders, growth disorders, and disorders of sexual differentiation. She completed her pediatric residency at Woodhull Hospital, NYU, followed by a pediatric endocrinology fellowship at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where her research explored insulin resistance in a murine model of sepsis. She is American board-certified in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Endocrinology. Additionally, she earned a certification in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at eCornell. Dr. Barillas plays an active role in medical education, teaching pediatric residents and fellows. She serves as the clinical director of adolescent weight management surgery at NYU and collaborates with T1D Exchange. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and she has presented research at national conferences.

Ankita Srivastava is a Research Associate in the Inflammation Laboratory of Dr. Allison Reiss in the Department of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine. She completed her Ph.D. in 2017 from CSIR-CDRI, India, working on adipose tissue insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. She joined NYU in 2018 as a post-doctoral fellow studying a Roux-en Y gastric bypass model of bariatric surgery in mice. She joined the Reiss lab in April 2023 and since then has focused on obesity and insulin resistance in cardiovascular disease and is involved in a project characterizing the role of adipose tissue-derived exosomal microRNAs in cardiovascular disease. She is also studying neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and those induced by hormone deprivation. Her specific interest is in determining the molecular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction that leads to neuronal death. She has authored numerous publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and presented posters and oral presentations at various conferences.

Frances Ross, M.D., is a first-year pediatric endocrinology fellow at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Ross received her medical degree from Saint George’s University in Grenada and completed her Pediatric Residency at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine. She is certified by the American Board of Pediatric Medicine. Dr. Ross is currently conducting research in ultra-rapid acting insulin use in patients with Type I Diabetes. She is dedicated to caring for pediatric patients with a variety of endocrine disorders.

Wendt Drewes, M.S., is a registered nurse and a certified clinical research coordinator with over 35 years of industry and academic research experience. Her primary focus has been on cardiovascular disease. She earned a Master of Science (MSN) with a focus on research from Drexel University. Her current research efforts include cardiac rehabilitation and use of mobile health technologies in older patients, cardiac imaging and deep computer learning to predict cardiovascular outcomes. She is committed through research and outreach educational efforts to providing patient-centered, culturally sensitive care promoting evidenced-based lifestyle change interventions and healthy behaviors for all patients with or at risk for cardiovascular disease. She is well-published in peer-reviewed journals in the field of coronary disease and cardiac ischemia.

Shelly Gulkarov is a student at Adelphi University, working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She is an aspiring physician with a strong background in biomedical research. Ms. Gulkarov is currently a research intern at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine and is involved in studying obesity and cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer patients treated with androgen-blocking drugs. She hopes that her experience in research will better develop her understanding of the role of inflammation and excess adiposity in the pathobiology of cardiovascular disease as she pursues a career in medicine and biomedical research.

Joshua De Leon received his B.A. in Biology and Philosophy from Franklin and Marshall College in 1984 and his M.D. from SUNY Downstate School of Medicine in 1988. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in clinical and molecular cardiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Cardiovascular Research at NYU Long Island School of Medicine. Dr. De Leon is a practicing cardiologist with extensive clinical experience in managing patients with inflammatory mechanisms underlying their cardiovascular disease and patients with disordered lipid metabolism. He is also a biomedical researcher who works closely with Dr. Reiss in conducting basic and translational studies to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying acute coronary syndromes, as well as the more chronic processes that promote atherogenesis. He has been a co-investigator on an American Heart Association-funded study of inflammation in cardiovascular disease and has participated as a site investigator for multiple clinical trials addressing acute coronary syndromes, chronic CAD management, and lipid metabolism/management. He has many well-cited publications, 15 of which are co-authored with Dr. Reiss.

Allison B. Reiss, M.D., is an internal medicine physician, an educator and a molecular biologist who studies the causes and treatment of inflammatory disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease and rheumatologic disorders. Her research is bench-to-bedside and directed toward finding effective therapies for these disease states. She received her medical degree from SUNY Downstate and completed Internal Medicine Residency at UMDNJ Rutgers. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Reiss is Head of The Inflammation Laboratory and Associate Professor of Medicine at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine. She is well-published in medical and scientific journals and has chaired symposia at national and international conferences. Dr. Reiss is Section Editor-in-Chief, Neurology, for the journal Medicina and Specialty Chief Editor of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias for the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Investigative Medicine and Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine. She teaches and mentors medical students, residents and fellows. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association and the Arthritis Foundation. She is currently funded by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. Dr. Reiss has a strong passion for community outreach and is dedicated to improving healthcare, especially for older populations.