Thyroid Disease
Rodney L. Wright
Dr. Wright’s clinical interests include HIV during pregnancy, infectious diseases, sexually transmitted infections, global women’s health and maternal fetal medicine.
Following his clinical interests, Dr. Wright’s research focuses on HIV during pregnancy, prevention of perinatal HIV transmission, cervical dysplasia, HPV and global women’s health.
<p>Rodney L. Wright, MD, MSc, is Director, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wakefield Campus at Montefiore and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at our Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Wright’s clinical interests include HIV during pregnancy, infectious diseases, sexually transmitted infections, global women’s health and maternal fetal medicine.</p><p>After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in biology and psychology from Emory University, Dr. Wright went on to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, earning his Doctor of Medicine. His post graduate training began at the University of California, Irvine, where he completed a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology. Several years later, Dr. Wright pursued a three-year fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at Montefiore-Einstein. After completing this, he continued his education at Einstein, earning his Master of Science in clinical research methods.</p><p>Following his clinical interests, Dr. Wright’s research focuses on HIV during pregnancy, prevention of perinatal HIV transmission, cervical dysplasia, HPV and global women’s health. He’s shared his research and expertise through many peer-reviewed journals, abstracts and invited presentations. He currently serves on the US Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Treatment of Pregnant Women with HIV Infection and Prevention of Perinatal Transmission.</p><p>An active member within the community, Dr. Wright is a member of the New York State AIDS Advisory Council and the New York State Taskforce on Maternal Mortality. He was awarded the Bronx County Medical Society “Peer to Peer” Excellence in Medicine Award. Dr. Wright received the New York State Commissioner of Health Commissioner’s Special Recognition Award in recognition of his work as co-chair of the New York State Perinatal HIV Guidelines Committee and service to the New York State Ending the Epidemic (AIDS) Task Force. Dr. Wright is board certified in both Maternal Fetal Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a member of several professional organizations including the New York Obstetrical Society, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.</p>
Danny Woo
Jacqueline Weingarten-Arams
Nutrition
Pulmonary hypertension
Sepsis
<p>Jacqueline Weingarten-Arams, MD, is an attending physician and Professor, Pediatrics at Montefiore Einstein. Dr. Weingarten-Arams’ pediatric critical care expertise focuses on cardiac critical care, acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, nutrition in critical illness and energy expenditure, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (quality CPR) and extracorporeal life support (ECMO).</p><p>After obtaining her Bachelor of Science in nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University in 1982, Dr. Weingarten-Arams earned her Doctor of Medicine at the same institution in 1986. She then completed her pediatric residency at Columbia University in 1990, where she was Chief Resident in her final year. Following this, Dr. Weingarten-Arams completed a fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine at New York Hospital Cornell University Medical College in 1996.</p><p>Dr. Weingarten-Arams research focus includes the use of deliberate simulated practice in improving outcomes in pediatric critical illness, pediatric resuscitation and pediatric airway management. Her other projects involve chronic critical illness, bioethics in pediatric critical care and oxidative injury in respiratory failure. She has been principal investigator and co-investigator on several research projects, and her work has been shared through numerous peer-reviewed publications and invited presentations.</p><p>Dr. Weingarten-Arams is a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Pediatrics. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Chest Physicians. She is also a member of several professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Weingarten-Arams has been named in Castle Connolly’s “Top Doctors: New York Metro Area” for multiple years. In 2006, she was inducted into the Leo M. Davidoff Society and in 2019, Dr. Weingarten-Arams won the William Obrinsky Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education.</p>
Martin I. Surks
<p><strong>Current Activities:</strong> </p>
<ul>
<li>Program Director, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Albert Einstein College of Medicine</li>
<li>Director of the Endocrinology Clinic, Montefiore Medical Center</li>
<li>Consultant in thyroid disease and general endocrinology</li>
<li>Research Mentor</li>
</ul>
<p> <strong>Clinical Practice:</strong></p>
<p>Dr. Surks restricts his consultative practice to disorders of the thyroid gland, and to other disorders of general endocrinology such as diseases of the pituitary, parathyroid glands, gonads, adrenal glands, and to metabolic bone disease.</p>
<p> <strong>Research Interests:</strong></p>
<p>Historical Summary: Major contributions from thyroid research at Montefiore Medical Center began nearly 100 years ago with findings of Dr. David Marine, Chairman of Pathology, that deficiency of iodine was associated with development of goiter and iodine deficiency diseases that affected hundreds of millions of people around the world His studies initiated iodine supplementation to salt in the US, and elimination of this major health problem. A Medical Physics laboratory, the progenitor of Nuclear Medicine Departments, was established in 1945 and was widely known for the earliest studies of radioactive iodine use to treat hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. From 1960 to 1976, Dr. Jack Oppenheimer published widely on thyroid hormone measurements and metabolism, discovered the nuclear receptor for thyroid hormone and studied its effects on different gene products</p>
<p>Most of Dr. Surks’ research has focused on thyroid physiology, pathophysiology and diseases. For the last five years, he has studied subclinical thyroid diseases, and the characterization of the reference range for serum TSH in human beings. </p>
<p>Dr. Surks is a thyroid disease expert with 40 years of experience in basic and clinical research, education and patient care. In addition to thyroid disorders, his clinical practice focuses on conditions of the pituitary, parathyroid and adrenal glands and on metabolic bone disease. His recent research has involved subclinical thyroid diseases and determining a reference range for TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels in people. </p>
<p>A noted educator, Dr. Surks led a collaborative project that culminated in a generic “gold standard” curriculum for endocrinology training programs that is used nationwide. He is author of <em>The Thyroid Book</em> and editor of the <em>Atlas of Clinical Endocrinology Volume I: Thyroid Diseases</em>. He has served on the editorial boards of several journals, including <em>Endocrinology</em> and the<em> Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism</em>, and currently is on the editorial board of <em>Thyroid</em>. </p>
<p>Dr. Surks is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He is a former president of the American Thyroid Association and the Association of Program Directors in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. His awards include the American Thyroid Association’s Distinguished Service Award and the Van Meter Award, and the Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Service Award of the Endocrine Society. He was also awarded a Mastership by the American College of Physicians in recognition of his contributions to research, education, and teaching.</p>
<ol type="1">
<li>Cases, J.A., Wenig, B.M., Silver, C.E., Surks, M.I. Recurrent acute suppurative thyroiditis in an adult due to a pyriform-sinus (4th branchial pouch) fistula. J Clin Endocrinol & Metab 85:953-956, 2000.</li>
<li>Cases, J.A., Surks, M.I. Changing role of scintigraphy in the evaluation of thyroid nodules; Seminars in Nuclear Medicine, Volume 30:81-87, 2000.</li>
<li>Surks, M.I., ‘Hyperthyroidism’; ‘Hypothyroidism’; ‘Goiter’; ‘Iodine’;;Thyroid Disorders’; ‘Thyroid Function Tests’; in Encyclopedia of Public Health; Editor-in-Chief, Breslow, L., McMillan Reference USA, New York, 2002</li>
<li>Surks, M.I., Hyperthyroidism, Conn’s Current Therapy, 2003 Eds Rakel and Bope; Elsevier Science (USA) 717-720.</li>
<li>Dubenko, M., Breining, W., Surks, M.I. Sclerosing lymphocytic lobulitis of the breast in a patient with Graves’ disease. 2003 THYROID 13:309-311.</li>
<li>Rizza RA, Vigersky RA, Rodbard HW, Ladenson PW, Young WF Jr, Surks MI, Kahn R, Hogan PF. 2003. A model to determine workforce needs for endocrinologists in the United States until 2020. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88: 1979-1987.</li>
<li>Surks MI, Ortiz E, Daniels GH, Sawin CT, Col NF, Cobin RH, Franklyn JA, Hershman JM, Burman KD, Denke MA, Gorman C, Cooper RS, Weissman NJ. Subclinical thyroid disease: Scientific Review and Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management. JAMA, 2004; 291: 228-238. </li>
<li>Col, NF, Surks MI. and Daniels GH: Subclinical thyroid disease: Clinical Applications. JAMA 2004; 291: 239 – 243.</li>
<li>Senzel L, Surks MI, and Buettner C: Polyuria and abdominal pain in a young Jamaican woman. Laboratory Medicine, 2004; 35: 100 – 103.</li>
<li>Surks MI: Response: to ‘Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction: A joint statement on management from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American Thyroid Association and The Endocrine Society’ THYROID, 2005,15:32-33. </li>
<li>Surks MI: COMMENTARY: Subclinical Thyroid dysfunction: A joint statement on Management from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American Thyroid Association, and The Endocrine society. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005, 90: 586-. 588</li>
<li>Surks, MI, Goswami G, Daniels GH: CONTROVERSY IN CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY: The thyrotropin reference range should remain unchanged. J ClinEndcrinol Metab 2005; 5489 – 5496.</li>
<li>Surks, MI Hypothyroidism: New issues and controversies. The Endocrinologist. 2006.16: 203-208.</li>
<li>Meyerovitch J, Rotman-Pikiely P, Sherf M, Battat E, Levy Y, Surks MI: Serum thyrotropin (TSH) measurements in the community: 5-year follow-up in a large network of primary care physicians. Archives Internal Med 2007; 167: 1533 – 1538</li>
<li>Surks MI, Hollowell JG. Age-specific distribution of serum TSH and antithyroid antibodies in the United States population; Implications for the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism. J Clin Endocrinol & Metab 2007; 92: 4575-4582</li>
<li>Surks MI, Hollowell JG: Age-specific distribution of serum TSH and antithyroid antibodies in the United States Population; Implications for the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism. J Clin Endocrinol and Metab 2007; 92: 4575-4582.</li>
<li>Surks, MI. 2008. Should the upper limit of the normal reference range for TSH be lowered? Nature Clinical Practice: Endocrinology and Metabolism 4: 370-371</li>
<li>Surks MI 2008 Concise Review: TSH reference limits: Emerging concepts and implications for the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism. Clin Thyroidology 20:4-5.</li>
<li>Atzmon G, Barzilai N, Hollowell JG, Surks MI, Gabriely I: 2009 Extreme longevity is associated with increased serum thyrotropin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94:1251-1254.</li>
<li>Atzmon G, Barzilai N, Surks MI, Gabriely I 2009 Genetic Predisposition to Elevated Serum Thyrotropin is Associated with Exceptional Longevity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94: 4768-4775</li>
<li>Surks MI 2011 Milestones in Thyroid Research at Montefiore Medical Center: 1920 – 2011: History and Personal Reflections--in press</li>
<li>Cases, J.A., Wenig, B.M., Silver, C.E., Surks, M.I. Recurrent acute suppurative thyroiditis in an adult due to a pyriform-sinus (4th branchial pouch) fistula. J Clin Endocrinol & Metab 85:953-956, 2000.</li>
<li>Cases, J.A., Surks, M.I. Changing role of scintigraphy in the evaluation of thyroid nodules; Seminars in Nuclear Medicine, Volume 30:81-87, 2000.</li>
<li>Surks, M.I., ‘Hyperthyroidism’; ‘Hypothyroidism’; ‘Goiter’; ‘Iodine’;;Thyroid Disorders’; ‘Thyroid Function Tests’; in Encyclopedia of Public Health; Editor-in-Chief, Breslow, L., McMillan Reference USA, New York, 2002</li>
<li>Surks, M.I., Hyperthyroidism, Conn’s Current Therapy, 2003 Eds Rakel and Bope; Elsevier Science (USA) 717-720.</li>
<li>Dubenko, M., Breining, W., Surks, M.I. Sclerosing lymphocytic lobulitis of the breast in a patient with Graves’ disease. 2003 THYROID 13:309-311.</li>
<li>Rizza RA, Vigersky RA, Rodbard HW, Ladenson PW, Young WF Jr, Surks MI, Kahn R, Hogan PF. 2003. A model to determine workforce needs for endocrinologists in the United States until 2020. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88: 1979-1987.</li>
<li>Surks MI, Ortiz E, Daniels GH, Sawin CT, Col NF, Cobin RH, Franklyn JA, Hershman JM, Burman KD, Denke MA, Gorman C, Cooper RS, Weissman NJ. Subclinical thyroid disease: Scientific Review and Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management. JAMA, 2004; 291: 228-238. </li>
<li>Col, NF, Surks MI. and Daniels GH: Subclinical thyroid disease: Clinical Applications. JAMA 2004; 291: 239 – 243.</li>
<li>Senzel L, Surks MI, and Buettner C: Polyuria and abdominal pain in a young Jamaican woman. Laboratory Medicine, 2004; 35: 100 – 103.</li>
<li>Surks MI: Response: to ‘Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction: A joint statement on management from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American Thyroid Association and The Endocrine Society’ THYROID, 2005,15:32-33. </li>
<li>Surks MI: COMMENTARY: Subclinical Thyroid dysfunction: A joint statement on Management from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American Thyroid Association, and The Endocrine society. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2005, 90: 586-. 588</li>
<li>Surks, MI, Goswami G, Daniels GH: CONTROVERSY IN CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY: The thyrotropin reference range should remain unchanged. J ClinEndcrinol Metab 2005; 5489 – 5496.</li>
<li>Surks, MI Hypothyroidism: New issues and controversies. The Endocrinologist. 2006.16: 203-208.</li>
<li>Meyerovitch J, Rotman-Pikiely P, Sherf M, Battat E, Levy Y, Surks MI: Serum thyrotropin (TSH) measurements in the community: 5-year follow-up in a large network of primary care physicians. Archives Internal Med 2007; 167: 1533 – 1538</li>
<li>Surks MI, Hollowell JG. Age-specific distribution of serum TSH and antithyroid antibodies in the United States population; Implications for the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism. J Clin Endocrinol & Metab 2007; 92: 4575-4582</li>
<li>Surks MI, Hollowell JG: Age-specific distribution of serum TSH and antithyroid antibodies in the United States Population; Implications for the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism. J Clin Endocrinol and Metab 2007; 92: 4575-4582.</li>
<li>Surks, MI. 2008. Should the upper limit of the normal reference range for TSH be lowered? Nature Clinical Practice: Endocrinology and Metabolism 4: 370-371</li>
<li>Surks MI. 2008 Editorial: New evidence against lowering the thyrotropin reference limits. Clin Thyroidology 20: 8</li>
<li>Surks MI 2008 Concise Review: TSH reference limits: Emerging concepts and implications for the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism. Clin Thyroidology 20:4-5.</li>
<li>Atzmon G, Barzilai N, Hollowell JG, Surks MI, Gabriely I: 2009 Extreme longevity is associated with increased serum thyrotropin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94:1251-1254.</li>
<li>Atzmon G, Barzilai N, Surks MI, Gabriely I 2009 Genetic Predisposition to Elevated Serum Thyrotropin is Associated with Exceptional Longevity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 94: 4768-4775</li>
<li>Surks MI 2011 Milestones in Thyroid Research at Montefiore Medical Center: 1920 – 2011: History and Personal Reflections--in press</li>
</ol>
<p>Martin I. Surks, MD, MACP, is an attending physician, Professor, Medicine, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Program Director Emeritus, Endocrines Clinic (1976-2018) at Montefiore Einstein. Dr. Surks’ clinical practice focuses on disorders of the thyroid gland and other disorders of general endocrinology such as diseases of the pituitary, parathyroid glands, gonads and adrenal glands, and metabolic bone disease.</p><p>After completing his Bachelor of Arts at Columbia College in 1956, Dr. Surks pursued his medical education at New York University - Bellevue College, earning his Doctor of Medicine in 1960. He began his postdoctoral training at Montefiore and completed it at Veterans Administration Hospital in 1963. Dr. Surks then returned to Montefiore to complete a postdoctoral research fellowship in arthritis and metabolic diseases in 1964.</p><p>The majority of Dr. Surks’ research focuses on thyroid physiology, pathophysiology and diseases. Most recently, he has studied subclinical thyroid diseases and the characterization of the reference range for serum TSH in human beings. He has shared his research in major peer-reviewed journals, and through editorials, abstracts, books and letters, having published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and 2 books. He has also served on the editorial boards of several medical journals including <em>Endocrine Research, Thyroid</em> and the <em>Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism</em>.</p><p>Dr. Surks is a Master of the American College of Physicians, a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. He is past President of the American Thyroid Association and the Association of Program Directors of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Surks has earned many accolades throughout his career, including the Distinguished Service Award from the American Thyroid Association, the Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Service Award from the Endocrine Society and the Physician Recognition Award from the American Medical Association.</p>
Asli S. Sucu
Scott J. Schafler
Amira M. Mohamed
Amira Mohamed completed her medical school education in Khartoum, Sudan before moving to the United States. She completed an internal medicine residency and sub-specialized in Critical Care Medicine after which she joined Montefiore Medical Center in 2019.<br />Dr. Mohamed became involved in the medical education of both internal medicine residents and critical care medicine fellows soon after joining Montefiore and was appointed the Associate Program Director of the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program in early 2021. She rebuilt the fellow curriculum and strengthened their involvement in non-clinical duties such as research and quality improvement. She became the Program Director in 2022.<br />Outside of medical education, Dr. Mohamed is the Associate Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at the Moses campus and her research interests include vaccine effectiveness and healthcare disparities.
Amira Mohamed is an intensivist with a specific interest in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and respiratory failure. As the Associate Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at the Moses campus, she is involved in multiple quality improvement projects such as ventilator liberation with spontaneous awakening and breathing trials and measures to decrease Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections.<br />As an intensivist and a clinical educator, Dr. Mohamed's focus has been on resident and fellow education. She has contributed to the recent changes in the Critical Care Curriculum with a renewed focus on research and quality improvement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Mohamed joined the ICY network in a CDC-funded study of vaccine effectiveness and has published multiple studies on this topic.
<p>Amira Mohamed, MD, is Director, Critical Care Fellowship Program, Associate Director, Medical Intensive Care Unit, Moses Campus and Assistant Professor, Medicine at Montefiore Einstein. Dr. Mohamed is an intensivist with a specific interest in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and respiratory failure.</p><p>After completing her medical school education in Khartoum, Sudan in 2012, Dr Mohamed later moved to the United States. She completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in 2017, followed by a critical care medicine fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine in 2019, acting as Chief Fellow in her final year.</p><p>Dr. Mohamed’s research interests include vaccine effectiveness and health care disparities. As an intensivist and a clinical educator, Dr Mohamed's focus has been on resident and fellow education. She has contributed to recent changes of the critical care curriculum at Montefiore Einstein, with a renewed focus on research and quality improvement. She has shared her research through peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and abstracts.</p><p>Dr. Mohamed is board certified in Internal Medicine and Critical Care Medicine. She is a member of the American Thoracic Society, the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors.</p>
Kwang J. Chun
<p>Nuclear medicine, diagnostic and therapeutic fields for pediatric, adolescent and adult population</p>
<p>Osteoporosis for strong bones, diagnosis and early intervention</p>
<p>Kwang J. Chun, MD, is an Attending Physician in the Department of Radiology and Division of Nuclear Medicine at Montefiore and an Associate Professor of Radiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She has extensive expertise in the application of nuclear medicine methodologies. Her research and clinical practice focus on improving therapeutic and diagnostic outcomes. </p><p>Chun has authored and coauthored numerous publications and review articles in nuclear medicine journals. Her recent research focuses on bone health, for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis early intervention, and gastroenterology. </p><p>Dr. Chun attended Seoul National University, graduating as Doctor of Medicine from the College of Medicine in 1968. She subsequently completed her residency and served as Chief Resident at Seoul National University Hospital's Internal Medicine Department. Between 1972 and 1977, she completed her internship, residency and fellowship at Brooklyn Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital Center's Nuclear Medicine Department, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Nuclear Medicine Department. She has served as an Attending Physician with teaching responsibilities at Montefiore and the Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine since 1977. </p><p>Dr. Chun is board certified by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine. </p>