Experts
Karen Golding-Kushner, Ph.D. Karen J. Golding-Kushner, Ph.D. has been studying and treating VCFS since the syndrome was first described. She is currently Owner and Director of The Golding-Kushner Speech Center, LLC, in New Jersey and is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
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Beth Motzkin-Kava, M.D. is a pediatric endocrinologist who practices in Margate, Florida. A graduate of the New York University School of Medicine, she was a pediatric resident at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY in the late 1980s and then completed Fellowships in Clinical Genetics and Pediatric Endocrinology at Montefiore/Einstein.
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Alan Shanske, M.D. is a graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed a pediatric internship at Stanford University and an NIH fellowship in biochemical genetics as well as a pediatric residency at Einstein. He was the Director of the Craniofacial Center at Schneider Children’s Hospital at Long Island Jewish Hospital for fifteen years and the Director of the Center for Craniofacial Disorders at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and Professor of Pediatrics, Pathology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine and Dentistry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
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Nick Bennett, MA(Cantab), MBBChir, PhD, is a specialist and expert in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and immune disorders. Bennett graduated from Cambridge University in 2004 with his medical and PhD degrees, before coming to the United States and completing his training in Pediatrics (2008) and Pediatric Infectious Diseases (2011) at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY.
Antonio Ysunza graduated from the medical school of the National University of Mexico in 1978. He completed a 3-year medical residency in Audiology, Speech Pathology and Neuro-Otology at the National Institute of Communication in Mexico City in 1984. After residency, Dr. Ysunza completed a fellowship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. During this fellowship he met and worked with often Dr. Shprintzen who had just recently published the first paper describing velo-cardio-facial syndrome.
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Irene Hao Su So, D.M.D. is an orthodontist with decades of experience dealing with craniofacialanomalies in both hospital and private settings. She is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine where she received Honors in Anatomy.
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Matt Rontal, M.D., is an ENT surgeon specializing in cleft and reconstructive surgery of the craniofacial skeleton, the face, and the head and neck. Dr. Rontal studied from 1989-1997 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Russian and American History and then his M.D. Dr. Rontal spent the next 3 years in Philadelphia where he completed an internship at Albert Einstein Medical Center and two years of research studying developmental neurobiology of the inner ear at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
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Gianni Faedda, M.D. is a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist specializing in Mood Disorders. He received his M.D. from the University of Cagliari, Italy. His training in psychiatry was at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School and at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as a Fellow in Psychopharmacology. At Einstein, he served as Director of Research in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
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Bronwyn Glaser has been studying cognitive and behavioral phenotypes since 1998 after graduating in Human Biology from Stanford University. She began her career doing research with children and families affected by a wide spectrum of neurogenetic disorders, including fragile X syndrome, Turner syndrome, Williams syndrome, and velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS).
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Linda L. D’Antonio, Ph.D. is a renowned expert in communication disorders with more than 30 years experience in healthcare. Dr. D'Antonio is a Speech-Language Pathologist with specialization in pediatric speech disorders. She has many years of experience as a clinician, educator, and researcher and has dedicated her career to the evaluation and case management of children with complex communication impairments associated with craniofacial disorders.
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Donna Cutler-Landsman is an educational consultant who advocates on behalf of students and young adults with VCFS both in the U.S. and abroad. She regularly works with school districts to craft individualized program that best meet the needs of VCFS students.
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Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP, is Board Certified in Pediatric Pulmonology and General Pediatrics by The American Board of Pediatrics. He is President and Founder of Center Point Medicine where he has provided medical hypnosis and counseling for children, adolescents, and young adults.
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Roger N. Ruckman, M.D., is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1970. His residency in pediatrics was at Medical Center Hospital of Vermont followed by Pediatric Cardiology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Licensed psychologist, Dr. Ira Glovinsky lives and practices in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After graduating from Brooklyn College in 1968, he began his graduate studies at Brooklyn College in the School Psychology Program completing his Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Michigan in 1977.
Marcia A. Friedman, M.D. is an adult rheumatologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Friedman went to medical school in Syracuse, NY, where she first met and started working with Dr. Shprintzen in VCFS research.
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Board of Directors
William D. Graf, M.D. serves on the Board of Directors of our charitable corporation and is our expert in neurological and behavioral disorders, as well. Dr. Graf is currently Visiting Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. After undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität in Munich, Germany, Dr. Graf completed his M.D. degree at the Freie Universität-Berlin, West Berlin, Germany.
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Advisors
Karen Ruckman Lindsay was diagnosed with VCFS at the age of 23 and ever since she has been a strong advocate for people with VCFS. A talented musician who plays both piano and the violin, she has spoken and performed at meetings of the Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome Educational Foundation and served on its Board of Directors for three years.
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Alexandra Oppenheimer (Ali) was among the first cases diagnosed with velo-cardio-facial syndrome and was reported in the first article published in 1978. Ali had early difficulties with speech requiring a pharyngeal flap. Through perseverance and hard work she received her bachelor's degree from Washington and Jefferson College, a master's degree in education from Bank Street College of Education, and a license in reading from Long Island University.
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Raymond Cheng was diagnosed with VCFS at the age of 7. He had difficulty making friends and found it difficult to concentrate in high school, but with help from his parents and family, he learned how to apply hard work and dedication so he could complete his goals.