Alexandra Cohen Nutrition Staff
Paige Whorley RD, CDN, CNSC, CCTD
Supervisor, Clinical Nutrition
Paige received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and completed her Dietetic Internship at Iowa State University. She began her career practicing as a critical care dietitian in the San Diego area for several years. Paige relocated to New York and joined NewYork-Presbyterian as a Senior Dietitian in 2016. She specialized as a transplant dietitian for the Weill Cornell Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation providing nutrition care for end-stage liver disease, hepatobiliary surgery, and transplant recovery. She obtained specialty certifications as a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC) and Certified Clinical Transplant Dietitian (CCTD). She also served as a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell, RD Diversity Action Committee focused on implementing initiatives to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. In 2023, Paige joined the leadership team as Supervisor of Clinical Nutrition at NewYork-Presbyterian, Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns. She oversees the Clinical Dietitians who cover the obstetric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units and the Dietetic Technician team who are responsible for the centralized infant feeding preparation area.
Senior Dietitian
Tiffanie Lafond, RD, CDN, CNSC
Senior Dietitian
Tiffanie is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Nutrition Support Clinician with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Florida State University. She completed her Pediatric Dietetic Internship through Sodexo, New York in 2016. Tiffanie had experience in pediatrics, neonatal intensive care (NICU), pediatric intensive care, and adult nutrition prior before joining the team. She currently oversees the infant feeding preparation area and cross-covers NICU and obstetrics.
Clinical Dietitians
Julieanne Biggs, MS, RD, CDN
Clinical Dietitian
Julieanne earned her B.A. in Public Relations from The Pennsylvania State University. After spending a few years in advertising media, she pivoted to pursue a career in nutrition and went on to obtain her Master of Science in nutrition from Hunter College. Following the completion of her dietetic internship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in 2018, she joined the NYP/Cornell Clinical Nutrition Team as a staff dietitian. In her current role at Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns, she specializes in providing nutrition care for the obstetric population from pregnancy through lactation. She also provides cross coverage in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Rachel Chambers, MS, RD, CDN, CNSC, CLC
Clinical Dietitian
Rachel received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Duke University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University. She completed her dietetic internship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and joined the clinical staff in 2015 shortly after starting her fellowship in nutrition support. Rachel specializes in pediatric nutrition and currently covers the neonatal intensive unit and follow-up developmental clinic.
Priscilla Barr, RD, CDN, CLC
Clinical Dietitian
Priscilla received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of Connecticut and her Master’s in Clinical Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her dietetic internship at the Cleveland VA Medical Center and moved to New York City shortly after to start her career as a dietitian. Starting at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, she developed her love for pediatrics and critical care, covering the pediatric floor and medical/surgical intensive care units (ICU). She then moved to New York University Langone in 2008 and started her career in neonatal nutrition, covering the level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and pediatric intensive care unit. Priscilla joined the New York-Presbyterian, Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns in 2023 as a full-time NICU dietitian and is a Certified Lactation Counselor.
Rissa Landman, MS, RD, CSPCC, CDN, CLC, CNSC
Clinical Dietitian
Rissa graduated with honors from the BS-MS in Nutrition program at Hunter College. After completing the Dietetic Internship program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital she was selected as a Nutrition Fellow specializing in Pediatrics before joining the staff in 2015. Rissa is a Board-Certified Specialist in Pediatric Critical Care Nutrition (CSPCC), Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), and Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC). She is passionate about working with infants and children of all ages along with their caregivers to provide them with nutritional guidance and support to help them thrive.
Megan Mataga MS, RD, CDN, CNSC
Clinical Dietitian
Megan received her B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Boston University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University. She completed her Dietetic Internship at NYU Langone Health in 2016 and joined their clinical staff shortly after graduation. During her years at NYU, Megan primarily covered surgery, nutrition support, and critical care, and provided cross coverage in their 50-bed level IV NICU. Megan is currently a full-time NICU dietitian at the Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns and is a Certified Lactation Counselor.
Samantha Rogers, RD, CDN, CSPCC
Clinical Dietitian
Samantha is a board certified critical care specialist in pediatrics, covering the neonatal intensive care unit and developmental follow-up clinic. She received her B.S. from New York University and completed her dietetic internship and pediatric nutrition fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Initially having covered pediatric inpatient and intensive care at NYP, she has been a clinical dietitian in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit since 2012.
Dietetic Tehnicians
Taylor Dang
Dietetic Technician
Taylor first joined NewYork-Presbyterian as a Nutrition Assistant in 2019 and then became a Dietetic Technician for the Infant Feeding Preparation Area at the Alexandra Cohen Hospital in 2022. Taylor earned her Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Nutrition and Pre-Medicine from New York University. She has over 7 years of experience in community organizing and grassroots political advocacy, both centered on health justice. Most recently, Taylor received her Master’s in Health Policy & Research from Weill Cornell Medicine and hopes to continue building her career in health informatics, healthcare policy, and medical ethics for artificial intelligence and machine learning applications.
Nawal DeMesme, NDTR
Dietetic Technician
Nawal received an A.A. in Dietetics from Prince George's Community College in 2017. She then moved to NYC to complete her B.S. in Health and Nutrition Sciences from Brooklyn College in 2020. In 2022, Nawal became a Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered and began working at NYP. Nawal is applying for a combined Master's and Dietetic Internship program to continue her nutrition career and become a Registered Dietitian.
Mia Grunbaum
Dietetic Technician
Mia joined the team in 2022 as a volunteer for the Food and Nutrition Department. She plans to graduate from New York University in Spring 2024 with a B.S. in Nutrition & Food Studies with a concentration in Dietetics and a minor in Chemistry. In Fall 2024, she will be attending Columbia University to receive an M.S. in Human Nutrition. Mia currently works in the Infant Feeding Preparation Area. Following graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in academia and medicine. Mia is interested in translating research into actionable guidelines for neonatal care and educating the future on the pivotal role of nutrition in medical practice.
Alicia Jacovatos
Dietetic Technician
Alicia joined the team as a Dietetic Technician in 2022. In 2023, she earned her B.S. in Nutrition and Food Sciences from the CUNY Hunter College School of Urban Public Health. She is interested in continuing and expanding upon her education in a health-related field. Outside of work, Alicia enjoys cooking new recipes for friends and family and antiquing for vintage furniture and room decor.
Yoonah Lee
Dietetic Technician
Yoonah received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition & Dietetics at Queens College. She joined NewYork-Presbyterian, Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns in 2022 as a dietetic technician in the Infant Feeding Preparation Area. Yoonah is pursuing a combined master’s degree and dietetic internship program in nutrition with Queens College. She hopes to become a registered dietitian where she will use her knowledge in nutrition science for food production development and design for major food companies.
Jessica Lucas
Dietetic Technician
Jessica joined the team in 2023. Currently, she is on track to earn a Master of Science in Nutrition from Brooklyn College in the Spring of 2024 and is projected to conclude her dietetic internship in 2025. Alongside her studies, she has worked on multiple research projects at Brooklyn College and is currently working on her master’s thesis investigating the relationship between prenatal choline and polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on the lipidomic profile of newborns. Jessica is an avid cyclist and loves nature.
Fiona Maria
Dietetic Technician
Fiona joined NewYork-Presbyterian in 2023 working as a dietetic technician in the Infant Feeding Preparation Area. Fiona is a native New Yorker, competitive cyclist, and dietetics graduate student at Brooklyn college pursuing her master’s in science. Outside of her role as a dietetic technician at New York Presbyterian, she’s involved in a clinical trial as a research assistant investigating the relationship between prenatal supplementation and maternal-fetal nutrition and health outcomes during and after pregnancy. Her favorite food is pasta with red sauce and her favorite hobby is going on a long bike ride!
Karina Milky
Dietetic Technician
Karina joined the team as a dietetic technician in 2023. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science from Boston University. She is currently completing her master’s degree in clinical nutrition and dietetics at New York University. After completing her master’s degree, she hopes to pursue a career in pediatric nutrition as a registered dietitian.
Rashila Pandey
Dietetic Technician
Rashila began her journey at New York Presbyterian in July 2022 as a volunteer and decided to join the team as a full-time dietetic technician that following October. She earned a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics from Queens College in 2023. She is applying for a combined master's and dietetic internship program to continue her education and pursue a career as a pediatric dietitian.
Jonathan Pena
Dietetic Technician
Jonathan completed his Dietetic Technician A.A.S. degree in 2020 from SUNY Westchester Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Mercy College in 2023. In the future, he hopes to become an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist. He loves hiking, nutrition, and fitness.
Ella Sarachan
Dietetic Technician
Ella earned her B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in Linguistics from Ithaca College. After working in a nutrition clinic, Ella decided to pivot her career and went on to obtain an M.S. in Applied Clinical Nutrition from Northeast College of Health Sciences. While in school, Ella completed internships in clinical herbalism with a concentration in women’s health, and hopes to attend medical school in the future.