Staff Biographies

Staff Biographies

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Rev. Dr. Beth Faulk Glover

Rev. Dr. Beth Faulk Glover

The Rev. Dr. Beth Faulk Glover is an Episcopal priest who serves as the corporate director of Pastoral Care and Education (CPE) at NewYork-Presbyterian. As the director of pastoral care, Dr. Glover leads a team of clergy members and staff, and CPE residents, interns and supervisory education students across the five NewYork-Presbyterian campuses.

Certified by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Dr. Glover has provided spiritual guidance to patients and families in several hospitals throughout New York City, and ministers in Northern New Jersey. She is canonically resident in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.

Originally from Virginia, Dr. Glover attended the College of William and Mary and the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. She holds the degree of Master of Sacred Theology in Christian Spirituality (S.T.M.) from the General Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry in pastoral care and pastoral supervision from the New York Theological Seminary.

Dr. Glover has also done extensive training in modern group psychoanalysis and family systems theory with Rabbi Edwin Friedman and Monica McGoldrick. She is currently enrolled in a religious education doctorate program at Fordham University, where she is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society (the only all disciple honor society).

NewYork-Presbyterian has a unified pastoral care system across its five campuses — Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, the Allen Hospital and the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Hospital, Westchester Division.

Joel Nightingale Berning

Joel Berning

Joel Nightingale Berning is the Manager of the Pastoral Care & Education Department at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he has been a chaplain since 2010. His undergraduate degree is from Pomona College, his M.Div. is from Union Theological Seminary, his board certification is by the Association of Professional Chaplains, and he is a Certified Educator of ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education. His research focuses on overcoming communication barriers to spiritual care.

Christopher Ashley

Christopher Ashley

Christopher J. Ashley serves as Administrative Chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian/CUIMC. In that role, he manages the department office and assists the Corporate Director as well as serving patients and families. A lay Episcopalian, Chris earned his Ph.D in Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary with a thesis on marriage equality. He holds an M.Div from Harvard Divinity School and a BA in Literature from Yale University. He has published on Anglican polity, emergent church worship, and science fiction. Chris serves as Associate for Adult Education at Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven. His hobbies include choral singing, aikido, and baseball and soccer fandom.

Fr. Melchor Ferrer

Ferrer Melchor

Father Melchor Ferrer has been a chaplain and Catholic Priest at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia for more than ten years. He was ordained in 1974 after completing his studies at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. He was a financial administrator for various schools in the Silesian congregation in Manila until he moved to the United States in 1999. Fr. Ferrer is board certified by the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy.

Soren Glassing

Seigan Glassing

Soren Glassing is a Zen Buddhist monk and chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. Though he works primarily with the palliative care team, he also leads weekly meditation and spirituality groups for the psychiatric department and heads many support groups throughout the hospital. Soren has been practicing Zen in America and Japan since 1985. He studied art at Pratt Institute, paints on his own time and brings his art background into his work.

Chaplain Linda S. Golding

Linda Golding

Chaplain Linda S. Golding earned her Masters in Jewish Studies and the Certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling from the Jewish Theological Seminary (NYC) and is a Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains. Following a substantial career working with classical music composers Golding changed paths serves as chaplain at NYP/Columbia University Medical Center and Coordinator of Pastoral Services at Milstein Hospital. She is the chaplain member of the hospital’s Ethics Committee and Organ Donor Council; leads didactics on Ambiguous Loss, Spiritual Pain, and Pastoral Care to Non-Responsive Patients; serves as a preceptor for medical student clerkships; runs Reflection Rounds with nurses and a Wellness Group for Neurology Residents. Her research interests include the impact of spirituality on patients with chronic pain; caregiver compassion fatigue; and pastoral care with non-responsive patients. She regularly presents workshops at conference, is an adjunct professor in the Bioethics program at Columbia University where she teaches pastoral care and ethics.

Fr. Jean-Ridly Julien

Jean Ridly Julien

Father Jean-Ridly Julien is a Roman Catholic priest and chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. He is a board certified chaplain, a member of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and serves as a member of the organization's board interview team. He holds a Master of Theology from the Dominican College University of Ottawa-Canada.

Originally from Haiti, Fr. Ridly was appointed the spiritual leader of his community after his ordination. Fr. Ridly served as Executive Director of the Haitian-American Community Center, an organization he founded. He also founded the Anne Clemande Julien Foundation/Haiti School and Orphanage in 2002 to help unprivileged children and orphans receive a better education.

His interests and other certifications are in education, pastoral administration, leadership, and travel agency.

Rabbi Ralph Kreger

Ralph Kreger

Rabbi Ralph Kreger is a board certified chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. He was ordained at Mirrer Yeshiva Rabbinical Seminary in Brooklyn, New York. His interests include Jewish medical ethics.

The Rev. Henry McLauren

Henry McLauren

The Rev. Henry McLauren is a chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. He is an ordained Baptist minister and pastor at Anointed Grace Ministries. He attended J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Virginia. He later earned a bachelor’s degree from Wells College and a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary. His pastoral emphasis is in cardiac, emergency department, pediatric care, and general medicine and provides pastoral care through creative arts and volunteer chaplaincy training.

Rev. Blanca I. Rodriguez

Rev. Blanca I. Rodriguez

The Rev. Blanca I. Rodriguez graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Rutgers College, Rutgers University in 1978 and from the New York University School of Law in 1981, where she was a Root Tilden Scholar. After a successful career as an appellate and litigation attorney, Blanca decided to retire as a partner of a New York City law firm and thereafter worked as a community mediator and an Adjunct Teacher at Teachers College, Columbia University and Consultant to the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Teachers College. In 2015, Blanca graduated with distinction from Union Theological Seminary, earning her Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in psychology and pastoral care in prisons and hospitals. She was ordained in 2017 as a Unitarian Universalist Community Minister. At NYP, Blanca's chaplaincy work is focused on oncology, organ transplant, infectious diseases, intensive care, and general medicine. She has volunteered as a preceptor for medical student clerkships, runs spirituality groups for patients and staff, and is a staff advisor on the NYP Columbia University Irving Medical Center's Patient and Family Advisory Council.

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NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia & NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

Department of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy

Office Hours: 9am – 5pm

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Department of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy

Office Hours: 9am – 5pm

NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital

Department of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy

Office Hours: 8am – 4pm

NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital

Department of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy

Office Hours: 8am – 4pm

NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Division

Department of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy

Office Hours: 9am – 5pm