Experts for Media - OB/GYN and Women's Health

Erika Banks, MD

Director, Gynecology, Director, Fibroid Center, Montefiore Medical Center

Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

More than 30% of all women suffer from fibroids, which are benign tumors in the uterus. Though benign, they can greatly affect a woman’s quality of life. According to Dr. Banks, fibroids are the most common tumor in the reproductive years and are 2-3 times more likely to affect African-American women. Her areas of specialty are in urogynecology and include such women’s health issues as fibroids, uterine prolapse, urinary incontinence and hormone replacement therapy. She performs minimally invasive surgery to alleviate the debilitating symptoms of fibroids, which include excessive menstrual bleeding and pain, a feeling or pressure in the pelvis, frequent urination, pain during intercourse, abdominal bloating and abdominal pain and/or back ache. She has been interviewed live on The Today Show and has also been extensively interviewed on local media and in print.

Areas of Expertise

Rodney L. Wright, MD, MS, FACOG

Director, Obstetrics & Gynecology

Areas of Expertise

Peter Bernstein, MD, MPH

Director of the Maternal Fetal Residency Program and Director of the Centering Pregnancy Program, Montefiore Medical Center

Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Bernstein has expertise in outcomes research. He has been instrumental in the design of the prenatal record software being implemented on Montefiore’s computer network. Dr. Bernstein implemented and evaluated a program for providing group prenatal care as a way to improve the delivery of prenatal care and empower women to learn more about their pregnancies. The program employs a revolutionary model of prenatal care in which women are seen for their routine prenatal visits as a group rather than individually. The program allows women to learn from each other and their provider and to form a support network. Dr. Bernstein also developed a curriculum to teach primary care providers about the importance of preconception care, and has also published on interventions to improve the delivery of preconception care. In addition, he has conducted several research studies involving the use of cervicovaginal beta-hCG as a predictor of preterm delivery and successful induction of labor at term.

Areas of Expertise

Pe’er Dar, MD

Director of Fetal Medicine and Ob/Gyn Ultrasound, Montefiore Medical Center

Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Dar was trained in obstetrics and gynecology and high risk pregnancy in Israel and completed further training in obstetrics and gynecology and clinical genetics in the U.S. In addition, Dr. Dar completed training in fetal surgery in Europe. Dr. Dar specializes in prenatal screening, including first trimester screening for Down syndrome; Detailed fetal anatomy scans in early and late second trimester (including early transvaginal scans); Fetal echocardiography; Neurosonography; CVS; amniocentesis; cordocentesis and placental biopsies. He also performs in utero procedures and surgery, which includes Fetoscopic laser ablation for twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), RFA for TRAP syndrome, EXIT procedures, Selective fetal reductions, fetal blood transfusions, in-utero placement of vesico-amniotic shunts and thoracoamniotic shunts.

Areas of Expertise

Ashlesha K. Dayal, MD

Medical Director, Labor and Delivery, Montefiore Medical Center

Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health (Maternal & Fetal Medicine), Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Dayal has developed the Comprehensive Preconception and Interconception Care Program (CPIC) for women at high risk for preterm delivery. Dr. Dayal is regionally and nationally known for the innovative CPIC Program and has presented the program to multiple forums, including the New York State Regional Perinatal Forum and the CDC Conference on Preconception Care. Dr. Dayal has been grant funded twice for this program by the Greater New York Chapter of the March of Dimes in 2002 and again in 2007. In 2007, the format of the program changed from individual care to group care of patients. Dr. Dayal also has spoken in several forums regarding using preconception counseling and identification of risk factors to decrease maternal mortality. This is a public health initiative sponsored by the American College of Obstetricians Gynecologists and the New York State Department of Health called Safe Motherhood Initiative. A graduate of Boston University Six Year Liberal Arts/ Medicine Program, she completed her residency in OBGYN at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and did a fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Montefiore/Einstein. Read more.

Areas of Expertise

Selected Media Coverage

Harry J. Lieman, MD

Medical Director, Institute for Reproductive Medicine & Health, Montefiore Medical Center

Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Lieman has participated in clinical research in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and has presented nationally on this topic. He currently is on faculty at Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future and has been actively lecturing rabbis about infertility and the intricate details of the clinical evaluation of the infertile couple and the clinical and laboratory techniques available to promote conception. He is an ATIME medical advisor and he also is working clinically and academically with the PUAH Institute in Jerusalem (Fertility and Medicine according to Halacha) and has presented collaborative data at international meetings. Dr. Lieman completed his undergraduate training at Yeshiva University. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York Health Science Center in Brooklyn (“Downstate Medical Center”) and then completed his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After residency, he completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School. He is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

Areas of Expertise

Susan Klugman, MD

Director of Reproductive and Medical Genetics, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health
Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health (Reproductive & Medical Genetics)
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Director, Medical Genetics Residency, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health

Dr. Klugman is a "medical detective" who works to identify the possible genetic risk factors for many inherited diseases. She encourages couples to consider genetic testing even before they get married so they can be as informed as possible when planning their families.

Dr. Klugman has appeared on ABC World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer and WABC-TV Ch. 7. She has also been profiled and quoted in numerous articles in the Westchester Journal News.

Areas of Expertise

Selected Media Coverage

Prevention, Jewish Link of New Jersey, Rewire.org,  SELF,  ABC News

Staci E. Pollack, MS, MD

Reproductive Endocrinologist, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health (Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility), Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Medical Student Clerkship Director, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health

Dr. Pollack treats patients with infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, adolescent/pediatric gynecology issues, menopause, premature ovarian failure and other reproductive endocrine issues at Montefiore’s Institute for Reproductive Medicine & Health in Hartsdale, NY. At this state of the art IVF center, she performs all assisted reproductive technology treatments. . According to CDC data for 2012, 1.5 percent of babies born in the US are conceived by IVF, and this number is expected to increase. Women have a wide range of issues, including problems with ovulation, tubal infertility, endometriosis and congenital abnormalities of the reproductive tract.

Areas of Expertise

Selected Media Coverage

Westchester Magazine