Montefiore in the News

Dr. Heptulla to Lead Board and Oversee Quality Assurance and Budgetary Matters

NEW YORK (April 23, 2014) – Montefiore Medical Center is pleased to announce Rubina Heptulla, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), has been appointed chairperson of the Westchester County Laboratories and Research Board of Managers. In her new position, Dr. Heptulla will serve as the spokesperson for the board of managers and will advocate for Westchester’s laboratories.

Dr. Heptulla, a professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and a Rye resident, was selected to serve on the Westchester County Laboratories and Research Board of Managers in January 2012. For the last two years, Dr. Heptulla has worked with four other board managers to provide oversight of environmental laboratories, forensic and toxicology services and microbiological laboratories. In March, the board of managers nominated and unanimously voted for Dr. Heptulla to serve as chairperson of the Board of Laboratories and Research.

“As a healthcare professional, I feel it is my duty to help improve the health of the community I live and work in,” said Dr. Heptulla. “I look forward to serving as chairperson and I am committed to speaking on behalf of the Board to ensure Westchester residents receive the excellent care they deserve.”

As chairperson for the Board of Managers, Dr. Heptulla will continue to oversee quality assurance, reporting and budgeting for Westchester laboratories. She also will ensure the health and safety of Westchester residents by advocating for more resources that laboratories need to continue providing high-quality service.

“This appointment is a tribute to Dr. Heptulla’s dedication to the health and well-being of others,” said Judy Aschner, M.D., physician-in-chief, CHAM, professor of Pediatrics and Michael I. Cohen, M.D., University Chair, Einstein. “Montefiore is committed to improving the health of the communities we serve and we are so proud of Dr. Heptulla and many of our other physicians who live by this mission and make it a reality.”

The board of managers holds quarterly meetings to discuss operations of the laboratories, fees and approval of building improvements and repairs to ensure that the county’s laboratories operate effectively and efficiently. The board works closely with Medical Examiner Kunjlata Ashar, M.D., who heads the Department of Laboratories and Research, to provide reliable, accurate and rapid diagnosis of diseases to the Westchester County health community.

Dr. Heptulla joined Montefiore in April 2010. An internationally recognized pediatric endocrinologist, she is an expert in diabetes, thyroid, growth, puberty and adrenal disorders, and leads research in these areas. She oversees seven pediatric endocrinology and diabetes clinics that receive nearly 200 patient visits each week in locations across Westchester and the Bronx. Her dedication to pediatric patients living with diabetes helped CHAM receive national recognition from the American Diabetes Association for its diabetes self-management education program. Through the program, Dr. Heptulla is able to help patients gain control of their chronic condition. Dr. Heptulla was awarded the McNair Scholar for Juvenile Diabetes by the Janice and Robert McNair Foundation, and is the recipient of many grants from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She also has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.