HOPE Team

HOPE is dedicated to the development, evaluation and dissemination of evidence-based practices for families and educators to help young children establish healthy behaviors around eating, physical activity, and sleep to prevent childhood obesity. HOPE is also committed to providing evidence-based treatments to morbidly obese adolescents who already suffering the devastating physical health and mental health consequences of obesity.

Under the leadership of HOPE’s Director, Laurie Miller Brotman, Ph.D., and Spring Dawson McClure, Ph.D., at the NYU Child Study Center and George Fielding, M.D., Christine Ren Fielding, M.D., and Marina S. Kurian, M.D., at the NYU Surgical Weight Loss Program, HOPE brings together scientists and clinicians from a broad range of disciplines, departments and schools throughout New York University.

HOPE Leadership George Fielding, M.D, Christine Ren Fielding, M.D., and HOPE Director Laurie Miller Brotman, Ph.D., with current CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D

The Institute for Prevention Science at the NYU Child Study Center develops and evaluates school and family interventions to promote mental health, physical health and academic success in children from underserved communities. The HOPE Team at the Institute for Prevention Science focuses on early childhood obesity prevention.

Laurie Miller Brotman, Ph.D. - Director of HOPE; Director of the Institute for Prevention Science, Corzine Family Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Spring Dawson-McClure, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Esther Calzada, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Jean-Marie Bruzzese, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Demy Kamboukos, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Keng-Yen Huang, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Francoise Acra, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Naomi Wychules, M.P.A – HOPE Program Manager

Clinical Assistant Professors and Associate Research Scientists:
Katherine Rosenblatt, L.M.S.W., Dana Rhule, Ph.D., Rachel Decicco, L.M.S.W., Bukky Kolawole, Psy.D., Shanon Greenfield, L.M.S.W.

Data Managers, Coordinators and Project Associates:
Joseph Palamar, M.P.H., Kim Tortora, M.A., Jesus Sanchez, M.S., David Early, Leah Klein, Rachel Karnovsky, Jessica Glubo, Nereira Greene, Ashley Quach, Sevan Basil, Adrian Gale, Sara Kaplan, Christopher Lynn-Logue

The NYU Program for Surgical Weight Loss is a comprehensive program designed to meet the medical, surgical, and emotional needs of the severely obese patient. The HOPE team at the NYU Program for Surgical Weight Loss focuses on surgical treatment for adolescents.

George Fielding, M.D. - Associate Professor of Surgery
Christine Ren Fielding, M.D. - Associate Professor of Surgery
Marina S. Kurian, M.D. - Assistant Professor of Surgery
Clinical Research Coordinator: Allison Youn, RN, CCRC, MA
Administrator: Beth Abrams, M.P.A. - Program Administrator

HOPE Affiliated Faculty

HOPE Affiliated Faculty have expertise in child development, child psychiatry, nutrition, health literacy, family and school interventions, brain development, addiction, pediatrics, internal medicine and public health. Such an interdisciplinary team is necessary to address the childhood obesity crisis.

Melanie Jay, M.D. – Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Division of General Internal Medicine
Gbenga Ogedegbe MD - Associate Professor, NYU Division of General Internal Medicine
Joseph Ravenell, M.D. – Assistant Professor, NYU Division of General Internal Medicine
Antoinette Schoenthaler, EdD. – Instructor, NYU Division of General Internal Medicine
Fritz Francois, MD – Assistant Professor, NYU Department of Medicine
Alan Mendelsohn, M.D. – Associate Professor, NYU Department of Pediatrics
Mary Jo Messito, MD - Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Department of Pediatrics
Shonna Yin, M.D. - Assistant Professor, NYU Department of Pediatrics
Beth Dixon, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, NYU Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health
Antonio Convit, M.D. – Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry
John Rotrosen, M.D. - Professor of Psychiatry, NYU Department of Psychiatry, and Director of the Center of Excellence on Addiction
Andrea Vazzana, Ph.D. - Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Director, Eating Disorder Service, NYU Child Study Center

Current NY City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, M.D., flanked by HOPE Affiliated Faculty Beth Dixon, Ph.D. and Antonio Convit, M.D.

HOPE’s Direct and Gbenga Ogedegbe, M.D., NYU Division of General Internal Medicine