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
Shari Cunningham
Dietetic Technician
In 2023, Shari earned her Master of Science in Human Nutrition from Columbia University, which inspired her to join the team as a Dietetic Technician in the Infant Feeding Preparation Area at NYP Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns. With over six years of experience in various healthcare specialties, she is am deeply committed to addressing the evidently exacerbated cycle of malnutrition, health literacy, and illnesses that affect underserved communities. Outside of NYP, she serve as a Health and Nutrition Coach and Community Alliance Nutrition Educator, working to empower individuals with knowledge about their health. In the future, she plans to pursue a career as a physician to help integrate nutritional counseling in medical care and highlight the critical role of nutrition in health outcomes.
Angela Guarino
Dietetic Technician
Angela holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Rhode Island and is a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) with the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice. With over 10 years of experience, she began her career as a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutritionist in 2013 and has since held roles in outreach and food service management for preschools and afterschool programs serving at-risk youth. Angela joined NewYork-Presbyterian 2020 as a WIC Nutritionist Coordinator and transitioned to her current role in 2024 as a Dietetic Technician in the Infant Feeding Preparation Area at Cohen. She is passionate about providing a supportive, family-centered approach to pediatric nutrition.
Fiona Maria
Dietetic Technician
Fiona joined NewYork-Presbyterian in 2023 working as a dietetic technician in the Infant Feeding Preparation Area. She received her bachelor’s in science and nutrition from Brooklyn College and is currently completing her master’s degree on the dietetics path to become a Registered Dietitian.
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.
Maxine Clare Serrano
Dietetic Technician
Maxine earned her Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. After graduating in 2023, she relocated to NYC to pursue a Master of Science degree from Columbia University's Institute of Human Nutrition. She joined New York Presbyterian as a dietetic technician for the Infant Feeding Preparation Area in 2024. Maxine's long-term goals include earning her registered dietitian credential and pursuing a career as a physician associate. Some of her interests within dietetics include infant and pediatric nutrition, gastroenterology, and critical care.
Anna Wilkinson
Dietetic Technician
Anna graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Vermont with a degree in Dietetics and minors in Public Health and Food Systems in May 2024. She started working as a Dietetic Technician in the Infant Feeding Preparation Area at NewYork-Presbyterian in July 2024. Anna started her master's program at Columbia University at Teachers College and plans to graduate in 2026 with a Master of Science in Nutrition and Public Health. She grew up in NYC and likes to dance, rock climb, and crochet!
Kristina Wong
Dietetic Technician
Kristina started as a Dietetic Technician in the Infant Feeding Preparation Area in 2024. She is a CUNY Queens College alumna, from which she earned both her B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics and M.S. in Nutrition & Exercise Science. Outside of NYP, she is conducting research exploring the social dynamics of foodservice workplaces and is interested in publishing more papers in the future. She also really loves coffee and enjoys teaching others how to make latte art!
Benjamin Yu
Dietetic Technician
Benjamin joined New York Presbyterian in 2023 as a volunteer in the Neurology Department. He transferred to the Infant Feeding Preparation Area at Cohen as a volunteer in March 2024 and is now a dietetic technician in the prep room. He graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science in 2023 and is currently completing his master’s degree in clinical nutrition at New York University. He plans to apply for a dietetic internships in the fall of 2025, with the future career goal of becoming a registered dietitian in the clinical field.