It is with great pleasure that we announce our new leadership appointments, effective July 1, 2026. As the Department of Emergency Medicine continues to grow, these appointments recognize our expanding scope, exceptional work, and the meaningful contributions each individual has brought to their respective areas. Their leadership, dedication, and impact are integral to the department’s continued success and future direction. Congratulations to everyone on their new appointments.
Clinical Services
David Bodnar, M.D., has been appointed Vice Chair of Clinical Services for the Department of Emergency Medicine. An Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, he has spent nearly a decade shaping clinical operations across NewYork‑Presbyterian sites. He currently serves as Director of Clinical Services at NYP/Weill Cornell and previously held senior leadership roles at NYP Lower Manhattan Hospital, where he advanced quality, patient experience, and operational performance.
In his new role, Dr. Bodnar will lead system‑wide efforts to ensure consistent, high‑performing emergency care. His work will focus on aligning ED operations with institutional capacity strategy, strengthening throughput and staffing, enhancing surge preparedness, and driving performance in quality, safety, and patient experience. He will oversee key clinical service domains and interdepartmental initiatives across the emergency service line.
A graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Bodnar has led numerous impactful initiatives and has been recognized with multiple awards for clinical excellence, including NewYork-Presbyterian’s Physician of the Year Award.
Christopher Hennessy, M.D., has been appointed Assistant Director of Clinical Services for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. In his new role, Dr. Hennessy will focus on multiple areas of ED clinical services, including: departmental operations with an added focus on night operations, departmental staffing and scheduling, and ED Radiology.
Dr. Hennessy currently serves as the department's scheduler and has been actively engaged in resident education, including contributions to the Night School teaching program. He also serves as course director for the WCM Wilderness Medicine course and sits on the Weill Cornell Medical College Admissions Committee.
In 2025, Dr. Hennessy was honored by the Emergency Medicine residents with the Attending Educator of the Year Award in recognition of his dedication to teaching and mentorship. Dr. Hennessy graduated from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and completed his Emergency Medicine training at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he served as chief resident. He is also a graduate of the Quality Improvement Academy.
Research
Tony Rosen, M.D., MPH, has been appointed Associate Vice Chair of Research. In this role, he will provide oversight of research activities, help define the department’s strategic vision, and support the continued growth of its research enterprise while mentoring faculty.
An emergency physician and health services researcher, Dr. Rosen is also a national leader on elder abuse and geriatric emergency care. His research aims to improve the identification, intervention, and prevention of elder mistreatment in emergency departments and across health care settings.
Dr. Rosen’s accomplishments include development of the first Emergency Department–based multidisciplinary Vulnerable Elder Protection Team (VEPT), an innovative model that assesses, treats, and ensures the safety of elder abuse and neglect victims while coordinating closely with law enforcement and Adult Protective Services.
Dr. Rosen is the author of more than 110 peer-reviewed publications, the recipient of an NIH K24 award, and a member of several national initiatives to advance geriatric emergency care.
Deborah Levine, M.D., has been appointed Associate Director of Research Operations. Dr. Levine will assume responsibility for overseeing IRBs, data analytics, resident and medical student research education, the research assistant program, and faculty meeting reporting.
Dr. Levine also holds two academic appointments, including Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Her academic research interests include infectious diseases in neonates and injury prevention. Over her career, Dr. Levine has conducted several studies and has published many abstracts and manuscripts on these subjects. She also serves as a lecturer, mentor, and peer-reviewer.
Clinical Innovation
Junaid Razzak, M.D., PhD, will be assuming the new role of Vice Chair of Innovation in addition to his current role as Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Emergency Medicine.
In this expanded capacity, Dr. Razzak will continue to lead the department’s research mission while also advancing innovation efforts across emergency care. He will also drive, structure, and implement new technologies, care delivery models, and strategic initiatives designed to improve patient care, quality, and operational efficiency.
Prior to joining Weill Cornell Medicine, he served at Johns Hopkins University as Director of the Center for Global Emergency Care and as a tenured professor of Emergency Medicine and International Health. He is among a small group of NIH‑funded investigators in global emergency medicine and has authored more than 130 peer‑reviewed publications across emergency care delivery, vulnerable populations, and technology‑enabled solutions.
Sowmya Sanapala, M.D., MBA, has been appointed Director of Clinical Innovation, where she will spearhead the expansion of industry partnerships, foster new collaborations to drive innovation, and enhance cross-campus connections within the Cornell ecosystem to broaden impact and reach.
Dr. Sanapala is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine whose work bridges emergency care, digital health, and healthcare leadership. Since joining Weill Cornell Medicine, she has been instrumental in building and leading an innovation team that collaborates with industry partners to develop and implement digital health technologies and medical devices that enhance patient care.
Dr. Sanapala also serves as Co-Director of the HLM Elective and Summer Scholars Program and as Associate Director of the HLM Fellowship, demonstrating her commitment to training future physician leaders. She earned her MD from Stony Brook University and completed her residency at Montefiore-Jacobi, where she was Chief Resident.
Justine Ko, M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and has been appointed Assistant Director of Clinical Innovation in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
In her new role, Dr. Ko will support the oversight and growth of the Emergency Department’s telemedicine initiatives and serve as a faculty member at the Center for Virtual Care. She will focus on quality improvement initiatives within the virtual health space. She has collaborated with industry partners on research pilot projects and will continue to strengthen partnerships to advance the department’s innovation mission.
Dr. Ko is board certified in both emergency medicine and sports medicine. In addition to emergency medicine, Dr. Ko also practices sports medicine at Weill Cornell Emergency Orthopedic Sports Medicine Clinic.
Dr. Ko earned her undergraduate degree and medical degree at Case Western Reserve University and completed her emergency medicine residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. She also completed her subspecialty training in sports medicine at MedStar Health/Georgetown University.
Clinical Intelligence and Evidence-Based Practice
Robert A. Green, M.D., MPH, MA, joins us as Director of Clinical Intelligence and Evidence‑Based Practice, a newly created role. Dr. Green’s role will bridge clinical informatics, health services research, and quality improvement by transforming electronic health record data into real-world evidence that informs clinical decision-making and advances the mission of academic emergency medicine.
Dr. Green brings more than three decades of experience as a physician executive, with deep expertise at the intersection of clinical care, healthcare analytics, quality, and real‑world evidence. His leadership roles span industry and academic health systems, including senior analytics leadership at Roivant Sciences and enterprise‑wide quality and patient safety leadership across NewYork‑Presbyterian. Board‑certified in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Clinical Informatics, Dr. Green’s background uniquely positions him to advance data‑driven strategies that improve patient outcomes, support evidence‑based practice, and strengthen our department’s analytic capabilities.
Quality Assurance and Patient Safety
Fan Jim Yang, M.D., MBA, has been appointed Associate Director of Quality Assurance and Patient Safety. Serving as the Associate Director of Quality for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, he will lead and support initiatives focused on quality improvement and patient safety. His work is centered on fostering a patient-centered, safety-first clinical environment grounded in evidence-based medicine, with an emphasis on improving both patient outcomes and emergency department operations.
Dr. Yang joined the Department of Emergency Medicine in July 2025 as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine. Prior to joining Weill Cornell Medicine, he completed fellowship training in Hospital Leadership and Operations at NYU Langone Health, while concurrently earning an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business. Dr. Yang completed his emergency medicine residency training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine–Jacobi/Montefiore. Originally from Chicago, he earned his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and his medical degree from Rush Medical College.
Informatics & Analytics
Mehrin Islam, M.D., has been appointed Assistant Director of Informatics and Analytics where she will focus on improving emergency department operations through clinical informatics. Specifically, Dr. Islan will focus on workflow optimization and clinical decision support. She will also lead and support initiatives aimed at developing and enhancing quality, efficiency, and clinician experience across a multi-hospital system.
Dr. Mehrin Islam is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, and a liaison for Emergency Department Informatics & Analytics at NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medicine.
Dr. Islam earned her medical degree from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and completed her Pediatrics residency at University of Texas Southwestern/Children's Health. She subsequently completed a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Administration
Matthew Laghezza, PA-C, MBA, has been appointed Senior Director of Practice Operations and Chief of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs). In his expanded role, he will continue to work on the department's strategic priorities, operational excellence, financial performance and new clinical programs including the 2027 launch of the Immediate Care Center at 575 Lexington Avenue.
Matthew is an experienced healthcare leader who currently serves as the Administrative Director of Advanced Practice Providers in the Department of Emergency Medicine where he oversees a team of 40 physician assistants and nurse practitioners. He also serves as a Clinical Instructor of Physician Assistant Studies in Emergency Medicine where he actively engages in teaching and mentoring future advanced practice providers.
Matthew is a graduate of the St. John’s Physician Program and holds an MBA from Cornell University as well as a Master of Science in Healthcare Leadership from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. In 2025, he was recognized as Physician Assistant of the Year at Weill Cornell Medicine.
APP Leadership
Marielle Biagi, PA-C, has been appointed PA Residency Director. Marielle joined the Department of Emergency Medicine in 2021 and since then has made significant contributions to both clinical practice and training future providers.
In addition to her clinical practice, Marielle serves as an adjunct faculty at the Weill Cornell Medicine PA Program, where she contributes to the emergency medicine curriculum and skills labs. She is also the lead preceptor for physician assistant students during their emergency department rotations.
Marielle earned her Bachelor of Science in Movement Science from the University of Michigan and completed both the Physician Assistant Program and the Emergency Medicine PA Residency at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center respectively.
Elizabeth Girón, DMSc, PA-C, MSPA, MS, AAHIVS, is transitioning into the role of Medical Educator for both the Advanced Practice Provider (APP) group and the Physician Assistant (PA) and Nurse Practitioner (NP) Residency Programs within Weill Cornell Emergency Medicine. Her passion for emergency medicine began early, spending nearly a decade shadowing in a local emergency department prior to becoming a Physician Assistant. Passionate about emergency medicine education, simulation, and procedural training, she is dedicated to creating engaging learning experiences that support both new and experienced clinicians in the emergency department.
Elizabeth earned a Master of Science in Microbiology from LIU Brooklyn before completing her Physician Assistant degree at SUNY Downstate, where she also completed a subspecialization in HIV medicine. She later became an HIV specialist and completed an HIV-focused doctoral manuscript as part of her Doctorate in Medical Science (DMSc). She went on to complete the NYU Advanced Practice Provider Emergency Medicine Fellowship before joining Weill Cornell Medicine in 2022.
A proud Brooklyn native, Elizabeth enjoys staying active through pursuits ranging from half marathons to HYROX training and immersing herself in New York City’s salsa community through classes and local socials. She brings the same energy, curiosity, and sense of community to medical education that she values outside the hospital.
