Our team

The New York Center for Professional Development is a division of the Institute for Urban Family Health. Our workshop faculty are not "consultants"; they are experts on the management staff of the Institute with years of experience in the fields of management, organization development, human resources, and health care.

James J. Deary III, EdD
Dr. James Deary, Vice President for Advanced Professional Development, is an educator and psychologist. He is responsible for curriculum development and continuing education programs for staff physicians, nurses, and residents — programs that keep staff and administrators abreast of the rapidly changing health environment in New York City. He is also a member of the Institute's Organizational Diversity Committee and a diversity trainer. Dr. Deary holds two graduate degrees in psychology and counseling, a doctorate in educational management, and he has post-doctoral training in family therapy. His experience in education and management spans 37 years in Europe and the United States. His master's research in moral development, and doctoral thesis in decision making are vital in areas of strategic planning, human resources, and management.
Deborah Perry
Deborah Perry has over 25 years experience as a manager in both the corporate and healthcare worlds. This experience includes many years as an executive team leader responsible for practice management, re-engineering, and electronic health records. Ms. Perry presently serves as assistant vice rresident for professional development. In this role, she designs, plans, administers, and evaluates all programs that assist employees in reaching their professional goals and in fulfilling Joint Commission requirements. Ms. Perry is a founder and Chairperson of the Institute's Organizational Diversity Committee. She has facilitated diversity workshops throughout New York State.
Anthony Shaw
Anthony Shaw has over 25 years experience as a management analyst and human resource professional, having built and led state-of-the-art, best practices human resource teams in nonprofit, government, entrepreneurial, and private sector organizations. He has designed and delivered training courses on leadership, violence in the workplace, communications, and other organization development topics to hundreds of attendees. He has served in leadership positions in every business sector, including Deputy Mayor of Yonkers for three years. Mr. Shaw earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Baruch College and a certification in Interactive Leadership. He is currently at work on a book of human resource advice for managers.

Neil Calman, MD
Dr. Calman is president and CEO of the Institute for Urban Family Health, the first ambulatory care network in New York City to have a comprehensive electronic health record system. He is the recipient of the 2006 Physician's Information Technology Leadership Award, presented annually by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Dr. Calman also serves on the executive committee of the newly established New York City Primary Care Health Information Consortium and on the New York State Department of Health's Information Technology Stakeholder Group Planning Committee. He is a published essayist who has described his work in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and Health Affairs, the Nation's leading health care policy journal. Dr. Calman also serves on the editorial board of the Family Practice News.

Susanne Callahan, MA
Susanne Callahan is the Institute's Assistant Vice President for Planning and Development. She has twenty years experience in community and public health. Ms. Callahan assists in the development and oversight of grant-funded programs. She oversees a number of large, federal grant-funded programs and budgets, including the Institute's federally-qualified community health center program. She participates in developing new programs related to primary health care and health centers. Ms. Callahan received a master's degree in international education development from Columbia University.
Maxine Golub, MPH
As senior vice president for planning and development, Maxine Golub is responsible for grant development and the oversight of grant-funded programs. She serves as a liaison to the Institute's private, state and federal funders and is responsible for raising approximately six million dollars per year. Ms. Golub is also a founding member of the Institute's organizational diversity committee and has been a trainer for the Institute's diversity training program since its inception in 1997. She is also a leader in the Bronx Health REACH Coalition, a group dedicated to eliminating racial disparities in health outcome. She holds a master of public health degree from the Hunter College School of Health Science, and a bachelor of science in human development and family studies from Cornell University.
Jonathan Fader, PhD
Dr. Fader is a clinical psychologist on the faculty of the Beth Israel Residency in Urban Family Practice in New York City. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Washington in Seattle. He then completed his internship at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Fader is an assistant professor of family medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His clinical and research interests include: family therapy, clinical work with urban populations, multiculturalism in patient care, psychotherapy with Spanish speakers, addictive behaviors across the life span, motivational interviewing, and harm reduction.
Kwame Kitson, MD
With over a decade of senior executive experience in quality improvement, Dr. Kitson is known nationally within the medical community. He is currently the Institute's vice president for continuous quality improvement. The Institute is one of only a few community health center networks nationwide with a fully integrated electronic health record. Dr. Kitson has led the aggressive implementation of electronic decision support tools to complement the Institute's chronic disease management protocols with resounding success seen in over two dozen quality measures. Dr. Kitson received his bachelor of science and medical degrees from Howard University.
Virna Little, PsyD, LCSW-R, SAP
Virna Little earned her doctoral degree in psychology from California Coast University and a master of social work degree from Fordham University. She is the Institute's vice president for psychosocial services and community affairs. She is certified in rational emotive behavioral therapy and trained in other modalities, such as problem solving and cognitive therapy. She is also trained to work with trauma survivors and to manage critical incident debriefing. Ms. Little is a federally certified Substance Abuse Professional and a New York State certified Mandated Reporter Child Abuse Trainer. Ms. Little has extensive clinical experience, with expertise in HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, family violence, child abuse, and psychiatric assessment.
Robert Schiller, MD
Dr. Schiller is Chairman of the Beth Israel Department of Family Medicine and a senior vice president at the Institute for Urban Family Health. He is responsible for the clinical direction and overall management of the family medicine department, the Beth Israel Residency in Urban Family Practice, and family practice program at Beth Israel. Dr. Schiller has professional interests in homeopathy, acupuncture, and other alternative therapies that complement conventional medical care. He developed a clinical rotation in alternative therapies for the residency program. Dr. Schiller attended the New York University School of Medicine.
John Weiser, MD
Dr. John Weiser is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School where he also completed his residency in family medicine and community health. He was medical director of the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital HIV Center and currently heads the Ryan White-funded HIV care program at the Institute. Dr. Weiser is board certified in family medicine and is a member of the HIV Medicine Association. He is clinical associate professor of family medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and is actively involved in medical education at the Beth Israel Residency in Urban Family Practice.

Call today for more information: 212.633.0800 ext. 1210