About the PDC

The New York City Pediatric Disaster Coalition (NYCPDC) was established in 2008. Founded by Co-Principal Investigators Dr. George Foltin and Dr. Michael Frogel (1950 – 2024), and initially headquartered at Cohen Children’s Medical Center the NYCPDC has called Maimonides Medical Center its home since 2013. The NYCPDC is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response/Hospital Preparedness Program via the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).

NYCPDC’s mission is to prepare the city of New York for large-scale disasters and emergencies effecting the pediatric sector by matching resources to needs; to ensure the best outcomes for pediatric patients during these incidents. The NYCPDC continually works to enhance the planning and emergency response capabilities of New York City hospitals, agencies, community members, and the healthcare system on behalf of the city’s two million children (22% of the city population) and their families.

The coalition is led by Co-Principal Investigators Dr. George Foltin and Dr. Matthew Harris and Executive Director John Jermyn. The NYCPDC is guided by its clinical advisory group comprised of subject matter experts in emergency preparedness, EMS, pediatric critical care, trauma, surgery, emergency medicine, pediatric complex care, pediatric mental health and burn care. The advisory group consists of representatives from hospitals in all five NYC boroughs and from each pediatric hospital network (New York City Health + Hospitals, New York Presbyterian, Northwell Health, Mount Sinai, and Montefiore) and representatives from the DOHMH, NYC Emergency Management, and the Fire Department of the City of New York.

Staff

George Foltin, MD

Co-Principal Investigator

George Foltin, MD is the Principal Investigator of the New York City Pediatric Disaster Coalition and Vice Chair for Clinical Services Emeritus for the Department of Pediatrics at Maimonides Infants and Children’s Hospital of Brooklyn and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Downstate School of Medicine. Previously, George was Director of the Center for Pediatric Emergency Medicine of the New York University School of Medicine and Chief of Pediatric Emergency Services. Dr. Foltin is Board Certified in Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Among numerous committee activities, he is the Chairperson of the AAP District II Committee on Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMS), Chairperson of the NYC Task Force on Terrorism Preparedness for Children and Founding President of the New York Society for Pediatric Emergency Medicine. George is also Co-Principal Investigator on the Pediatric Disaster Mental Health Intervention (PDMHI) initiative.

Since 1985, Dr. Foltin has published extensively in the field of Emergency Medical Services for Children and Pediatric Disaster Preparedness. He serves as a consultant to the New York City and State Departments of Health, as well as to Federal programs such as the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness Response office and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. During his tenure at Bellevue Hospital Center, George developed the first Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship in the State of New York and has been very involved with the education of medical students, residents and fellows and prehospital providers.

Matt Harris, MD

Co-Principal Investigator

Matthew Harris, MD is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine and EMS Physician with Northwell Health. In addition he is also the Co-Principal Investigator of the New York City Pediatric Disaster Coalition and the Principal Investigator of the Pediatric Pandemic Network Northwell Cohen Children’s Medical Center hub site serving Region 2. Dr. Harris is triple-board certified in General Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and EMS/Disaster Medicine. Involved in EMS since 1998, Dr. Harris has volunteered as an EMT, paramedic, and EMS physician. He serves as the medical director for the Cohen Children’s Medical Center Pediatric Critical Care Transport team and as Associate Medical Director for the Northwell Center for Emergency Medical Services. He sits on the New York State EMS for Children Advisory Committee, and has held key leadership positions in the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Pediatric Disaster Coalition and the National Association of EMS Physicians.

John Jermyn

Executive Director

John Jermyn is an emergency management and healthcare preparedness professional specializing in pediatric disaster preparedness, coalition leadership, and strategic program operations. He currently supports regional and citywide initiatives through leadership roles with the Pediatric Pandemic Network and the New York City Pediatric Disaster Coalition. In addition, John serves as an Emergency Manager at Maimonides Medical Center and is a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT).

His work focuses on emergency planning, grant administration, healthcare system coordination, exercise design, conduct, and evaluation, as well as multi-agency collaboration across public health and emergency response partners. John has led large-scale preparedness efforts designed to strengthen pediatric surge capacity, disaster response coordination, and healthcare system resilience. He is recognized for his collaborative leadership style, operational expertise, and ability to manage complex programs.

John’s path in healthcare and public service began at age 20 as an intern with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, followed by service as a volunteer EMT at age 21. He subsequently gained valuable experience through internships and student employment roles with city, state, and federal agencies, including New York City Emergency Management, the New York State Division of the Budget, the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and the United States Marshals Service.

He earned undergraduate degrees from Kingsborough Community College/City University of New York and the University at Albany/State University of New York, as well as a master’s degree from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice/City University of New York. He is currently a member of the Executive Master of Public Administration cohort at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University (NYU). John remains committed to advancing emergency preparedness capabilities and improving outcomes for children during disasters and public health emergencies.

Jeremy Silverstein

Jeremy Silverstein serves as the Research Manager for the department of Pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center. With years of experience in clinical research, he works with the PDC to conduct scholarly activities, working with the core team to find new ways to identify issues in pediatric disaster preparedness, address gaps in disaster preparation, and disseminate findings to the public.

Art Cooper, MD

Co-Investigator

Dr. Cooper was educated at Harvard College, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Montefiore-Einstein Center for Bioethics. He was trained in general surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and in pediatric surgery and surgical critical care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is also certified in disaster medicine by the American Board of Disaster Medicine, of which he is a founding member and past Chair, in emergency medical services by the American Board of Emergency Medicine, and in bioethics and medical humanities by the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Bioethics. He is Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Special Lecturer in Surgery at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and serves as Director of Pediatric Surgical and Trauma Services, Pediatric Trauma Medical Director, Medical Director of Injury Prevention Program, and Director of the Child Protection Team for the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Academic Affiliation at New York City Health + Hospitals | Harlem. He is Chair of the National Disaster Life Support Foundation, member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, member of the Board of Advisors of the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition, Past Chair of the Medical Society of the State of New York Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster/Bioterrorism Response, and a founding member of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Pediatric Disaster Coalition Central Leadership Council.

NYCPDC Clinical Advisory Group

Established in 2019
Meetings – clinical updates, deliverable development and report outs, PDC business
Members provide subject matter expertise
Originally comprised of 5-6 representatives specializing in peds emergency medicine, peds critical care, peds prehospital care, and peds surgery
Today representation from institutions and networks citywide (covering all 5 boroughs)
Added peds burn, mental health and complex care representation

Advisory Group Members

Dr. Bruce Greenwald – Weill Cornell/New York Presbyterian
Dr. Pete Silver – Cohen Children’s Medical Center/Northwell Health
Dr. Jose Prince – Cohen Children’s Medical Center/Northwell Health
Dr. Robert Finkelstein – Weill Cornell/New York Presbyterian
Dr. Ed Conway – New York City Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
Dr. Victor Fornari – Cohen Children’s Medical Center/Northwell Health
Jamie Heffernan – Weill Cornell/New York Presbyterian
Dr. Lisa Forman – NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
Dr. Michelle Pintea – Children’s Hospital at Montefiore
Dr. Mark Hanna – Morgan Stanley/New York Presbyterian
Dr. Ramon Gist – New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
Dana Haile, RN – William Randolph Hearst Burn Center/New York Presbyterian
Dr. Michael Redlener – FDNY (Previously Mt. Sinai)
Dr. Naina Bagrodia – Cohen Children’s/Northwell Health
Jency Philipose, RN – Cohen Children’s/Northwell Health
Dr. Yvonne Giunta – Staten Island University Hospital/Northwell Health