Lauren Klein, MPAS, PA-C

Physician Associate

Lauren Klein is a Physician Associate, with a passion for an integrative approach to medicine. Lauren attended the University of Florida, and obtained her Masters of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Nova Southeastern University. She is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.
Lauren believes in an individualized approach to optimal well-being through the connection of lifestyle and health. Prior to joining the Comite team, Lauren specialized in Internal Medicine, Weight Loss Management and Hereditary Cancer Genetics. Lauren educates patients and physicians across the tri-state area on hereditary cancer screening and cancer prevention. She has been certified in many areas of anti- aging medicine, bio-identical hormones, sexual dysfunction and aesthetics.
In her downtime, you can find Lauren at the dog park with her husband and bernedoodle or at her favorite vinyasa yoga class.

Christopher Arboleda, MS

Exercise Physiologist

A personal trainer and college athlete, Chris has a passion for fitness and education. He joined the Comite team upon graduating Syracuse University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science with a minor in Psychology and a Master’s of Science in Exercise Science. He is a first-generation Colombian-American, born and raised in Queens, NY. Chris spent his formative years playing competitive soccer, and in college: rugby and cheerleading.

Chad Poole

Exercise Physiologist

Chad comes to Comite as a former baseball and football player, as well as an avid educator of the health and fitness industry. After completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology at Fresno State University, Chad moved to New York to complete his Master’s Degree of Exercise Science with a concentration in Exercise Physiology. Outside of work he enjoys weightlifting, boating on the water, and attending various sporting events across the country.

Talat Rubin

Business Analyst

Talat graduated from Columbia University in 2015 where she majored in French and Romance Philology and simultaneously completed her premedical studies. While a student at Columbia, Talat was active in the Columbia Iranian Students’ Association and Peace by Peace, a volunteer organization that went into public schools and taught conflict resolution to primary school students. Born and raised in New York City, Talat is fluent in both French and Farsi.

Umbar Sattar

Clinical Intern

Umbar graduated from Cornell University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Shortly after graduation, Umbar worked as an Intake and Clinical Research Coordinator at the Child HELP Partnership at St. John’s University, which provides free trauma-focused CBT to children who have experienced interpersonal traumas. Umbar hopes to attend medical school in the future.

Kirby Mateja

CLINICAL INTERN

Kirby graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland with a degree in Biology prior to enrolling in Columbia University’s Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program in September of 2016. Her research experiences include work in the Metal Ions lab at The University of St. Andrews School of Medicine. Kirby hopes to attend medical school in the future.

Gabriella Sansaricq

Clinical Intern

Gabriella graduated from Boston College in 2018 where she was a pre-medical student and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in biology. During that time, she completed an honors thesis that was published by her university on the neural mechanisms behind post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She also held several clinical positions before and during her research. Gabriella plans on attending medical school in the near future and further pursuing her research on PTSD.

Ioana Raica

Medical Assistant

Ioana’s passion is working with people in a meaningful way and making a positive impact in the world. After earning her BS in Hospitality and Tourism in Romania, Ioana moved to the United States and obtained her Certified Medical Assistant Associates Degree. Ioana attributes her decision to pursuing a career path in the medical field to the wonderful and rewarding experiences she has had as an internal medicine medical assistant. Ioana loves finding new ways to keep herself busy and face new challenges. When she is not working at the Comite Center, you can find her working part-time at an animal hospital. Ioana is also trilingual (fluent in Romanian, English and Spanish)!

Ali Shamsa

Clinical Intern

Ali spent his childhood touring the Midwest and lived in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2016 and followed up his bachelors with a yearlong masters in management. After his masters, Ali gained experience working as a digital marketer. He now continues his pursuit of medicine and is applying to enter medical school in the Fall of 2020.

Melanie Fredericks

President, Business Development

Melanie is President, Business Development, with responsibilities that include partnering with the CEO to develop and execute strategies, influencing and improving systems and operating procedures to mitigate risk, increase efficiency and promote growth.

Before Joining Comite Center, Melanie worked in the healthcare industry for about 27 years, 18 of which were spent specializing in internal auditing. Her level of audit experience includes revenue cycle, compliance, operational, financial, human resources, materials management, Sarbanes-Oxley, medical management, project management, health insurance claims, and IT auditing. Melanie has held several positions within the healthcare industry including Internal Audit Project Leader, Healthcare Engagement Manager, and Director of Internal Audit. She has extensive experience presenting audit findings to executive management and Audit Committees.

Melanie received a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science from Hunter College of The City University of New York and a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration & Policy from Mount Sinai School of Medicine/Bernard Baruch College of The City University of New York. She is currently enrolled in the Doctor Healthcare Administration program, specializing in Health Policy, at Franklin University.

During her spare time, Melanie enjoys cooking, entertaining, developing young professionals and engaging in charity work.

Daniel Lenzo

Facilities & Inventory Manager

Daniel is responsible for driving the company’s execution strategy across technology, operations, and product integration. Before joining the Comite team, Daniel held multiple strategic and executive management roles in the education sector. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from NYIT and a Master’s degree in International Economics & Finance from Brandeis University. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys playing with his amazing young son and supporting community theater with his terrific wife.

Erin Gress, MHA

Associate Director of Clinical Operations

Erin works closely with our clinical and administrative teams to provide operational support. Her enthusiasm for clinical development and patient experience support her role in facilitating and maintaining collaborative systems and efficient delivery of care.

Erin studied Psychology and Business at Hofstra University and obtained her Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Her previous position, working as Marketing Manager for a preventive cardiovascular company, fostered her passion for personalized and proactive health care.

Anita Beri Emly

Client Relations Manager

Anita has worked with Dr. Comite since 2010. Her knowledge of the program and operations allows her to coordinate with prospective patients and facilitate their introduction to our Center. Anita is fluent in American Sign Language and volunteers as an interpreter in her church’s Deaf ministry.  

Janine Forrestal

Program Manager

Janine’s dedication to patient relationships and her strong interest in precision medicine allow her to efficiently manage the interface between clients and clinicians, scheduling, and medical records. Prior to joining the Comite team, Janine worked in surgical oncology as a Session Assistant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She graduated from Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Tom Faherty

Program Coordinator

Tom graduated from Boston College where he studied philosophy and international relations. He began working in healthcare for Weill Cornell, where he focused on patient services and improving the efficiency of their radiology clinic. He then moved to Mount Sinai’s Oncology department where he coordinated a Medicare program which focused on reducing healthcare costs while improving patient outcomes. He joined the Comite Center in 2018 and is excited to contribute to their wonderful patient experience while providing administrative support to the clinical team. Outside of work Tom loves to travel, golf, and ski, and has a cat named Moo.

Barbara Blum

Controller

Barbara is responsible for finance, accounting, and bookkeeping at the Comite Center. She studied at Universidad de San Carlos and Universidad Mariano Galvez in her native Guatemala, where she worked in Guatemala as a judicial clerk and at Warner-Lambert and DHL. She moved to the United States in 1995 and started working for Dr. Comite soon thereafter.

Andi Hanken

Director, Practice Development

Andi joined the Comite Team in October of 2017 bringing with her more than fifteen years of experience in the industry. She began her career in the NewYork-Presbyterian health care system and she later migrated to multi-specialty outpatient care in what is now known as the Mount Sinai Health System. Andi holds a passion for putting patients first and ensuring customer service is met at every level. Outside of work she can be found whipping things up in the kitchen, volunteering at her favorite animal shelter, or trying a new fitness class with friends.

Karey Wallace

Director, Human Resources

Karey serves to optimize our people organization to achieve the missions of the Practice. She is a graduate of Pace University and a SHRM certified professional. Before joining our team, Karey developed and managed the human resources function across multiple industries including medical practice management, construction and technology. Karey lives in Brooklyn with her husband and children. A homemaker at heart, she enjoys cooking and entertaining, painting and decorating, writing, traveling and going to the beach.

Vanessa Narvaez

Program Coordinator

Vanessa was born in Miami and raised in South America. She moved to Florida to pursue health education when she was 18 and started learning English at first; after that, she completed her associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in health sciences. She is at the end of her current educational journey, and will be graduating in May with a master’s degree in healthcare management.She moved to New York in February 2019, after having dreamt of moving here since she was 15 years old. In Vanessa’s free time, she enjoys cooking, dancing and watching movies.

Jill Harrison

Esthetician