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HISPANIC COUNSELING CENTER INC.
HONORING
Renee Pekmezaris
Renee Pekmezaris is Senior Vice President for Strategic Grant Acquisition at Northwell Health, New York’s largest integrated health system. She serves the Zucker School of Medicine as Professor, with a dual appointment in the Departments of Medicine and Population Health. Leading Northwell’s Health Services Research team, her research and teaching activities have focused upon improving quality of care for patients living with chronic illness.
Dr. Pekmezaris joined Northwell Health in 2005 as Research Fellow of the Institute for Medical Effectiveness Research, with the charge of building a health services research division at Northwell. During her 20 years at Northwell, Dr. Pekmezaris and her team have acquired over $58 million in funding for chronic care management research and has authored over 140 peer-reviewed articles focused upon chronic care management approaches to improve patient quality of life for patients living with chronic illness.
An applied research psychologist trained in multimethods research, Dr. Pekmezaris has a strong background in experimental, quasi-experimental and qualitative research design, and has served as principal investigator for a number of studies funded by federal and state health agencies and private foundations. During the last ten years, she has served as principal investigator for three mixed methods studies funded by PCORI to study home telemonitoring of patients from disparity communities, most recently focusing upon underserved Hispanics with Type 2 diabetes.
Working in the New York metropolitan area for nearly 40 years, she began her healthcare career as executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk Health Systems Agency, where she was responsible for operating the New York State-legislated health planning agency overseen by a 30-member, consumer-majority governing board comprised of health consumers, providers, advocates and payers.
More recently, Dr. Pekmezaris has been tasked by Northwell administration to create a service line-specific newsletter that identifies active grants by service line and scientific institute to facilitate foundation and scientific funding to assist Northwell investigators in improving the health of the New York metropolitan community.
Law Offices of David M. Sperling
The Law Offices of David M. Sperling, founded in 1995, is a leading immigration law firm serving Long Island, New York, with offices in Hempstead, Central Islip, Huntington Station, and Riverhead.
For over three decades, the firm has represented tens of thousands of individuals and families in a wide range of immigration matters, including deportation defense, asylum, family-based petitions, and citizenship applications.
Known for its client-centered approach and multilingual team, the firm has built a strong reputation across Long Island, with most clients referred through trusted community relationships.
The firm is led by David M. Sperling, Esq., who has dedicated his career to advocating for immigrant communities and has received numerous recognitions for his legal and humanitarian contributions. He is joined by Senior Partner Chartrisse A. Adlam, Esq., an accomplished attorney known for her strong advocacy and commitment to client success, and Adam Tavares, Esq., a partner of the firm, who has helped thousands of clients with their immigration concerns.
Beyond its legal work, the firm is deeply committed to giving back, actively engaging in community outreach, volunteer work, and pro bono services throughout Long Island, supporting immigrant families and underserved populations.