As a resident of Mather Hospital, you will have the distinction of working with, and being mentored by, a remarkable group of actively practicing physicians with decades of experience in both the clinical practice and graduate-level teaching of medicine. Our faculty includes nationally recognized clinicians and researchers, with vast levels of experience teaching and guiding students in their journey to becoming a licensed physician. All our faculty are board certified, some in multiple specialties, bringing an in-depth and well-rounded knowledge to each rotation they supervise.
Robert Giacobbe, DO, FACP, is the Program Director for the Mather Hospital Internal Medicine Residency as well as the Site Director for Academic Affairs. A native of the tri-state area, Dr. Giacobbe received his undergraduate education at Colgate University before attending the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine where he earned his medical degree in 1990. After completing a one-year rotating internship at Peninsula Hospital in Queens, NY, he performed his Internal Medicine residency at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island (formerly Winthrop University Hospital). After 20 years in private practice as a primary care physician in Port Jefferson, Dr. Giacobbe joined the program in 2014 as the Associate Program Director, and Medical Director of the Residency Continuity Clinic. Over his nearly three decades working in the Port Jefferson community, he has been active on numerous hospital committees and has served as Medical Director and Chairman of the Physician Advisory Council of Mather Hospital’s physician group, Harbor View Medical Services. In addition, he was honored to be named a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a Fellow of The Advisory Board Company, in Washington, DC. He has a particular interest in medical ethics, the development of professionalism and the art and science of giving and receiving feedback. In his spare time, Dr. Giacobbe enjoys cycling, woodworking and spending time with his family and his grand dog Molly.
Michael Tofano, MD, is an Associate Program Director in the Internal Medicine Residency program and former Program Director. Dr. Tofano completed his residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center in New York in 1985. He served as Chief Resident for the academic year 1985 – 1986, and then completed a cardiology fellowship at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Jersey. After many years as a practicing cardiologist, Dr. Tofano transitioned to hospital medicine in 2007, at the UMASS Memorial Health Care System in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 2009, he was appointed the Associate Chief of Hospital Medicine for UMASS Memorial Health Care System, and the Director of Hospital Medicine at Marlboro and Clinton Hospitals, members of the UMASS Memorial System, developing quality initiatives in cardiology that led to Marlboro Hospital achieving a number two ranking state-wide for AMI survival. Dr. Tofano joined Mather in 2012 as Hospitalist Director and joined the Residency Program in 2013. In his free time, Dr. Tofano enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf and baseball with his two sons, and frequenting the many fine restaurants in the Port Jefferson area.
Joseph Ng, MD is currently the Medical Director of Mather Hospital and serves as a core faculty member in the Department of Medicine. He was previously the Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) for 12 years as well as the founding Program Director for the Transitional Year Residency Program until 2022. After receiving his medical degree from Ponce School of Medicine, Dr. Ng went on to complete his residency at St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center where he served as Co-Chief Resident and then Chief Resident. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Critical Care Medicine with the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he served as the Chief Administrative Fellow. Dr. Ng is a practicing Critical Care Intensivist working in Mather’s ICU and CCU. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Medical Informatics. Raised in Puerto Rico, he is fluent in Spanish and Cantonese and has a working knowledge of Mandarin and French. He is a diplomate of The American Board of Internal Medicine and The American Board of Preventative Medicine. He is Vice President of the Board for the 501c3 non-profit organization Sights on Health, an organization committed to providing quality, compassionate care for those whose geographical and/or social status limits their access to medical care. In his spare time, he loves to travel and cook and is particularly well-informed about restaurants and wines.
Maritza Groth, MD, FCCM, FCCP is the Medical Director of Critical Care at Mather Hospital, a clinical faculty member in the Department of Medicine and serves as a core faculty member of the Residency Program. Having graduated from New York University School of Medicine in 1983, Dr. Groth went on to do her residency and subsequent fellowships at Stony Brook University Hospital, and is board certified in Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Medicine. A fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians, American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Groth served as the Director of the MICU, Director of Critical Care and Assistant Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Winthrop-University Hospital before joining Mather in 2009. Dr. Groth has been an active teacher for over 20 years and has presented her research findings at conferences around the world.
Alan T. Kaell, MD serves as the Director of Resident Scholarly Activity and Faculty Development at Mather Hospital. Board certified in Internal Medicine, Rheumatology and Geriatrics, Dr. Kaell has been an active investigator since 1983, focusing on rheumatology and immunology, resulting in numerous published research articles and chapters. He has lectured on his findings internationally, has had privileges at 4 major hospitals in Suffolk County and has been a reviewer and editor of various national journals for over 30 years. Dr. Kaell has conducted over 20 Phase II, III and IV clinical trials for anti-rheumatic therapies and has been the recipient of NIH and Fetzer research grants. He has taught medical students, residents and fellows for the past 30 years and is currently a participant in the Academy of Rheumatology Medical Educators, whose mission is to develop, implement and assess novel teaching techniques by incorporating Patient Reported Outcomes and evaluating patient and physician behavioral changes.
Jacob Sokol, MD, PhD is a full-time Hospitalist in the Department of Medicine and a core faculty member of the Residency Program. Board certified in both Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine, Dr. Sokol brings over 25 years of experience teaching future physicians to our program. He earned both his doctorates within the State University of New York at Stony Brook system and acted as both the Chairman of the Department of Medicine and the Residency Director at Nassau University Medical Center before joining Mather in 2007. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and helped his son hike to the summit of Mt. Katahdin, as the culmination of a 2180 mile trek of the Appalachian trail. He also enjoys playing piano and raising tropical fish.
Marilyn Temkin, MD is board certified in both internal medicine and geriatrics. She is a clinical faculty member in the Department of Medicine and serves as a core faculty member of the Residency Program. Having earned her medical degree at The Medical College of Pennsylvania, she completed her residency in internal medicine at Nassau University Medical Center before pursuing fellowships in both cardiology and geriatric medicine. She served as Assistant Director of Cardiology for five years at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Suffolk County Chapter of the American Heart Association. Her varied work experiences include office practice of internal medicine, staff physician at several nursing homes and Medical Director of the Suffolk County Correctional Facility. She has been a test question reviewer for the ABIM Geriatric Medicine Certification Exam. Dr. Temkin joined the faculty of the residency program in 2013. Her hobbies are painting and photography. An avid New York Islanders fan, she enjoys visiting her two daughters in Manhattan.
Halyna Chykyda, MD is the Director, Department of Hospital Medicine and an Associate Program Director of Internal Medicine Residency program. Dr. Chykyda is a graduate from Ternopil National Medical University in the Ukraine. She completed her post-graduate specialty training in the United Kingdom and started her medical career as an OB-GYN physician in London. After immigrating to the US in 2015, she attended our internal medicine residency program at Mather Hospital and is board certified. She also served as Chief Resident in our program and upon graduation joined our Hospitalist Medicine Department. She has been an active member of the Medical Staff at Mather Hospital since 2018.
Bradley Minter, MD serves as a core faculty member in the Department of Medicine and is the Program Director of the Transitional Year Residency Program. Dr. Minter completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He subsequently completed his Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. In his spare time, Dr. Minter is a father to three children and for fun enjoys his time gardening, doing yoga and grilling by the pool when the weather permits.
Adam Wos, MD serves as a core faculty member of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and as the Medical Director of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Wos is board certified in Emergency Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He joined the Emergency Medicine Department at Mather Hospital in 2009 as an Attending Physician and served as the Interim Medical Director from 2014 to 2016.
Greg Haggerty, Ph.D. serves as Medical Research Educator at Mather Hospital. Dr. Haggerty received his B.A. in psychology from St. John’s University and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Adelphi University. He completed his APA-Accredited clinical psychology internship at Zucker Hillside Hospital/Northwell Health (formally North Shore-LIJ Health System) and received post-doctoral research training at Zucker Hillside Hospital’s Division of Psychiatric Research. Dr. Haggerty has served as the Director of Research for Nassau University Medical Center’s Psychiatry department and was chair of the hospital’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). He has worked as chief psychologist for NUMC’s adolescent inpatient unit and as supervising psychologist in NUMC’s adult outpatient clinic where he supervised child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, psychiatry residents, psychology externs and psychology interns (as part of an APA-accredited psychology internship). He maintains an active research program focusing on personality assessment, training, psychopathology classification, and treatment outcome. Dr. Haggerty has received funding for his research from the NIMH and American Psychoanalytic Association and has active research collaborations with Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Michigan, St. John’s University, Adelphi University and Austin Riggs Hospital.
Priscilla Persaud, MD is an Associate Program Director in the Department of Medicine and serves as a core faculty member of the Residency Program. Dr. Persaud graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Stony Brook University, NY. She went on to attend Ross University School of Medicine where she earned her medical degree with high honors.
She completed her Internal Medicine residency training at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY where she received the distinction of Chief Medical Resident. She is certified by The American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Persaud has been a member of Mather Hospital’s physician group, Harbor View Medical Services since 2017 where she enjoys working with medical residents. She is passionate about preventative medicine and is devoted to the wellbeing of her patients. Dr. Persaud enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, and trying different cuisines from around the world.
Nancy Nunez, C-TAGME is the Training Program Manager for the Mather Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program. Ms. Nunez has worked for over 20 years in graduate medical education. Prior to joining Mather Hospital in 2014, she worked at Interfaith Medical Center as the Program Coordinator for the Medical Student Education Program. Before that, Ms. Nunez worked at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center (WHMC) as the Program Coordinator for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and serving as a mentor to others.
Karen Raguso, is the Training Program Administrator for the Mather Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program. Ms. Raguso has been with Mather Hospital since November 2022. Prior to joining, Ms. Raguso worked as a Student Coordinator for St George’s University School of Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, cooking and going to concerts.