Faculty
The residency faculty includes full-time faculty in the Department of Preventive Medicine as well as affiliated faculty at rotation sites. Faculty members are engaged in research in a number of areas, including clinical occupational medicine research, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, occupational pulmonary disease, skin diseases among workers, injuries in the construction trades, biomarker research, and outcomes research. Our faculty encourages residents to participate in these research activities, and many residents complete publishable research during their residency.
Core clinical faculty include:
Winston C. Kwa, MD, MPH
Dr. Kwa is the Residency Director for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine. He is Board certified in both Internal Medicine and Occupational Medicine. He is a prior graduate of this program. Dr. Kwa's interest includes occupational lung diseases such as asbestos-related lung disease, musculoskeletal-work-related diseases, and health effects of environmental and occupational exposures.
Aboaba Afilaka, Jr, MBBS
Dr. Afilaka is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine. He is the Medical Director of the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health. His areas of interest include asbestos related diseases, asthma, and musculoskeletal Disorders.
Stephanie Barnhart, MD, MPH
Dr. Barnhart is the Deputy Residency Director for Occupational and Environmental medicine. She is a faculty member with Master of Public Health Program and is serving as the Specialty Tract Advisor for Environmental and Occupational Health. She is board certified in Occupational Medicine.
Dr. Barnhart’s clinical interests include World Trade Center-related illnesses including respiratory and digestive disorders related to exposures at ground zero as well as occupational lung diseases such as asthma and asbestosis, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and heavy metal toxicities. She treats patients at the World Trade Center Health Program and the Mount Sinai Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health.
Michael Crane, MD
Dr. Crane has long experience in both occupational medicine and administration. Before joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Crane spent 16 years as Chief Medical Officer of Con Edison of New York. In 2002 he established a medical monitoring and treatment program for Con Edison workers who assisted in recovery efforts at the WTC site. Dr. Crane is currently the Director of the Mount Sinai WTC Monitoring and Treatment Program.
Rafael de la Hoz, MD, MPH, MSc
Dr. de la Hoz is an occupational pulmonologist, Associate Professor in the Division of Occupational Medicine, and Medicine, and assistant medical director of the WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. His major clinical and research interests include occupational lung diseases, obstructive lung diseases, chronic disease epidemiology, respiratory toxicology, and WTC-related diseases.
Yelena Globina, MD, MPH
Dr. Yelena Globina is a Clinical Instructor at the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and Mount Sinai Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health. She is board certified in General Preventive Medicine and Public Health, as well as in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Dr. Globina’s interests include WTC exposure-related illness, occupational injuries and illness, workplace ergonomics, occupational and general toxic exposures and disease, health behavior counseling, environmental and lifestyle effects on health, and general disease prevention.
Uchechukwu Onouha, MD, MPH
Dr. Uche Onuoha is a clinical Instructor at the Department of Preventive Medicine, division of Occupational Medicine. She is board certified in Occupational and Environmental medicine. She treats patients at the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and Mount Sinai-Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Dr. Onuoha’s areas of interest include WTC exposures and its respective related illness; general occupational diseases and injuries especially occupational dermatology and illnesses associated with solvent exposures; and the optimization worker health and wellness.
George Piligian, MD
Dr. Piligian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine. His areas of special interest are occupational musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities, especially among musicians.
Jaime Szeinuk, MD, MSc
Dr. Szeinuk is a pulmonary physician who is board-certified in Occupational Medicine and is a NIOSH certified B reader. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department Of Preventive Medicine. His main area of interest is occupational lung disease. He is the principal investigator of the asbestos-related health study at Libby, Montana.