GME Committee (GMEC)

The Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) is responsible for the oversight of the GME programs. The Committee meets monthly.

  • Members: GMEC members are comprised of voting members (Training Program Directors, Teaching Faculty, GME Manager, Institutional Administrative Director of Risk & Quality, Safety & Inovation, & peer-selected Residents and Fellows Representatives), non-voting Administrators (Ex-Officio member (CAO), Legal Counsel, VP for Ethics and Compliance, and Research Institute Director) and non-voting guests (Program Coordinators).
  • Residents and Fellows Representatives: Include the chief residents, and GMEC Housestaff Reps are elected by their peers and have voting rights
    • All Voting members are required to attend 50% of the meetings annually
    • Each co-represenative pair occupy one slot (some with alternate)
    • Residents Class Reps (3 per class) occupy two seats per class for quorum purposes
    • Fellows' rep each occupy a seat
    • A quorum is achieved when there is 22 attendees of the voting members (50% of voting members' seats +1)
 
Co-Representative Co-Representative
COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP
Rani Gereige, MD, MPH
Chair; Director of Medical Education
Designated Institutional Official (DIO)		 Beatriz Cunill, MD
Vice Chair; GMEC
Director, Pediatric Core Program
TRAINING PROGRAMS LEADERSHIP
Beatriz Cunill, MD
Director, Pediatric Core Program
Maria Behnam-Terneus, DO
Associate Prog Director, Pediatric Core Program		 Mark Gabay, DO
Associate Prog Director, Pediatric Core Porgram
Bala Totapally, MD
Director, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Program
Michael Leoncio, DO
Associate Director, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Program		 Metee Comkornruecha, MD
Director, Adolescent Medicine Program
Jason Katz, MD
Director, Pediatric Cardiology Program		 Vincenzo Maniaci, MD
Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Program
Israel Alfonso, MD
Director, Clinical Neurophysiology Program
Anuj Jayakar, MD & Ann Hyslop, MD
Associate Director, Clinical Neurophysiology Program		 Miguel Castellan, MD
Director, Pediatric Urology Program

Director, Pediatric Radiology Program
Melquiades Alvarez, MD
Associate Director, Pediatric Radiology Program		 Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, MD
Director, Division of Allergy-Immunology
Director, Allergy-Immunology Program
S. Anthony Wolfe, MD
Director, Craniofacial Plastic Surgery Program
Chad Perlyn, MD
Associate Director, Craniofacial Plastic Surgery Program		 Cathy Burnweit, MD
Director, Pediatric Surgery Program
Fuad Alkhoury, MD
Associate Director, Pediatric Surgery Program
Rose M. Alvarez-Salvat, PhD
Director, Psychology Internship Program		 Melissa Clemente, MD
Director, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Program
Oscar Arevalo, DMD
Interim Director, Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program		 Toba Niazi, MD
Director, Pediatric Neurosurgery Program
Harry Shufflebarger, MD
Director, Pediatric Orthopedic Spine Program		  
TEACHING FACULTY
Juan Carlos Meneses Paz, MD
Attending, Div of Hospitalist Services and/or Designee		 Jefry Biehler, MD, MPH
Director, Med Students, FIU Ped Dept Chair
Julie Kantor, MD
Clerkship Director
Amanda Porro, MD
Attending, Continuity Clinic General Pediatrics and/or Designee		 Athena Pefkarou, MD
Alt: Haneen Abdella, MD
Attending, Div of Ped Hem/Onc
Magaly Diaz-Barbosa, MD
Attending, Chief Division of Neonatology (Admin)		 Jose Vargas Loayza, MD
Attending, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Mislen Bauer, MD
Attending, Div of Genetics 		 Marisa Azaret, PsyD
Psychologist, Chief Div. of Psychology
Alisa Muniz-Crim, MD
Attending, Pediatric Gastroenterology		  
TRAINEES
Carolina Bautista, MD
Chief Residents, PGY4		 Claudia Puerto, MD
Chief Residents, PGY4
PGY1 Rep: Christian Irias, MD
Pediatric Resident, PGY1		 PGY1 Rep: Freddy Martin, MD
PGY1 Rep: Jessica Wein, MD
Pediatric Residents, PGY1
PGY2 Rep: Rafael Zonana Amkie, MD
PGY2 Rep: Bianca Soto, MD
Pediatric Residents, PGY2		 PGY2 Rep: Stephen Girgis, MD
Pediatric Resident, PGY2
PGY3 Rep: Gisell Rodriguez, MD
Pediatric Resident, PGY3		 PGY3 Rep: Sneha Kolli, MD
PGY3 Rep: TJ Verhage, DO
Pediatric Residents, PGY3
Fellows Rep: Monica Rezk, DO
Adolescent Medicine Fellow - PGY4		 Fellows Rep: Manette Ness-Cochinwala, MD
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellow - PGY4
Fellows Rep: Keyur Mehta, MD
Pediatric Cardiology Fellow - PGY7		 Fellows Rep: Naiomi Cohen, MD
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow - PGY7
Fellows Rep: John Kotula, MD
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellow - PGY6		 Fellows Rep: Kamalvir Gill, MD
Pediatric Cardiology Fellow - PGY5
Dental Resident Rep: Paula Miranda, DMD
Pediatric Dentistry Resident		  
OTHER VOTING MEMBERS
Elizabeth Menocal, CPMSM, CPCS
Department Administrative Director
Institutional Coordinator		 Sharon Larson, RN, LHRM
Administrative Director, Risk & Quality, Safety & Innovation
INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATION (EX-OFFICIO, NON-VOTING)
Michael Harrington
President and COO, Nicklaus Children's Hospital		 Jacques Orces, DO
Chief Medical Information Officer

Legal Counsel
Legal Counsel
Jose Perdomo, Esq
VP, Ethics and Compliance		 Jennifer McCafferty, PhD, CHRC, CHPC, CHC, CCEP
Director, Research Institute
or Designee
NON-VOTING GUESTS
Alina Gonzalez, C-TAGME
Residency Coordinator, Medical Education		 Ana Otero, C-TAGME
Fellowship Coordinator, Medical Education
Brandy Bluett
Fellowship Coordinator, Medical Education		 Galia Huerta
Residency Coordinator, Medical Education
Catalina Dunoyer
Coordinator		 Elizabeth Seipp
Coordinator
Kristie Pino
Coordinator		 Judy Arevalo
Coordinator
Lisa Howard
Coordinator		 Tamara Martinez
Coordinator

Roles and Responsibilities of the GMEC (Click to view)

Nicklaus Children's Hospital
Ranked Among the Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report