Leadership
Maryland Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
For any questions please contact MDAAP Executive Director,
Loretta I. Hoepfner, MSOD at loretta@mdaap.org.
Chapter Officers

President
Deborah Badawi, MD, FAAP
Bio
Dr. Badawi was named a Top Doctor in the specialty of Pediatric Behavior and Development by Baltimore magazine in 2016.
Debbie Badawi is a behavioral-developmental pediatrician in Baltimore, Maryland. After completing her pediatric residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, she did a fellowship in behavioral-developmental pediatrics at the University of Maryland. Her clinical experience includes primary and specialty care, as well as consultation on multidisciplinary teams in the school system and in health care settings. While on the faculty at University of Maryland she had the opportunity to train medical students, residents and fellows in behavioral-developmental pediatrics.
Dr. Badawi served as the medical director of the Maryland School for the Blind for several years before taking a position as the medical director of the Office for Genetics and People with Special Health Care Needs in the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In this position, she led newborn screening follow up for the state to assure all children with abnormal screening results received needed evaluations. She also worked with the office leadership to manage four million dollars in federal Maternal Child Health Block Grant funds for Children with Special Health Care Needs to provide needed services and improve health care outcomes for this target population.
She is currently an assistant professor in pediatrics, and her clinical work includes evaluation and management of children with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and NICU follow up. Her particular areas of interest and research include family-professional partnerships, and the prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders in children.

Vice President
Monique Soileau-Burke, MD, FAAP
Bio
Monique Soileau-Burke, MD, FAAP, is a general pediatrician at The Pediatric Center in Columbia, MD. Dr. Burke serves as a Clinical Instructor at Johns Hopkins where she was recently inducted into the Distinguished Teaching Society. She served as the Vice-President of the Maryland AAP Foundation and previously served as the Central Maryland Representative. Dr. Burke completed her pediatric residency training at Johns Hopkins in 2002. She received her medical degree in 1999 from the Tulane University School of Medicine where she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. She received her Bachelor of Science from Newcomb College of Tulane University with a major in child psychology and early childhood education in 1995. At the Pediatric Center, Dr. Burke serves as a managing partner. With over 25,000 patients and a staff of 50, the practice serves a culturally and economically diverse population of patients from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carol and Howard Counties and Baltimore City. In 2012, she became certified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and introduced lactation medicine to her practice with designated lactation areas and counseling. A native of Louisiana, she moved to Baltimore for three years of residency training. Twenty years later, she still resides in Baltimore City with her husband, Warren, and their eleven-year-old daughter, Evangeline. She is an avid Ravens fan—unless they’re playing her beloved New Orleans Saints.

Treasurer-Secretary
Rachel Dodge, MD, MPH, FAAP
Bio
Dr. Rachel Dodge is a community pediatrician in Southeast Baltimore County at Dundalk Pediatrics Associates. Dr. Dodge and her husband are southeast Baltimore County natives. They live in Edgemere and are very active in supporting the local community. Dr. Dodge is the mother of 3 children. She received her medical degree from the University of Maryland, School of Medicine in 2002 and completed the pediatric residency program at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital/University Hospitals of Cleveland in 2005. Dr. Dodge completed the General Pediatric Academic Development Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and earned a Master’s of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2008.
Dr. Dodge’s passion is advocating for the medical needs of low-income and high risk populations. Before coming to Dundalk Pediatrics, she was the Medical Director for the MATCH (Making All The Children Healthy) Program that provides medical case management and health care coordination for all children in Baltimore City’s foster care system. She also practiced pediatrics at the Harriet Lane Clinic at Johns Hopkins, teaching residents and medical students. She holds a part-time appointment as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is a community preceptor to medical students for the Longitudinal Ambulatory Program.
Dr. Dodge currently serves as the Treasurer-Secretary for the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and was appointed to Maryland Medicaid Advisory Committee.

MDAAP Foundation President
Maria Brown, MD, FAAP
Bio
Maria Karapelou Brown, MD, EdM, received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s Degree in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Medical Degree from George Washington University. She completed residency training in Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins in 2004, worked in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Saint Agnes Hospital until 2006 and then as a Pediatric Hospitalist there until 2013. Since then, she has transitioned from clinical practice as her interests have grown more focused on the connection between children’s health and the environment. She currently serves as a volunteer Instructor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where she teaches residents and medical students about a variety of environmental health topics. In the fall of 2017, she joined Loyola University as an Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Biology. She is a co-creator of the “Docs in the Park Program”, an alliance of Baltimore City professionals across sectors of recreation, health, education and environmental advocacy whose mission is to promote outdoor physical activity and connection to nature. She is an active member of Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility and serves on the steering committee of the Greater Baltimore Children & Nature Collaborative. She enjoys distance running, hiking, and gardening.
Regional Representatives

Central MD
Jennifer Cox, MD, FAAP
Baltimore, Baltimore City, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard
Bio
Jennifer Belbot Cox M.D. FAAP is a general pediatrician at Pediatric Partners LLC, a private practice with locations in Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard Counties. She serves as a managing partner in the North Park/ Harford County office. She received her medical degree from the University of Maryland Medical School in 2002 and completed her residency training in pediatrics at the Pennsylvania State Milton S Hershey Medical Center in 2005. Dr. Cox lives with her husband and three children in Baltimore County.

Eastern Shore
Landy Cook, MD, FAAP
Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester
Bio
Landy Cook, MD, FAAP, is a native of Columbia, Maryland. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He then attended residency in pediatrics at the University of Vermont. Dr. Cook is board-certified in Pediatrics and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Cook joined The Bay Pediatric Center in September 2003. He spent the previous two years working in the small community of Taos, New Mexico and later moved to Easton to be closer to his family where he has been living with his wife and three children since 2003. He hopes to help share some of the challenges and opportunities of providing care to the diverse group of children on the Eastern shore. In his free time, Dr. Cook enjoys running, sailing, gardening, and outdoor activities.

Montgomery & Prince George's
Christine Saba, MD, FAAP
Bio
Christine Saba, MD, FAAP, completed medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School, followed by a residency at Georgetown University Medical Center. Prior to entering medical school, she cared for pediatric patients as the first Senior Clinical Pharmacist in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital after completion of the first pediatric pharmacy program at MCV hospital in Richmond. After residency she initially worked for a group practice; since 2000, has been in solo practice, and has been very involved in what it takes to manage and run a practice through 20+years of the evolving changes in Medicine. She has lived in Montgomery County since 1969.
Christine has a passion to advocate for the well-being of children and those families who have no voice to say what their children need by working with her colleagues in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. She feels pediatricians have come together during this COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the increased awareness of what needs to evolve to address the discrepancies of care and social biases that exist in human beings, pediatricians can have huge impact.

Southern MD
Kristi Machemer, MD, FAAP
Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s
Bio
Kristi Machemer, MD, FAAP, received her medical degree from University of Illinois at Chicago and attended residency at University of Minnesota. She completed a pediatric fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology/BMT at Duke University. After several years in the hematology/oncology world, she returned to her first love, general pediatrics.
She is a pediatrician and owner of Waldorf Pediatrics. Her special interests include mental health including care for children with anxiety, depression, ADHD, ODD and ASD. She also serves in the AAP Mental Health and SODBP primary care committees. Her passion is to include mental health care in the medical home.
She lives with her husband and two children in Charles county. She is fortunate to be studying classical ballet and enjoys dancing with her kids. She loves taking classes in Sumi-E brush painting.
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Western MD
TBD
Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, Washington
Chapter Staff
Executive Director
Loretta I. Hoepfner, MSOD
Administrative Coordinator
Ariana Kempa
Board of Directors
Chapter President
Deborah Badawi, MD, FAAP
Chapter Vice President
Monique Soileau-Burke, MD, FAAP
Chapter Treasurer-Secretary
Rachel Dodge, MD, MPH, FAAP
Regional Representative Central MD
Jennifer Cox, MD, FAAP
Regional Representative Eastern Shore
Landy Cook, MD, FAAP
Regional Representative Montgomery & Prince George's
Christine Saba, MD, FAAP
Regional Representative Southern MD
Kristi Machemer, MD, FAAP
Regional Representative Western MD
TBD
Johns Hopkins Resident Representatives
Jaime La Charite, MD
Natalia Philpott, MD
Maggie Hannah, MD
Sinai Hospital Resident Representative
Allyson Impallomeni, MD
Shreya Doshi, MD
University of Maryland Resident Representatives
Ese Ikehola, MD
Ankita Khandai, MD
Tamara Kliot, MD
Chapter Committees
Achieve Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Jacqueline Douge, MD, MPH, FAAP
Adolescent Health
Oscar Taube, MD, FAAP
Breastfeeding
Edward Bartlett, MD, FAAP
Dana Silver, MD, FAAP
Child Maltreatment/Foster Care
Wendy Lane, MD, FAAP
Rachel Dodge, MD, FAAP
Children & Nature
Maria Brown, MD, FAAP
CSHCN/Disabilities
Virginia Keane, MD, FAAP
Disaster Preparedness
Richard Lichenstein, MD, FAAP
Early Career Physicians
Shawnte’ James, MD, FAAP
Early Childhood
Edisa Padder, MD, FAAP
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
Jocelyn Leung, MD, FAAP
Emotional Health
Ken Tellerman, MD, FAAP
Environmental Health and Climate Change
Michael Ichniowski, MD, FAAP
Fetus & Newborn/Infant Mortality
Sue Dulkerian, MD, FAAP
Hospitalists
Michelle Melicosta, MD, FAAP
Immunizations
Rebecca Carter, MD, FAAP
Infectious Diseases
Susan V. Lipton, MD, FAAP
Information Technology
Rebecca Rabin, MD, FAAP
Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention
Richard Lichenstein, MD, FAAP
Legislative Issues
Mel Stern, MD, FAAP
Mental Health
Suzanne Rybczynski, MD, FAAP
Newsletter
Michael Ichniowski, MD, FAAP
Obesity
Alan Lake, MD, FAAP
Oral Health
Shirley Reddoch, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Council
Jeff Bernstein, MD, FAAP
Jim Rice, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Getachew Teshome, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Surgery
Jeffrey Lukish, MD, FAAP
Provider Health & Wellness
Kristi Machemer, MD, FAAP
Quality Improvement & Patient Safety
Judi DeJarnette, MD, FAAP
School Health
Diana Fertsch, MD, FAAP
Senior Pediatricians
Open – If you are interested in this leadership role, contact loretta@mdaap.org.
Chapter Liaisons
CATCH Facilitators
Erin Giudice, MD, FAAP
Molly Silber, MD, FAAP
Dentistry
Diana Capobianco, DDS
Military
LCDR Witzard Seide, MD, FAAP
Opioid Epidemic
David Myles, MD, FAAP
PROS
Dianna Abney, MD, FAAP
(Pediatric Research in Office Setting)
Public Health
Maura Rossman, MD
Chapter Task Forces
Gun Violence as a Public Health Epidemic
Natalie Spicyn, MD, FAAP
Diana Fertsch, MD, FAAP
Chapter Past Presidents
2018-2020
Maria Brown, MD, FAAP
2016-2018
Diana Fertsch, MD, FAAP
2014-2016
Susan Chaitovitz, MD, FAAP
2012-2014
Scott Krugman, MD, FAAP
2010-2012
Eric Levey, MD, FAAP
2008-2010
Virginia Keane, MD, FAAP
2006-2008
Dan Levy, MD, FAAP
2004-2006
Howard Birenbaum, MD, FAAP
2000-2002
David Bromberg, MD, FAAP
1998-2000
Felix Kaufman, MD, FAAP
1996-1998
Timothy Doran, MD, FAAP
1994-1996
Crossan O’Donovan, MD, FAAP
1992-1994
Lillian Blackmon, MD, FAAP
For any questions please contact MDAAP Executive Director,
Loretta I. Hoepfner, MSOD at loretta@mdaap.org.