Our Staff

Dr. Isakson is the Executive Director of Docs for Tots, bringing extensive experience as a pediatrician and public health practitioner. She holds an MD from the University of Connecticut Medical School and completed her General Pediatrics training at Children’s Hospital of New York.

With a career spanning Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), and the New York Zero-to-Three Network (NYZTT), Dr. Isakson champions early childhood systems integration in health, education, and family support. Her advocacy for early childhood systems integration (health, education, family) is driven by her exposure with the long-term impacts of under-funded systems on young children and families.

Dr. Isakson has authored numerous publications across early care and education, health, and family economic security. She teaches advocacy at Mt. Sinai School of Public Health and is a respected speaker on community and state systems for early childhood development. Since 2013, she has led Docs for Tots in disseminating crucial early childhood knowledge nationally and locally.

Robin Halloran is the Director of Operations for Docs for Tots. She has a BA in International Relations from Brown University and a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Johnson & Wales University. Robin has a professional background in international education organizations including SACI Florence, NYU, CIEE, and AIFS. She has also volunteered with local nonprofit organizations including the West Side Campaign Against Hunger and the LaGuardia High School Parents Association.

Diana McGee is the Program Manager for Help Me Grow Long Island. She holds a BA in Psychology from Cornell University and completed the Post-baccalaureate Premedical Program at Columbia University prior to discovering her passion for health operations and change management. She is especially excited to join Docs for Tots given that she began her career as an Early Intervention service coordinator for the NYC Early Intervention Program—an experience that deeply informed her commitment to accessible, equitable, and coordinated care across the life course.

Diana is a health care operations leader with extensive experience designing and implementing national and citywide health and wellness services. Prior to joining Docs for Tots, she spent nearly two decades in senior leadership roles across public and private sectors, including NYC Health + Hospitals, Formation Bio, and EHE Health. Her experience includes managing large, multi-site teams; leading quality and safety initiatives; overseeing health program and product management; and designing staff training and onboarding systems. Across these roles, she has built and scaled teams, formalized operational frameworks, launched new health programs and products, and championed culture and workforce development strategies that center staff voice, quality, and cross-sector partnership.

Fabella Terry is a Bilingual Family Resource Specialist for Help Me Grow Long Island (HMGLI). Previously, she served as the Bilingual Family Support/Assessment Specialist for the Healthy Families Jamaica Program at Sheltering Arms NY. In this role, she supported expectant families and new parents through the changes and needs associated with the birth of a new child, promoting positive parent-child attachment and interaction to prevent child abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood outcomes. This experience helped Fabella become well-versed in using a strength-based approach to address the unique needs of families in the community.

Katherine Fuentes is a Bilingual Family Resource Specialist for Help Me Grow Long Island. She received her Associate in Arts degree from Nassau Community College in 2016, where she studied Liberal Arts. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management at SUNY Empire State College. Previously, Katherine served the community as a Bilingual Financial Navigator at Stony Brook Hospital Cancer Center for over two years. In this role, she provided patient advocacy and recognized the importance of connecting patients and their families to local resources for additional support.

Rachel Henriquez is a Bilingual Family Resource Specialist at Help Me Grow Long Island (HMGLI). She graduated from Hofstra University in December 2023 with a BA in Psychology and a minor in the Philosophy of Law. While at Hofstra, she worked as an Office Aid in the Undergraduate Admissions Office, gaining valuable interpersonal skills and insights into diverse backgrounds.

Rachel has hands-on experience with children, including conducting a senior seminar study on parental communication styles and their influence on a child’s suggestibility and memory. Outside of her professional role, she mentors at-risk youth in the evenings. Rachel is currently attending Hofstra’s Master’s program in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Risa Jaslow, M.S, RDN, is the Help Me Grow New York State Project Coordinator at Docs for Tots. She is registered dietitian with a Master of Science degree from The Ohio State University. With decades of experience working with the early childhood population and the adults who support them, she has extensive knowledge in managing preschool program support and project coordination, including project development and sustainability.

Risa worked for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) Early Care and Education for over 16 years before leaving in 2015 to pursue a research opportunity with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS). At ISMMS, she served as the Project Manager in the Department of Medicine, Cardiology, for the American Heart Association-funded FAMILIA project, focusing on heart disease prevention interventions with preschool children and their caregivers.

Kaley Amalfitano is the Outreach Coordinator for Help Me Grow Long Island, where she brings her passion for helping others and her background in child development to support community engagement initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Vermont, with minors in Special Education and Behavioral Change Health Studies.

Kaley gained hands-on experience through an internship at the University of Vermont Medical Center, where she provided art programming to various departments, working directly with families and patients. She also held roles in the university’s athletic department, served as a teaching assistant, and worked for a local children’s science museum.

Kaley is dedicated to making a meaningful impact through public service is pursuing her Master of Public Administration with a focus on public policy through SUNY Albany.

I am a bilingual Family Resource Coordinator fluent in both Spanish and English, with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Stony Brook University. I have a strong passion for supporting children, families, and the community, and I am dedicated to connecting families with the resources and support they need.

My professional experience has primarily been in preschool settings, where I have worked with children ranging from 16 to 48 months old. These experiences have strengthened my understanding of early childhood development and the importance of creating nurturing, supportive environments for young children and their families.

My commitment to serving others extends beyond my professional work. I have also volunteered at Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) in the Nutrition Department, an experience that further developed my appreciation for community service and helping others.

I am passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of children and families and look forward to continuing to serve my community through meaningful family support and advocacy.

Pashminder Kaur, who goes by Pash, is the ASAPP Program Coordinator for Docs for Tots. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early and Elementary Education and Psychology in 2015 and her Master’s degree in General Psychology in 2019, both from the City University of New York.

Pash has extensive experience working with children in various settings. She has served as a lead teacher in multiple preschool classrooms and has worked with foster care and homeless families in city-scattered housing and shelters, including in Far Rockaway, the community of ASAPP’s focus. In her current role as the ASAPP Project Coordinator, Pash leverages her background to create and implement onboarding packages for assistant providers before their hire date, promoting success in family-based home settings with the support of the Coalitions team.

Melisa Vasquez is the Senior Infant Toddler Mental Health Consultant for Docs for Tots’ BRITE program. She joined Docs for Tots as a part-time Family Resource Specialist for Help Me Grow Long Island and transitioned to her role as Infant Toddler Mental Health Consultant after obtaining her Master’s in Social Work from Fordham University. Melisa earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Molloy College in 2020.

As a social work intern at a middle school, Melisa worked with pre-teens, teenagers, and their families, providing counseling in collaboration with guidance counselors and school psychologists. She advocated for services by participating in IEP meetings, collaborating with community providers to offer legal advice, and assisting with the school’s food pantry. She also interned at the New York City Office of Immigration Affairs.

Melisa is passionate about helping individuals who do not have a voice. One of her future goals is to establish a non-profit organization to assist those in need.

Pelumi Soyemi is the Implementation Specialist at Docs for Tots. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Public Health from SUNY Albany. In May 2022, Pelumi obtained her Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Epidemiology from the University at Albany School of Public Health. She holds certificates in Health Disparities and Maternal Child Health.

During her studies, Pelumi collaborated with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to improve terminology for home visiting services, ensuring inclusivity and better connection with families in need. She is passionate about health equity and social justice and aims to become a physician in the future to address chronic ailments and health inequities affecting marginalized and underserved communities.

Valerie Metzger joined Docs for Tots as a member of the Operations Support Staff, serving as an assistant. She has held various administrative positions over the past two decades while also raising her family in Nassau County.

She has been a resident of Garden City South, NY, for the past 20 years, where she lives with her husband and their four sons.