Meet the Team
Cardiologist Pallavi Solanki, MD, FACC, serves as the Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support and the Heart Failure Clinic at University Hospital. She completed her Cardiovascular Research Fellowship and Cardiology Fellowship at Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). She completed subspecialty training in advanced heart failure and heart transplant at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York and worked as an advanced heart failure and heart transplant cardiologist at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, prior to joining NJMS. Dr. Solanki also serves as the Principal Investigator of multiple clinical trials. She is an active researcher in heart failure and mechanical circulatory support. She performs right heart catheterizations, heart biopsies, cardiopulmonary stress tests, and is part of the primary teaching faculty for NJMS in the echocardiography laboratory.
Advanced Nurse Practitioner Daisy Seby RN, MSN, ACNP-BC, PCCN, joined University hospital as a Supervising Advanced Practice Nurse in October 2015. Ms. Seby collaborates with the staff and physicians on standards of care for the Congestive Heart Failure practice (CHF) and mentors and supervises staff on management of CHF patients, through evidence-based practice. She addresses the behavioral aspects of illness and disease, through the performance of comprehensive health assessments, differential diagnosis and the prescribing of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments.
Clinical Pharmacist Specialist, Clement Chen, Pharm.D., BCPS – joined the Healthy Heart Team in September 2016. He graduated from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in 2013 with his Pharm.D. He then completed a one-year residency at the Hudson Valley Veterans Affairs Ambulatory Care Clinic. Thereafter, he has worked as a staff pharmacist in various institutions. In addition to working as a clinical pharmacist specialist here on the Healthy Heart Team, he is also a Transitions of Care pharmacist at Hunterdon Medical Center. This has helped him to balance his inpatient and outpatient roles as a pharmacist. To further demonstrate proficiency in clinical pharmacy care, he received his Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy in July of 2016.
Clinical Care Coordinator Patricia Jones, RN, CCRN, MPA, MSJ, NE-BC, BSN, began her nursing career as a staff nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital and later added the Coronary Care Unit/ Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Units. She served as the nurse manager for the Coronary Care Unit/Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit and Telemetry Unit for 14 years. Recently, Ms. Jones became clinical care coordinator in the Ambulatory Care Center.
Clinical Care Coordinator Mary Elias, MSN, RN, is a registered nurse with eight years of experience in cardiac telemetry and cardiac thoracic intensive care. She earned a bachelor’s degree from William Paterson University, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from New Jersey City University and a Master’s in Nursing from Kean University. Ms. Elias enjoys providing education on wellness and preventive measures, as well as engaging in outreach programs.
Registered Dietitian Meredith Yorkin, RD, is the dietitian for the Healthy Heart Program at University Hospital. She earned a B.S. in nutritional sciences with a concentration in dietetics, went on to complete her dietetic internship, and then passed an examination to become a registered dietitian. Her career began in nutrition-based research, which has rendered published articles in several peer-reviewed, professional journals, as well as the opportunities to attend professional conferences to present the research. At University Hospital, she provides individualized and group nutrition counseling for patients living with heart failure. By specializing in nutrition for cardiovascular health, she is able to provide detailed diet education tailored to her patients and interactive group education sessions covering various nutrition-related topics. She has been certified as a Chronic Disease Self-Management Peer Leader, which allows her to conduct a Stanford University-created curriculum, to a group of interested participants. You can find her sharing her passion and understanding for good, healthy, nutritious food, seeking new health-related certifications, or exploring the outdoors with friends and family.
Health Educator Monica Hanna, MPH, CHES, CTTS is a health educator at University Hospital. She earned a Master in Public Health at Montclair State University, and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). Monica also possesses a Peer Leader certification in Chronic Disease Self-Management and she is one of the Master Trainers for Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns about Falls program. Additionally Ms. Hanna received her certification for Tobacco Treatment Specialist and offers smoking cessation counseling for University Hospital patients and staff. In 2015 Monica was recognized for her dedication to community outreach and was honored with the Outstanding Volunteer award.
Patient Navigator Dernsta Pierre, MSW, earned a BA in Sociology from Montclair State University and a Master’s in Social Work from Kean University. Her role includes helping connect patients with appropriate providers, facilitating access to information, offering clarity to plan of care and referring patients and families to support services. She has many years of experience providing a multitude of services ranging from medical case management to counseling HIV positive population while performing bio psychosocial assessments on all patients. She follows and schedules patients, making sure they stay current on the delivery of their health care services. Furthermore, she is passionate about patient advocacy and appreciates the importance of collaboration and partnerships that focus on educating and supporting patients and their families.
Social Worker Danielle Friday, MSW, LSW, earned a Master in Social Work at Rutgers State University, and is a Licensed Social Worker. Her role includes helping patients address crises surrounding their various life situations. She also works as an advocate for patients while they are coping with life-changing events. She is passionate about her job and enjoys addressing patients’ needs/concerns.
Ambulatory Care Technician Darryl Glover, RMA, is a Registered Medical Assistant with experience in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Rheumatology, and Podiatry.
Ambulatory Care Technician (ACT) Shirley Rivera, from DSRIP. She has been with University Hospital since 2004 as an Ambulatory Care Technician for UMDCare and Subspecialty. Ms. Rivera worked for Cardiology and Endocrinology before she joined the DSRIP team. Shirley loves her job and enjoys taking care of her patients’ needs.