Interdisciplinary RECOVER Team

The RECOVER Program incorporates input from numerous disciplines and specialties such as epilepsy, neurocritical care, neuroradiology, physiatry, ethics, nursing, social work, physical & occupational therapy, palliative care, and pulmonary & critical care.

At the core of the RECOVER Program are its interdisciplinary team members, who approach brain injury from many different perspectives to collectively ensure comprehensive and unified care. This interdisciplinary team collaboratively evaluates and manages patients with disorders of consciousness, and meets regularly to discuss cases and coordinate treatment strategies. Conferences are also attended by clinical trainees with an interest in learning about multidisciplinary brain injury care.

Interdisciplinary RECOVER Team

David Fischer, MD
Founding Director, RECOVER Program; Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Division of Neurocritical Care, University of Pennsylvania
Email David Fischer, MD
David Fischer, MD Website

Read More about David Fischer, MD

David Fischer, MD
Founding Director, RECOVER Program; Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Division of Neurocritical Care, University of Pennsylvania
David.Fischer@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
David Fischer, MD Website

David Fischer, M.D., is a neurointensivist and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied neuroscience and philosophy of mind at Haverford College, obtained his M.D, from Harvard Medical School, and completed neurology residency and neurocritical care fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is dedicated to improving the detection, prediction, and promotion of consciousness recovery after acute severe brain injury. He conceived and built the Recovery of Consciousness Via Evidence-Based Medicine and Research (RECOVER) Program at the University of Pennsylvania. His research has been supported by that National Institutes of Health, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical Care Society, the Pennsylvania Medical Society, and the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, among others.
Joshua M. Levine, MD
Professor, Department of Neurology; Chief, Division of Neurocritical Care; Vice Chair, Clinical Operations, University of Pennsylvania
Joshua M. Levine, MD Website

Joshua M. Levine, MD
Professor, Department of Neurology; Chief, Division of Neurocritical Care; Vice Chair, Clinical Operations, University of Pennsylvania
Joshua M. Levine, MD Website
Monisha A. Kumar, MD
Professor, Department of Neurology, Division of Neurocritical Care; Vice Chair for Quality and Safety; Director, Neurocritical Care Unit, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Monisha A. Kumar, MD Website

Monisha A. Kumar, MD
Professor, Department of Neurology, Division of Neurocritical Care; Vice Chair for Quality and Safety; Director, Neurocritical Care Unit, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Monisha A. Kumar, MD Website
Jeffrey B. Ware, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Pennsylvania
Jeffrey B. Ware, MD Website

Jeffrey B. Ware, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Pennsylvania
Jeffrey B. Ware, MD Website
Stephen Hampton, MD
Clinical Lead, RECOVER Transition Program; Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pennsylvania
Stephen Hampton, MD Website

Stephen Hampton, MD
Clinical Lead, RECOVER Transition Program; Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pennsylvania
Stephen Hampton, MD Website
Jeremy Y. Charles, MD
Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Director of Brain Injury Services, University of Pennsylvania
Jeremy Y. Charles, MD Website

Jeremy Y. Charles, MD
Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Director of Brain Injury Services, University of Pennsylvania
Jeremy Y. Charles, MD Website
Rachel Klinedinst, DNP, CRNP, ACHPN
Nurse Practitioner, Hospice and Palliative Care, University of Pennsylvania
Rachel Klinedinst, DNP, CRNP, ACHPN Website

Rachel Klinedinst, DNP, CRNP, ACHPN
Nurse Practitioner, Hospice and Palliative Care, University of Pennsylvania
Rachel Klinedinst, DNP, CRNP, ACHPN Website
Matthew Mendlik, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania

Matthew Mendlik, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania
Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil
Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Emergency Medicine; Director, Center for Resuscitation Science, University of Pennsylvania
Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil Website

Read More about Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil

Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil
Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Emergency Medicine; Director, Center for Resuscitation Science, University of Pennsylvania
Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil Website

Benjamin S. Abella, MD MPhil, is the William G. Baxt Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine. For the past 20 years, Dr. Abella has conducted funded research on cardiac arrest and post-arrest care. Dr. Abella is the Medical Director of the only global post-arrest care CME/CE course known as the TTM Academy (www.pennttm.com). Dr. Abella also serves as the CPR and cardiac emergencies advisor to the National Basketball Association.
Oscar Mitchell, MD, MSCE
Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care; Associate Director, Center for Resuscitation Science, University of Pennsylvania
Oscar Mitchell, MD, MSCE Website

Read More about Oscar Mitchell, MD, MSCE

Oscar Mitchell, MD, MSCE
Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care; Associate Director, Center for Resuscitation Science, University of Pennsylvania
Oscar Mitchell, MD, MSCE Website

Oscar Mitchell is an Assistant Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and also the Associate Director of the Center for Resuscitation Science. He is interested in inpatient clinical emergencies, both inside and outside of the intensive care unit. His research focuses on inpatient decompensation and delays in RRT activation with a goal to improve care for patients who are at risk of decompensation during their hospitalization.
Catherine Kulick-Soper, MD
Instructor, Department of Neurology, Division of Epilepsy, University of Pennsylvania

Catherine Kulick-Soper, MD
Instructor, Department of Neurology, Division of Epilepsy, University of Pennsylvania
Saurabh Sinha, MD, PhD
Professor, Department of Neurology; Director, EEG Laboratories; Director, Epilepsy Fellowship; University of Pennsylvania
Saurabh Sinha, MD, PhD Website

Saurabh Sinha, MD, PhD
Professor, Department of Neurology; Director, EEG Laboratories; Director, Epilepsy Fellowship; University of Pennsylvania
Saurabh Sinha, MD, PhD Website
Genna Waldman, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Division of Epilepsy, University of Pennsylvania
Genna Waldman, MD Website

Read More about Genna Waldman, MD

Genna Waldman, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Division of Epilepsy, University of Pennsylvania
Genna Waldman, MD Website

Dr. Genna Waldman is a neurologist specializing in epilepsy at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her neurology residency and chief resident year at New York Presbyterian Columbia University. Following her residency, she completed her fellowship at New York Presbyterian Columbia University in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy. During that time, she was a lead in neurological care during the COVID pandemic and evaluation of coma recovery. Dr. Waldman is currently the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Director at the University of Pennsylvania. As part of the RECOVER team, she has developed a standardized approach to EEG evaluation in the evaluation of prognosis in coma patients.
Sahily Reyes-Esteves, MD, PhD
Instructor, Department of Neurology, Stroke Division, University of Pennsylvania

Sahily Reyes-Esteves, MD, PhD
Instructor, Department of Neurology, Stroke Division, University of Pennsylvania
Aliza Narva, JD, MSN, RN, HEC-C
Director of Ethics; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania
Aliza Narva, JD, MSN, RN, HEC-C Website

Read More about Aliza Narva, JD, MSN, RN, HEC-C

Aliza Narva, JD, MSN, RN, HEC-C
Director of Ethics; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania
Aliza Narva, JD, MSN, RN, HEC-C Website

Aliza Narva JD MSN RN HEC-C, is the Director of Ethics at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she chairs the HUP Ethics Committee and the HUP Ethics Consult Service. Aliza holds a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School as well as a BSN and an MSN from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She is a certified Health Care Ethics Consultant and a former AONL Nurse Manager fellow. She focuses on providing high-quality ethics consultation and increasing ethics competency in frontline staff through educational content and ethics infrastructure.
William Pino, PT, DPT
Lead Therapist, Physical Therapist

William Pino, PT, DPT
Lead Therapist, Physical Therapist
Kyle Cunningham, PT, DPT, NCS, CBIS
Advanced Clinician I Physical Therapist; Board-Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist (NCS); Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS)

Kyle Cunningham, PT, DPT, NCS, CBIS
Advanced Clinician I Physical Therapist; Board-Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist (NCS); Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS)
Brianna Fecondo, MS, OTR/L, CSRS
Senior II Occupational Therapist

Brianna Fecondo, MS, OTR/L, CSRS
Senior II Occupational Therapist
Megan Garbarino, MOT, OTR/L
Senior II Occupational Therapist

Megan Garbarino, MOT, OTR/L
Senior II Occupational Therapist
Taryn Caputo, OTD, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

Taryn Caputo, OTD, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
Kate Genzer, MSW, LSW
Neuro Intensive Care Social Worker

Read More about Kate Genzer, MSW, LSW

Kate Genzer, MSW, LSW
Neuro Intensive Care Social Worker

Kate Genzer, MSW, LSW has been an inpatient Social Worker in the HUP Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit since 2022. While starting her career in health policy practice, Kate transitioned to the clinical medicine field to further aid patients and families in accessing care and navigating the health system; specifically in coordinating rehabilitative services for complex patients and their ongoing recovery. She is a graduate of Skidmore College and Washington University in St. Louis.

Team Alumni

Morgan Sikandar, MSW, LCSW
Social Work Manager

Morgan Sikandar, MSW, LCSW
Social Work Manager
Rachel Boris-Manning, LCSW
Social Work Manager

Rachel Boris-Manning, LCSW
Social Work Manager