Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health Welcomes Chiefs of Neonatology and Pediatric Surgery

Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center welcomes Sergio G. Golombek, M.D. MPH., FAAP, as head of its Neonatology Division. K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center welcomes Suzanne M. Touch, M.D., and Mark L. Kayton, M.D., as heads of its Neonatology and Pediatric Surgery divisions, respectively.

“These nationally recognized physician leaders will enrich Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health’s mission to deliver world-class care,” said Judy Aschner, M.D., Physician in Chief at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center and Hackensack Meridian Health Clinical Director for Children's Care Transformation Service. “We welcome their leadership and expertise to our team of pediatric specialists that continue to deliver extraordinary health care to the region’s youngest patients.”

“It is a pleasure to welcome these accomplished physician leaders to Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health,” said Harpreet Pall, MD, MBA, CPE, chairman, Department of Pediatrics,

K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. “We look forward to their leadership and clinical contributions as we transform health care for children in New Jersey.”

Dr. Golombek is the new division chief of neonatology at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital and the network Chief of Neonatology for Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health. He is board certified in neonatal-perinatal medicine and pediatrics. He is the recipient of a number of awards and recognitions and is a Top Doctor in both Westchester and the New York Metro Area. He has contributed to more than 200 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, books and chapters of books, and abstracts. His passions include helping to improve the health of newborns and mothers in Latin America through extensive voluntary work, education, and his role as a past president of the Iberoamerican Society of Neonatology (SIBEN).

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine, Dr. Golombek went on to earn a Masters of Public Health from New York Medical College in International Health. Before joining Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health, he served for more than 20 years as an attending neonatologist at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. He also is a former professor of pediatrics and clinical public health at New York Medical College. Dr. Golombek is a Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatrics and the Subspecialty Board of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Eastern Society for Pediatric Research, the American Public Health Association, the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Pediatric Society, and past president of the New York Perinatal Society.

Suzanne M. Touch, M.D., is the new chief of the division of Neonatology at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. Dr. Touch is board certified in pediatrics and in neonatal-perinatal medicine. She is completing her term as president of the Philadelphia Perinatal Society, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as a member of the Society of Pediatric Research and the Eastern Society of Pediatric Research. Until recently, she was an attending neonatologist at St. Christopher’s Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia where she was the Director of Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement for the Division of Neonatology and served as the Interim Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Touch most recently served as the Site Sponsor for St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children for Children’s Hospital Neonatal Consortium.

A graduate of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Dr. Touch completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital DuPont Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatrics and the Subspecialty Board of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Dr. Touch has been an associate professor of pediatrics at the Drexel University College of Medicine and adjunct associate professor at the Temple University School of Medicine, and was previously on faculty at the Sidney Kimmel Medical School at Thomas Jefferson University.   She has authored numerous peer-reviewed papers related to pulmonary mechanics and minimally invasive ventilation, as well as her newer interest of quality improvement. Dr. Touch has presented her work at a number of national and international meetings and continues to serve on an NIH Study Section.

Dr. Kayton is the new chief of the division of Pediatric Surgery at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. As a board-certified surgical specialist in the care of children and adolescents, he has specialized experience in cancer care and has helped to run studies on new cancer treatments. He is an accomplished clinical researcher who received the Whipple Prize in surgery as a medical student at Columbia University, and the Harriet Lane Award as a trainee at Johns Hopkins. He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed research publications.

A graduate of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City, Dr. Kayton is double fellowship trained in surgical oncology and pediatric surgery. He has extensive experience in pediatric trauma surgery and pediatric oncological surgery, and has been a principal investigator in research trials that resulted in patented techniques.

Prior to joining Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health, Dr. Kayton practiced in Florida, where he was a Palm Beach Illustrated Top Doctor for three years running, has been on the medical school faculties of both Florida Atlantic University and the University of South Florida, and directed two pediatric trauma programs, including Florida’s first American College of Surgeons verified, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center