Ali Andre Mencin, MD

My interest in pediatric pulmonology stems from my early pediatric training, where I first learned about the wide spectrum of respiratory diseases that affect children. I recognized the unique opportunity I would have as a pulmonologist to make a difference in young people's lives. During a pediatric pulmonology fellowship at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, I developed a strong foundation in a variety of respiratory issues, and in my current practice I diagnose and treat children of all ages with lung conditions including asthma, chronic lung disorders of infancy, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary hypoplasia, obstructive sleep apnea, obesity-related pulmonary diseases, and pulmonary dysfunction in musculoskeletal disorders. My patients come from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds and I strive to provide culturally sensitive and evidence-based clinical care. At Columbia, I am part of a team with unique expertise with performing pulmonary function and exercise physiology tests to assess our patients. We also work closely with other specialties to manage children and adolescents with complex conditions. I am also involved in research and educational activities. I have studied long-term pulmonary complications in children with sickle cell disease and congenital diaphragmatic hernia, as well as in those who are undergoing cancer therapy or stem cell transplantation. I am member of national committees and networks of experts who study rare lung disorders. I am engaged in clinical trials of new drug therapies for children with interstitial lung diseases, and am also actively engaged in pediatric asthma research. Additionally, I lead the pulmonology fellowship training program here at Columbia, through which we teach and train the next generation of physicians to become future leaders in pediatric pulmonology.

With a rare combination of board certification in pediatric gastroenterology and a PhD in nutrition, Dr. Neal LeLeiko is an authority on the role of nutritional therapy as a component of treatment for children and adolescents with IBD and other digestive disorders. Dr. LeLeiko joined NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital as Director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Program and as an Attending Physician. He joined the Columbia University faculty in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Diseases as a Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. LeLeiko comes from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he was Professor of Pediatrics and Director, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Diseases at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Before that he served as Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City for 23 years.

Eli Grunstein, M.D. is the John and De Graaf Woodman Associate Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Assistant Attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/ Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. He specializes in general Pediatric Otolaryngology, with specific clinical interest in pediatric throat and airway diseases, hyper nasality, and pediatric sinonasal diseases. Dr. Grunstein received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery residency training at Columbia University Medical Center and The Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, then a fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Grunstein is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and is Board Certified in Otolaryngology. He is author or co-author of a number of journal articles and textbook chapters. His current research project is focused on novel ways to prevent intubation related laryngeal injury.