Board Certified Pediatric Endocrinologist


Melissa A. Pawelczak, MDediatrics

I chose my career path at very young age. When asked for a kindergarten project what I wanted to be when I grew up, I responded, “a pediatrician.” After completing college at Hofstra University and entering medical school at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a Pediatrics residency was an easy and obvious choice. I love working with children and cannot imagine a more rewarding career. Throughout residency at Stony Brook University Medical Center, I developed a special interest in Pediatric Endocrinology. After remaining at Stony Brook one more year as Chief Resident, my husband and I moved to Manhattan so I could enter fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at New York University Medical Center.

 

During fellowship, in addition to caring for patients, I published an extensive review on the treatment of children and adolescents with thyroid cancer in the official journal of the American Thyroid Association which was cited by the Editor as, “essential reading.” In addition, I completed clinical research projects and developed a special interest in caring for adolescent girls with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I will be presenting my research on PCOS at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society this year, where it was chosen to compete in the prestigious Presidential Competition.

 

When I am not at work, my husband, Marc, and I love to travel. These days, though, you’re much more likely to find us playing with our one year old son, Jack, and his trains. Native Long Islanders, our family is new to Connecticut and look forward to exploring the area along with our beloved Lab-Chow mix, Cooper.

 

I feel extremely fortunate to join the PEDS team. I strongly empathize with children and teenagers living with Diabetes and Endocrine disorders and enjoy the long term relationship that develops as their doctor. I am confident that we will provide the children and adolescents of Fairfield County and the surrounding area with the very best and state of the art care for Diabetes and Endocrine disorders in a compassionate, thoughtful, and family-centered manner. I look forward to meeting all of you!

 

M.D.- State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Medicine

B.A. in Biology with Minor in Music - Hofstra University, University Honors and Departmental High Honors

Internship and Residency in Pediatrics - Stony Brook University Medical Center

Chief Residency - Stony Brook University Medical Center

Fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology - New York University School of Medicine - NYU Langone Medical Center and Bellevue HospitalGeneral Pediatrics-American Board of

diatrics
 
   
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
 
Miranda Vincent, M.S.N., A.P.R.N., P.N.P.-B.C., C.D.E.

Miranda Vincent has been a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Certified Diabetes Educator for almost 13 years.  Her passion for caring for children with diabetes began when she worked as a registered nurse on the pediatric inpatient unit at Yale New Haven Hospital.  She cared for newly diagnosed children with diabetes.  Although she thoroughly enjoyed educating and working with these families, she found herself wanting to continue to work with these families after discharge.  This led to her enrollment in the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at Yale University.  She earned her master’s in nursing with a specialty in diabetes care in 1999.  After graduation, she worked with the Yale Pediatric Diabetes team for over seven years. 

Miranda is excited to be a part of this team, and feels we offer state of the art, personalized diabetes care.  She lives in Fairfield with her husband Mark and their three children, Sam, Tess and Henry.

To email Miranda Vincent, click here.

Specialty Suite Coordinator


Joanne Mirchin

PEDS is fortunate to have Joanne at our front desk.  Her strong organizational skills and friendly personality help keep our office running smoothly.   Joanne worked at Mount Vernon Hospital in Mt. Vernon, NY as an Administrative Assistant for ten years.  After her second child was born in 1990, she worked from home doing medical transcriptions and scheduling for The Center for Advanced Pediatrics until we wooed her into the office to work in the Specialty Suite.

Joanne lives in Middlebury, CT with her husband and two daughters.

 

Be Fit Stay Fit Program


Michelle Spaide

Michelle is thrilled to be a part of the Pediatric Endocrine and Diabetes team and hopes to help get everyone up and moving!  She has worked with children and teens for years in a variety of capacities, most recently as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.  On this path, she has been able to help young people improve their overall fitness as well as prevent future injuries.  She also spent eight years coaching girls’ soccer at the developmental level through the high school and premier levels.  Prior to her fitness career, she worked in a local public school system as an elementary classroom teacher.  Her desire to educate on healthy lifestyles and activity was conflicted by school days filled with sitting around.  So she decided she would step outside the classroom and teach a subject that she was passionate about … being healthy, fit and active!  Michelle hopes to bring this enthusiasm to the families at PEDS and help them discover the fun in fitness while learning easy ways to integrate movement and activity into their daily lives.

When not working or studying for her doctorate in physical therapy, you can find Michelle on a field playing soccer or out for a run with Siena, her chocolate lab.

BA, Communication, Fairfield University Education Certification, Sacred Heart University Personal Training, National Personal Training Institute.

Specialty Suite RN


Brett Stenger, RN

I always knew I wanted a career working with children.  At a young age, I started working as a

Mother’s helper and continued to care for families as the children grew up. I went to Salve Regina University where I spent a lot of time volunteering at Child and Family services of Rhode Island. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and was then a Teacher’s Aide for two years at Marvin Elementary School. The first year I spent working with third graders followed by a second year working in special education. I then went on to the Accelerated Nursing Program at Fairfield University where I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  My favorite clinical rotation was Pediatrics, as I found taking care of children most rewarding.  I've been with Pediatric Endocrine and Diabetes Specialists for almost two years and I am currently working on obtaining my certification as a Diabetes Educator (CDE). I enjoy working with children and adolescents with Endocrine disorders and Diabetes and hope that my time as a Registered Nurse here at PEDS makes their lives a little easier.  I grew up and still reside in Norwalk, CT. I love reading, traveling and spending time with my family.

Registered Dietitian

 

LaurieAnn Scher, MS, RD

I am excited to join The Center for Advanced Pediatrics(TCFAP) and Pediatric Endocrine & Diabetes Specialists (PEDS) where I am able to combine my passion for nutrition and health with my love and respect for infants, children and young adults. I enjoy working with this population because it provides me with the opportunity to not only help people make food choices that will improve their health, but also help shape future eating behaviors and feelings towards food and their bodies. Before coming to The Center for Advanced Pediatrics and Pediatric Endocrine & Diabetes Specialists (PEDS), I was a Nutrition Therapist at the Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders where I counseled patients and ran groups on nutrition and body image.

 

As a specialist in nutrition, I have worked with many populations and projects. Some of these include creating a peer education program on body image for high school and

middle school students, co- authoring a cookbook on weight gain, organizing a diabetes support group for college students, teaching nutrition on the college level and presenting on body image, eating disorders and nutrition to both professional and non professional audiences.

I look forward to working with you and your children whether there are concerns with endocrine, cardiovascular, cholesterol, weight and feeding challenges, or just learning what and how to feed them. Fostering inspiration, setting objectives and attaining them are goals we can work on together to ensure your children a healthy, happy and quality lifestyle.

 

Bachelor of Science Clinical Nutrition, Cornell University

Master of Science Applied Physiology and Nutrition, Columbia University Teachers College

Registered Dietitian with the American Dietetic Association

We are experienced in both diabetes and endocrine related nutrition, fitness, and healthy lifestyle education.  For more info, call 203 229-2090.
 
       
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