Our Nursing Leaders
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Robin Ferrer, MBA, MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Robin joined CBMC in 2024 and is responsible for all nursing practice and
clinical services. He is a compassionate leader with a commitment to evidence-based
practice, professional advancement for nurses and a focus on excellence.
Previously, Robin he served as Vice President of Emergency Services for the Mount Sinai Health System. In that role, he provided leadership and oversight for seven Mount Sinai Emergency Departments. He oversaw clinical operations and nursing and was accountable for the effectiveness, efficiency, and compliance of nursing care across the Health System. He also led efforts to implement a strategic plan that aligned with contemporary emergency services priorities.
Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Robin served as the Director of Operations and Nursing for the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, overseeing the Departments of Adult Emergency, Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency, Hemodialysis, Respiratory Therapy, Neurophysiology, Outpatient Psychiatry, and the Pulmonary Function Lab.
Mr. Ferrer began his career in 2004 at New York University in a medical-surgical liver and kidney transplant unit. He moved to New York-Presbyterian Columbia/Columbia University in 2006 as a staff nurse in the Emergency Department. Mr. Ferrer was promoted to leadership roles within the organization, where he successfully led teams in improving quality, throughput, patient safety, employee engagement, and culture.
Mr. Ferrer received a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University as well as master’s degrees in Nursing Administration and Business Administration with a concentration in Health Care Management, both from University of Mount Saint Vincent. Mr. Ferrer is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, Board Certified Nursing Executive, and member of the American College of Healthcare Executives as well as the Greater Hospital Association of New York.
Lindsay Cianciotto, MSN, RN, CNL
Assistant Vice President, Nursing Resources & Labor Relations
Lindsay serves as the Medical Center’s nurse liaison for the New
Jersey Nurses Union and oversees the Medical Surgical Division, Nurse
Staffing Office, Nursing Supervisors, Inpatient and Outpatient Wound Care,
and the Radiology nurses. She joined Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
in 2008 as a nurse extern on a medical-surgical Unit that primarily served
women with a gynecological/oncology diagnosis. Upon completion of her
undergraduate degree in 2009, Lindsay was hired as a staff nurse on a
medical-surgical step-down unit. In 2011, Lindsay successfully piloted
the first Clinical Nurse Leader role on a 36-bed medical-surgical unit.
In 2013, she became Nurse Manager on a 42-bed pulmonary medical unit and,
in 2017, was appointed Director of Nursing Finance with oversite of 67
nursing department budgets. She received her Master’s Degree in
Clinical Leadership from University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ in
2013 and was the first Clinical Leadership graduate from UMDNJ to receive
the Clinical Excellence award. She received her Bachelor of Science in
Nursing from York College. Lindsay has held a certification as a Clinical
Nurse Leader through the AACN since 2013. Her core competencies include:
strategic planning, process evaluation and improvement, employee relations
and mentoring, union relations, productivity, and staffing.
Leanne Sanabria, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Assistant Vice President, Patient Care Services
In her role, Leanne has oversight of Cardiac and Critical Care Services.
Leanne began her career at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in 2004 as
a medical-surgical, tele nurse. In 2007, she became a clinical coordinator
for medical-surgical units and shortly after transitioned to the cardio-thoracic
step down unit. In 2010, Leanne became the Nurse Manager of the Renal
and Pancreas Transplant Unit where she worked until 2013 when she was
promoted to the Administrative Director of Medical-Surgical. Leanne left
briefly to take a leadership position in NYC where she gained strong operational
skills, and focused on consistent delivery for patient safety, quality,
and patient experience outcomes. Leanne is a results oriented leader,
and excels at operational excellence and conflict resolution. She earned
her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Elizabeth College of Nursing
and her Master of Science in Nursing Leadership from Rutgers University.
Maria E. Aponte, MPA, BSN, RN
Assistant Vice President of Emergency Services
Maria joined Cooperman Barnabas in 2021. With over 22 years of experience
in acute care, emergency and trauma nursing, she has oversight of the
transformative Emergency Department which treats more than 95,000 adults
and children each year. Maria has a passion for patient care excellence
and nursing leadership. She is most proud of her work in relationship
team building and engagement to achieve optimal patient experiences and
outcomes. Maria is integral to advancing high-reliability commitment,
continuous regulatory readiness, and nursing excellence. Maria received
a diploma in nursing from Hudson County Community College and completed
a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from New Jersey City University. She
obtained her Master's in Public Administration with a concentration in
Health Care from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Sarah Jane Allen, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Administrative Director of Perioperative Services
With a wealth of experience and leadership, Sarah joined CBMC in 2024 and
has oversight of Pre-Admission Testing, EKG, Same Day Surgery, EPA, the
PACU, and Endoscopy. She has over 15 years of experience in clinical operations
and perioperative services, most recently serving as the Manager of Clinical
Operations for Perioperative Services at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
In this capacity, she successfully led initiatives to optimize patient
flow, case volume, and performance improvement efforts across multiple
sites. She is highly skilled in data analytics and has developed real-time
dashboards that support strategic decision-making in clinical settings.
Throughout her career, she has led multidisciplinary teams, improved process
efficiencies, and collaborated closely with finance and recruitment to
achieve significant operational improvements.
Sarah earned both her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Pennsylvania, where she also minored in Quality & Patient Safety. As a Hillman Scholar, she was recognized for her commitment to excellence in healthcare and nursing education. Her educational background has equipped her with the foundational knowledge and innovative mindset necessary to drive continuous improvements in patient care and safety.
Among Sarah's many notable accomplishments, she led a perioperative team during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic at a major children's hospital in New York City, ensuring the safety and care of both patients and staff during an unprecedented time. She successfully increased staff engagement and certification rates, improved clinical outcomes through process improvements, and significantly reduced the vacancy and traveler usage rates in her department. Sarah was also the recipient of the prestigious Structural Empowerment Award in 2019, further underscoring her leadership and impact in the field of perioperative services.
Anthony Delcalzo, MBA, BSN, RN
Administrative Director for Patient Care Services
Tony began his career with CBMC in January 2015 in our Nurse Residency
Program. Following graduation, he joined the Renal Transplant team as
a staff nurse. In March 2017, he was promoted to patient care coordinator,
and while continuing his journey to management, became an acting nurse
manager for 5700/5300 Renal Transplant. In September 2021, Tony was promoted
to clinical director for 5200 Pulmonary and on 2024 he was named Administrative
Director for Patient Care Services. Tony received his BSN from Felician
College and most recently completed his MBA from the University of Arizona.
Gladys McHenry, MSN, MBA, RN
Administrative Director of Pediatric Services
Gladys has oversight of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatric
Intensive Care Unit, Pediatrics, Pediatric Health Center, NICU High-Risk
Follow Up Center, Child Life and the Pediatric Hematology Center. As the
current Clinical Director of the NICU, Gladys assisted in planning and
executing the expansion of the NICU into the Cooperman Family Pavilion.
Her dedication focuses on improving quality outcomes for our smallest
patients. Gladys facilitates robust unit based councils that focus on
the care of extremely premature infants. Under her leadership, the NICU
has been awarded the Anthony B. Minnefor Award, Daisy Team Award, and
the Dr. Mulgaonkar Award. Gladys’s passion for the pediatric population
is what makes her an asset for leading the Pediatric service line. Gladys
received a Bachelor of Arts degree, Bachelor and Master degrees in Nursing
and a Master in Business Administration from Seton Hall University.
Michelle Kinsella, MHA
Director of Nursing Finance
Michelle joined CBMC in 2024. Prior, she spent 7 years at Hackensack Meridian
Health. She began working with Corporate Human Resources, progressing
through various roles in Talent Acquisition. In 2022, she obtained her
master's in Health Administration and transitioned her career to hospital
operations at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. During this time,
Michelle worked closely with both nursing and ancillary departments to
support daily operations, improve efficiencies, and manage financial budgets.
Michelle comes with experience overseeing operating and capital budgets,
position control, and productivity.
Stephanie Richter, DNP, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CEN
Director of the Center for Professional Development, Innovation and Research
Stephanie works with a team of nursing educators to consistently meet the
needs of our nursing staff and our patients through innovation and evidence-based
practice. Prior to being named director in 2022, she served as the manager
for Nursing Education and Research, co-leading significant achievements
for CBMC, including accreditation with distinction for our Nurse Residency
Program in 2020, as awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center
for Practice Transition Accreditation Programs. Stephanie has been recognized
at local and national levels for her dedication to nursing and for her
leadership, notably a Daisy Nurse Leader Award recipient in 2021. Her
knowledge and skill set in scholarly inquiry has resulted in peer-reviewed
publications in journals such as
Journal for Nurses in Professional Development,
BioNanoScience, and
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, as well as national presentations, including at an Annual Conference
of the Emergency Nurses Association. Stephanie received a Bachelor of
Arts in Chemistry from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science in
Nursing from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She obtained a Master of
Science in Health Services Leadership and Management with an Education
focus from the University of Maryland, School of Nursing, and a Doctor
of Nursing Practice degree in Systems-Level Leadership from Thomas Edison
University in 2023.
Sheryl Ann Syby, MSN, RN, CPN
Assistant Vice President of Perinatal Services
Sheryl has over 35 years of nursing experience, specializing in women’s
and children’s health. Prior to joining CBMC in 2024, she worked
at Holy Name Medical Center as Director of Women’s and Children’s
Services. More recently, Sheryl worked as the Assistant Vice President
of Nursing at Hudson Regional Hospital. There she obtained operational
experience broadened by her work in various clinical areas, including
emergency medicine, perioperative services, case management, emergency
management, security, and hospital education. Sheryl has a bachelor’s
degree from Farleigh Dickinson University and her master’s degree
in Leadership/Administration from Aspen University.
Michael Valencia, MHA, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC
Administrative Director of Patient Care Services
Michael joined CBMC in 2024 and is responsible for the day-to-day operations
of Staffing, Nursing Supervisors, and Medical/Surgical and Telemetry Floats.
An experienced and compassionate healthcare leader, Michael brings a wealth
of operational and strategic planning experience. He has the ability to
work collaboratively with multidisciplinary departments to improve departmental
and organizational workflows, patient safety, quality improvement and
patient care experience.
Previously, Michael served as Patient Care Director of the Medical-Surgical Stepdown Unit for the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In that role, he provided leadership and oversight for clinical operations and nursing and his team’s overall effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement in patient satisfaction. He also led multiple improvement initiatives and efforts to decrease length of stay and hospital-acquired injuries, improve and maintain a four-star Press Ganey-rated unit, and reduce a staff turnover rate from 26% to a fully staffed team with over 30 hires in a 12-month period.
Prior to joining Columbia, Michael served as the Assistant Patient Care Manager for Stanford Health Care, Palo Alto, CA. There, he oversaw the newly established and developing Medical Intensive Care Unit following the COVID-19 pandemic along with the increased necessity of critical care.
Currently, Michael is enrolled in The University of Pennsylvania’s Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership Program. He completed master’s degrees in business administration from Grand Canyon University and healthcare administration from The George Washington University. After completing an associate of applied science in nursing from Holy Name School of Nursing, he obtained a bachelor of science in nursing from Chamberlain University. Michael is a board-certified nursing executive, member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and member of Sigma’s Alpha Alpha Lambda chapter.
Ginger Weatherston, BS, MAS
Administrative Director
Ginger, Director of Unit Management, has been at Cooperman Barnabas Medical
Center for over 25 years. She began her career at the Medical Center as
the department’s educator. She currently oversees the unit representatives
who provide the clerical support for our nursing units. Her other duties
include oversight of providing services for our deaf and hard of hearing
patients and the Electronic Death Registration system for the State. Ginger
currently is the facilitator for the Physician Collaboration Team which
works to improve our communication with doctors. She was also the liaison
for our physicians during the implementation of the electronic medical
record. Previously, she served as director of Patient Transport and Bed
Management.
Ginger received her bachelor’s of science in business administration from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, and her master’s degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. She currently is an online facilitator for the University of Phoenix in the School of Health Sciences.
Michael Weissman, BSN, RN, CNOR, CRCST, CIS, CHL
Assistant Vice President of Perioperative Services
A registered nurse, Michael possesses over 20 years of progressively advanced
clinical and managerial expertise. Michael began his career at the bedside,
working in pediatric intensive care, heart failure, thoracic surgery step
down and the operating room. Eventually, he moved into leadership where
he offers extensive firsthand experience as a user of health information
technology and staff management in a critical care environment. He has
held positions as a nurse manager in the operating room/endoscopy suite,
director and system director of central sterile processing, patient care
director of adult services, senior director of perioperative services
and, most recently, as interim assistant vice president for ambulatory
surgery operations, New York markets at Hospital for Special Surgery.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Michael has earned numerous certifications during his career, including a perioperative nursing certification (CNOR) and in sterile processing as a certified registered central service technician (CRCST), certified healthcare leader (CHL) and certified instrument specialist (CIS). Utilizing his clinical knowledge and his Green Belt Certification in Lean Management/Six Sigma, he has built standard workflows and processes to increase quality and revenue while decreasing costs. He holds two degrees from Syracuse University; a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Supply Chain Management and a Master of Science in Business Analytics.