JOWMA (Jewish Orthodox Women's Medical Association) Podcast

Asher Lovy is an abuse survivor and Director of ZA'AKAH, which raises awareness about child sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community, advocates for legislative reforms, and operates a Shabbat and Yom Tov mental health peer-support hotline.

Motty Grunwald, CCC-SLP, BCS-F earned his Masters in Speech-Language pathology at Long Island University in 2003, graduating magna cum laude. He externed at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, where he worked extensively with patients with voice disorders. He then worked as a speech therapist in several clinic and school settings with children and adults with various speech and language disorders. Eventually, he decided to pursue Board Certification in fluency disorders. He was mentored for four years by Walter Manning, author of the textbook Clinical Decision Making in Fluency Disorders, associate editor of the Journal of Fluency Disorders, and (at the time) associate dean of the University of Memphis.

Motty is licensed as a speech-language pathologist in New York and New Jersey. He also  holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in speech-language pathology (awarded by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association) and he is one of the fewer than one-tenth of one percent of speech therapists in the USA that is also a Board Certified specialist in fluency disorders (awarded by the American Board of Fluency and Fluency Disorders).  He currently works at Ezra Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Adena Blickstein, MD, MPH is a practicing Child/Adolescent Psychiatrist in NY with a passion for mental health, public health, and children's welfare. She is a graduate from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health (2015) and completed her medical internship at Westchester Medical Center (2016), psychiatry residency at Metropolitan Hospital (2019), and specialty training in child/adolescent psychiatry at Westchester Medical Center (2021).

With her skills, passion, and experience, she is focused on supporting, leading, and building progressive mindsets that yield systemic change in our currently fragmented mental health and educational system in order to optimize access and quality of care for children and families. Beyond her clinical skills, she possesses strong skills in communications, child advocacy, and community activism. She is a catalyst for empowerment for individuals and communities and uses her creativity and skills as a physician and mental health professional for targeted engagement on a mass scale.

Dr. Blickstein is the founder of Teal Dragon (Tealdragon.org), a company whose mission is to empower and inspire families through collaborative and integrated healing among medical and educational systems as well as Meshugenamama (Meshugenamama.com) a movement that seeks to expedite familial healing through poetry, rap, and good old fashion educational entertainment.

Dr. Alissa Hersh is a board-certified Allergist. She attended medical school at New York Medical College, and completed her Pediatric residency at the Children Hospital of Montefiore, and her Allergy and Immunology fellowship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Prior to opening her private practice in Woodmere in 2012, she was a full time attending at New York Presbyterian - Columbia.

Dr. Hersh cares for pediatric and adult patients who suffer from atopic conditions ranging from eczema and food allergies to seasonal allergies, asthma, immunodeficiencies and more. Her work-life balance entails running a private office while being a mother to four children and serving on various charitable boards in her community, including the Board of Directors for the Yoetzet Halacha of the Five Towns.

Dr. Esther Fogel, a clinical audiologist, is the owner and director of Comprehensive Audiology. She received a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of North Texas and a Doctorate in Audiology from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She completed her residency in Audiology at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s Hearing and Speech Center. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association.

Dr. Fogel’s areas of expertise include diagnostic audiological evaluations, hearing aid fittings, auditory brainstem response (ABR) evaluations, cochlear implant evaluations and mapping, and fitting of custom hearing protection.

Dr. Fogel’s mission is to provide a comprehensive approach to her patients’ hearing health care. In her practice, Dr. Fogel assesses each patient individually using the latest state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and presents a personalized rehabilitation plan to fit each patient’s needs.

Dr. Fogel lives in Lawrence, NY, with her husband and four daughters. While not working, she enjoys reading, playing piano, and cooking for family and friends.

Elisheva Liss, LMFT is a psychotherapist in private practice, an author, lecturer, and digital educator. Her book, Find Your Horizon of Healthy Thinking, teaches how to use a narrative therapy technique she developed for managing challenging thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. Her primary digital course is: Sacred, Not Secret: A Religious Parent's Guide to Healthy, Holy Sexuality Education. Some of her other courses are: Private Practice Pro-Tips, How to Make the Most of Your Therapy Experience, and So You Might Want to Homeschool. Most of her content, including her blog, can be found on elishevaliss.com

Tehila Saadia, MD CLC is a pediatric and adult allergist, board certified in Allergy and Immunology as well as in Pediatrics. She received her medical degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate. She continued on to complete her residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, where she currently maintains affiliation as a Clinical Instructor. She has published and presented her research and rare patient cases across the US and in Canada. 

Dr. Saadia is also a certified lactation counselor, and holds a special interest in lactation education and the immunologic benefits of breastfeeding. After taking a temporary leave from clinical medicine to focus on her family, Dr. Saadia anticipates opening a private practice integrating both allergy and breastfeeding medicine in Brooklyn, NY.

Doron is a leading sleep expert, thought leader, and author of two books. Doron is the founder and director of Executive Sleep Consulting, an online sleep practice specializing in digging deep to find solutions for hard to treat sleep issues. He is also dedicated to his community in South Bend, Indiana, where he serves as the spiritual leader for the Midwest Torah Center and has experience in education on every level.

Doron is the proud author of two books, one on Jewish medical ethics, “Sources Revealed” and on Jewish mindfulness, “Don’t Mind If I Do” where he explores the intersection of faith, science, spirituality and psychology. He is a Rapid Transformation Hypnotherapist and outdoor enthusiast.

Doron is a native of San Diego, where he grew up as the child of two medical professionals. After gaining his BSc from UCLA in psychobiology, his view of health and medicine was thrown a curve ball when he struggled with his own insomnia and was desperately seeking help for his condition. It was only when he realized that his solution lay within, and he embarked on the next 15 years researching sleep, psychology, and the power of the human mind. He cured his own insomnia and now helps people around the world do the same.

Doron also gives talks around the country and is interviewed on magazines and podcasts many times throughout the year.

Chana Ruderman, PhD has been Principal of Torah Day School of Dallas for 19 years. She earned her doctorate at the University of Chicago and began her career at the college level, writing a book on Jane Austen and teaching courses at Colgate University and Cornell University.  She then taught high school for a couple of years before focusing on K-8 education.  A few years after Torah Day School opened, various experiences with gifted children led Dr. Ruderman to complete a master's degree in education with a focus on special education, and in particular gifted and talented education.

Dr. Kaleena Chartrand Sethi completed her undergraduate degree at New York University and medical school at the University of Massachusetts in 2008. She then completed her residency in general pediatrics at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell and her fellowship in developmental-behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center/Northwell Health. 

Dr. Chartrand Sethi worked at Flushing Hospital Medical Center evaluating children with a variety of developmental conditions for several years. In 2021, she opened a private practice, Kaleena Chartrand Sethi MD PLLC, specializing in diagnosis and management of developmental and behavioral problems. Dr. Chartrand Sethi is passionate about helping families of children with developmental and behavioral difficulties understand their child's diagnosis, comprehend how this diagnosis was made, and learn ways to manage the condition in all aspects of the child's life. She is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics.