Meredith Shufeld Perrone-CLOSED

Sadana Balachandar, MD is a member of Summit Health's Pediatric Endocrinology team. Dr. Balachandar treats a wide range of common and rare endocrine disorders in newborns, children, and adolescents. She has expertise in caring for individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, gender dysphoria, obesity as well as disorders of thyroid, growth, adrenal, puberty, pituitary, bone, and calcium. Dr. Balachandar has a special interest in the long-term endocrine effects of childhood cancer treatment.Recognizing that many pediatric endocrine conditions are lifelong diagnoses, Dr. Balachandar enjoys forming long-lasting relationships with her patients and their families. She says, I especially enjoy making connections with children and making them smile to relieve some of their anxiety.Dr. Balachandar strives to empower both patients and parents to actively participate in their care and the decision-making process. My goal is to inspire confidence in my clinical abilities and to ensure that patients concerns are appropriately addressed, she says adding, I want them to leave my office knowing that there is a logical and meaningful plan in place.Dr. Balachandar has been published in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals including Hormone Research in Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, Thyroid, Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology and Pediatric Blood & Cancer. She has also participated in research studies related to type 1 diabetes and growth hormone and has presented posters/abstracts at various national conferences. She received recognition as a Top Doctor in 2020 by NJ Top Docs.Prior to joining Summit Health, Dr. Balachandar served as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical school. During her time there, she was the director of the pediatric diabetes program and actively involved in the long-term childhood cancer survivorship program.When not taking care of patients, Dr. Balachandar enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling with her two children.

Before joining Summit Health, Bernadette Parga, PA, practiced with First Care Medical Group in Verona and Lyndhurst, and WellCome Care in Garfield, New Jersey. Ms. Parga also has practiced with University Medical Professionals in Union, New Jersey. She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and New Jersey State Society of Physician Assistants.To her credit, Ms. Parga has volunteered for Saint John's Clinic, an urban health care facility in New Brunswick and Broadway House Long-term Care Facility in Newark. She also has volunteered for the The College of New Jersey Special Olympics in Trenton, and Elijah's Promise Soup Kitchen in Newark.Ms. Parga became a PA because of her interest in medicine and her desire to help others. She says, "Being a PA allows me to care for others, address my patients' medical problems, and still have time to develop meaningful relationships with my patients and colleagues." She adds, "I want most to continue learning and becoming a better practitioner so that I can give my patients the best care possible. I believe that treating each of my patients as a whole person rather than focusing only on his or her condition or disease makes it possible to deliver comprehensive care that can sometimes make all the difference in a patient's outcomes."

Before joining Summit Health, Naheed R. Abbasi, MD, MPH, FAAD, practiced dermatology in New York City. Dr. Abbasi's professional interests and expertise focus on the prevention of skin cancer and laser treatment for rosacea, brown spots from sun damage, acne scarring, and unwanted hair. She also has experience with botulinum toxins and fillers.Dr. Abbasi is the author or coauthor of articles and abstracts concerning the early detection of melanoma and laser treatment for sun damage. A former part-time faculty member at New York University, she is the recipient of the 2009 teaching excellence award. Deeply committed to improving health care as an individual, through the community, and globally, Dr. Abbasi has been a volunteer physician in Mexico, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In addition, she has worked at Amnesty International and for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Campeche, Mexico. She speaks fluent Spanish and Urdu. She has been featured in the New Jersey Family "Favorite Kids' Docs" listings. When she is not working with her patients, Dr. Abbasi enjoys traveling, dining, reading, and quiet time with her family.