Miriam Samstein, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Kuntal Chowdhary is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, dual board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. She specializes in non-operative orthopedic sports medicine and musculoskeletal medicine, treating patients of all ages and activity levels. As a Manhattan-based specialist, Dr. Chowdhary is committed to serving athletes and active individuals throughout the city, providing top-tier care tailored to the diverse needs of New York’s vibrant sports community. Dr. Chowdhary has particular expertise in musculoskeletal physical examination and diagnosis, as well as the comprehensive management of individuals with acute and chronic injuries. Dr. Chowdhary brings her patient-centric sports medicine approach to active individuals of all ages and abilities, from young aspiring athletes and weekend warriors to seasoned professionals and recreational enthusiasts, ensuring each patient receives personalized, state-of-the-art care. Her experience in sports coverage spans the high school, collegiate (Columbia University and Fordham University), and professional (New York Rugby Club, Women's Premier League) levels. She is also highly skilled in diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal ultrasonography, with proficiency in an array of procedures such as joint, bursa, and tendon sheath injections. Her expertise extends to regenerative medicine techniques, including orthobiologics like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and prolotherapy, and she excels in performing percutaneous needle tenotomy, tendon scraping, perineural hydrodissection, nerve blocks, and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). Dr. Chowdhary earned her Bachelors degree in Integrative Biology with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley, before attending Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine on a merit scholarship. She completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), where she served as Chief Resident and was recognized with the PGY-2 Rising Star Award and the UPMC Excellence in Mentorship Award. During residency, Dr. Chowdhary completed the Research Track and gained acceptance into the prestigious Rehabilitation Medicine Scientist Training Program (RMSTP). In the RMSTP, she further distinguished herself through her involvement in regenerative rehabilitation research, securing the highly competitive Scott F. Nadler PASSOR Musculoskeletal Research Grant from the Foundation for PM&R to investigate the effects of age on the efficacy of PRP. Her research earned her the Best Resident Research award at the 17th Annual Rehabilitation Institute Research Day and the honor of presenting the RMSTP Plenary at the national Association of Academic Physiatrists annual conference. Following residency, Dr. Chowdhary completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship in Sports Medicine at New York-Presbyterian: Columbia/Cornell, during which she was elected to the Foundation for PM&R’s Early Career Leadership Council and served as President of the Council. With her extensive research, leadership, and educational background, Dr. Chowdhary is uniquely positioned to deliver exceptional clinical care while maintaining a significant presence in national societies and contributing to scientific advancements in the field. She is dedicated to personalizing medicine for each patient, drawing on her strong foundation in research and clinical excellence, with a focus on evidence-based medicine and a multidisciplinary approach. Her long-term clinical and research interests lie in translational sports medicine, particularly in the development of precision medicine therapeutics and technological innovations. In addition to her clinical, research, and leadership roles, Dr. Chowdhary is passionate about teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows.

Rivka Sachdev, MD graduated from Mount Sinai Medical School in New York City. She completed her internal medicine internship at SUNY Downstate and her neurology residency training at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. She then completed a fellowship in Movement Disorders at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. She remained at Mount Sinai Beth Israel as an attending in Movement Disorders and General Neurology for 9 years, during which time she developed expertise in botulinum toxin chemodenervation therapy for various neurological disorders. Conditions she treats using botulinum toxin include cervical and limb dystonia, blepharospasm and oromandibular dystonia, hemifacial spasm and facial synkinesis, tremor disorders, hypersecretory disorders (including sialorrhea and hyperhidrosis), motor tic disorders, spasticity, and chronic migraine. She joined the neurology faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine in July of 2019 and sees patients at the Lower Manhattan Campus.

Dr. Cheng earned her bachelor’s degrees in molecular and cell biology and psychology from UC Berkeley and her MD from University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. She completed neurology residency at New York-Presbyterian – Weill Cornell Medicine, where she was chief resident in her final year. She underwent a clinical fellowship in vascular neurology at UC San Francisco Medical Center, followed by an NIH Strokenet research fellowship. She served as the director of stroke services at NewYork-Presbyterian – Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and the inaugural site director of the NYP Brooklyn Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit. In 2018 she joined the neurology faculty at Montefiore-Einstein, where she was an assistant professor of neurology, clinical liaison for the Montefiore Comprehensive Stroke Center Network, and chair of the Comprehensive Stroke Center Case Review Committee. She returned to WCM in 2023 to be the site chief for neurology at Lower Manhattan Hospital and the departmental chair of quality improvement.