Nina Kukar, MD

Dr. Kimberley Chien is an associate professor of clinical pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and associate attending pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital at Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she also serves as the Medical Director of the Pediatric Specialty Practice. Dr. Chien is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology. After receiving a B.S. in Neuroscience at Tufts University, Dr. Chien earned her medical degree at SUNY-Downstate Medical College of Brooklyn. She completed her pediatric internship and residency training at NYU School of Medicine and attended NYP Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center to complete fellowship training in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. While Dr. Chien cares for a variety of patients with various gastrointestinal disorders, her clinical expertise focuses on transitional care of inflammatory bowel disease patients and other chronic gastrointestinal disorders. Dr. Chien has also developed and oversees the Weill Cornell Medicine Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Transition Program and research registry, an initiative to understand and optimize the health and well-being of all adolescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients at Weill Cornell Medicine. She works closely with a multidisciplinary team that includes a nutritionist, patient navigator, social worker, psychologist as well and other pediatric subspecialists to ensure excellent patient care and comprehensive treatment of difficult and complex gastrointestinal disorders. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Chien has a strong interest and expertise in clinical research to improve pediatric gastrointestinal patients’ outcomes and quality of life. She also engages in regional and national clinical and research initiatives to improve physician wellness. Throughout her career, Dr. Chien has remained engaged in medical education at various levels, teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows.

Avani Baral, M.D. is a board-certified radiologist specializing in Body Imaging. She is an Assistant Attending Radiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Baral graduated from Lehigh University, PA where she earned her B.S in 2011. She then received her M.D at Rutgers NJ Medical School in 2015. Following an internship in Internal Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center, Dr. Baral completed a residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Mount Sinai West, NY in 2020. She then completed her Body Imaging fellowship in 2021 at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Baral joined the faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine in September 2021 as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiology.