Meet Our Medical Staff

Erika Schwarz-Cohen, MD is a Board Certified Family Medicine Doctor in private practice. She studied at the University of Miami for an undergraduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology. She received her Doctorate of Medicine at the Universidad Iberoamericana in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Schwarz-Cohen completed her residency at North Shore Glen Cove in Family Medicine. In the eight years since completing her residency, she has had experience in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Adolescents, Gynecology, Urgent Care, and Aesthetic Medicine. Dr. Schwarz-Cohen is affiliated with Winthrop, Noth Shore Manhasset, Long Island Jewish, and South Nassau Community Hospital.

Dr. Muskan Ghotra has been a Long Islander all her life! She was born in East Meadow and grew up in Levittown, NY, and now lives in Bellmore, NY. She got her Bachelor of Science degree from Stony Brook University. She completed medical school in Kentucky but came back to Nassau University Medical Center to complete her residency. She has been trained in Pediatrics, Adult Medicine, OB-GYN, Psych, and Dermatology. She is extremely passionate about serving the community in which she was born and raised.

Dr. Nieves was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he attended college at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and obtained his Bachelor in Sciences degree in 1987. He received his Medical Degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in 1993. He completed his General Pediatrics Residency at Schneider Children’s Hospital (now the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Hospital) in 1996. He has practiced medicine for 23 years at Forest Hills Pediatrics in Queens where he was appointed Medical Director for nearly 2 years. He enjoys living on Long Island with his family. He’s a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics since 1997 and a member of the Nassau Pediatric Society. He enjoys traveling with his family, loves cinema, percussion, and studying Stoicism. He believes that communication is the most crucial part during your visit and evaluation, always taking into consideration every detail and aspect of the conversation; the biopsychosocial approach. He never shies away from a great conversation, especially about 80’s music. He’s a die-hard Cubs fan (let’s go Cubs!) and the Santurce Crabbers baseball winter league in Puerto Rico.

Michelle Michitsch attended the State University of New York for both her bachelors and master’s degrees. She has been a registered nurse for 25 years and a pediatric nurse practitioner for 18 years. She has worked in varied pediatric settings over the years, including school-based health centers, hospital-based clinics and foster care agencies. She is a certified asthma educator as well.
Her favorite Sesame Street character is Cookie Monster. She was known on the Stony Brook campus as the one who drove the “Cookie monster mobile”, a cookie monster blue Volvo station wagon that was decorated with miniature cookie monster figurines on its dashboard.

Ryan attended the University of Albany where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology and Science while also working as an Emergency Medical Technician. After graduating with full honors he went on to receive his Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from Albany Medical College. Ryan has returned to Long Island where he grew up in Seaford to further his passion for helping others alongside the excellent staff here at Allied Pediatrics & Family Medicine of Bellmore Merrick. In his free time, Ryan enjoys playing sports and spending time with his family.