Executive Staff Biographies

Caryn A. Schwab 
Executive Director 

Caryn Schwab has been a dynamic force in New York City health care for more than 30 years. In her current role as Executive Director of Mount Sinai Queens, she is leading the effort to modernize the hospital and provide the highest quality patient care to the growing community it serves. 

Since joining the hospital when it was acquired by the internationally recognized Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, Schwab has led major facility upgrades, program expansions and quality improvements. Most notable is the Hospital’s highly regarded designation by the Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center, the only such hospital in Queens. Schwab’s focus on quality, service and patient satisfaction has fostered a culture committed to compassionate and safe care by everyone on staff—from doctors and nurses to technicians and orderlies. 

Schwab has launched numerous capital improvements, including upgrading and expanding the Emergency Department, creating a first-floor imaging suite with MRI and CT, renovating Surgical Services including the addition of a two-room endoscopy suite and establishing a Patient Resource Room. Under her leadership, the Hospital has increased its outreach to the community through health screenings, educational lectures and workshops. 

Caryn Schwab began her health career at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. She later served as Chief of Staff to the First Deputy Mayor of the City of New York, helping to oversee health and human services agencies, and then served as health care advisor to Mayor Edward I. Koch. Prior to joining Mount Sinai Queens, Schwab was the Executive Director of Babies & Children’s Hospital of New York and the Sloane Hospital for Women, part of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, now known as New York Presbyterian Hospital. 

As the head of one of the leading community hospitals in Queens, Schwab is active in the community she serves. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, she currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the Long Island City Business Development Corporation and the Queens Chamber of Commerce. She has also served on the board of Sunnyside Community Services, a non-profit health and social services organization serving a multi-generational population. 

Schwab holds a BA from Colgate University and an MA in Public Policy from The New School. 

Judy V. Trilivas 
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer 

Judy Trilivas knows the inner workings of Mount Sinai Queens perhaps better than anyone. The Chief Operating Officer has held numerous positions at the hospital since beginning her career as an emergency room nurse. Her 19 years of working directly with patients, coupled with her administrative experience, have given Trilivas a deep understanding of all aspects of health care. 

Since becoming COO in 2007, Trilivas is responsible for day-to-day management of Mount Sinai Queens. In addition, she plays a key role in strategic planning and oversees the implementation of all hospital initiatives. She was instrumental in the efforts that resulted in Mount Sinai Queens being designated as the borough’s only Primary Stroke Center, both by New York State and the highly regarded Joint Commission. 

As the former Director of Quality and Care Management, she significantly improved the delivery of quality medical care and service at all levels of the hospital organization. She has successfully streamlined the hospital’s internal operations, achieving efficiencies across all departments, to the benefit of patients. Following the 9/11 attacks, she spearheaded the hospital’s disaster management and bioterrorism planning. 

Trilivas holds an MA in health administration from Brooklyn College. She holds a number of case management and administrative certifications and is a member of many professional organizations, including the American College of Healthcare Executives, the New York Organization of Nurse Executives and the National and New York Associations of Healthcare Quality. She is the recipient of the Shareing & Careing Community Service Award, the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers Award and was named one of the Top Ten Queens Women in Business.   

David M. Nierman, MD, MMM 
Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer 

Dr. David M. Nierman leads the medical staff at Mount Sinai Queens, overseeing the consistent delivery of high-quality, patient-focused medical care by nearly 500 physicians representing nearly 40 medical and surgical specialties. 

Since joining Mount Sinai Queens in 2006, Dr. Nierman has recruited many excellent physicians and has initiated new clinical programs that address the health care needs of the community. 

Prior to joining Mount Sinai Queens, Dr. Nierman was the Director of both the Medical Intensive Care Unit and the Respiratory Care Unit at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, where he served for 15 years. This background has enabled him to foster connections between the medical staffs at both the Manhattan and Queens campuses and to increase the number of physicians with appointments at both sites, to the benefit of Mount Sinai Queens patients. 

Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Nierman is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He has conducted numerous clinical studies on chronic critical illness and presented his research at hospitals and conferences nationwide. He currently serves as a member of the New York State Board for Medicine. 

A Queens native, Dr. Nierman received his medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY and his fellowship in pulmonary diseases at St. Luke’s- Roosevelt Hospital, New York. He also holds a Masters of Medical Management (MMM) degree from the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA. 

Dr. Nierman has been named one of Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors in America since 2004.   

Kathleen M. Scher, RN 
Vice President, Nursing 

Since joining Mount Sinai Queens in 2005, Kathleen M. Scher has made improving quality nursing care and patient satisfaction a top priority. She has increased the frequency with which nurses make rounds to check patients’ pain and overall comfort levels, and she has focused on improving care for older, frail patients, resulting in reduced rates of falls and pressure ulcers. These initiatives and other innovative programs have increased patient satisfaction, especially regarding nursing care. The well-trained nursing team she has developed enjoys a significantly lower turnover rate than the national average. 

Before joining Mount Sinai Queens, Scher served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at St. Agnes Hospital in White Plains, NY. Prior to that, Scher was the Corporate Vice President of Acute Care Services and Vice President of Nursing for seven years at Catholic Medical Centers in Queens, where she directed a staff of 2,000 nurses throughout the centers’ many hospitals and facilities. She has taught graduate and undergraduate classes in nursing leadership at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. 

Scher holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Bridgeport, two Master’s degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BS in Nursing from Pace University. She is board-certified as a Nurse Executive by the American Nurses Association.   

Shelly Felder 
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications 

As Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, Shelly Felder is responsible for promoting the culture of excellence in medicine and patient care at Mount Sinai Queens. Since joining Mount Sinai Queens, Felder has increased public response to the hospital’s educational offerings by nearly 93 percent. Responsible for community outreach and volunteer services, as well as Workplace Wellness, Felder has a strong commitment to the western Queens community. 

Felder has more than 25 years experience in public and private sector marketing communications. Most recently, she was the Director of Marketing & Customer Relations at the 92nd Street Y, one of New York City’s preeminent cultural and community organizations. During her 10-year tenure, she was responsible for creating, implementing and managing the marketing and promotion of the Y’s hundreds of health, fitness, family, social, political, educational and performing and literary arts programs. She also worked at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City as Director of Group Sales and Marketing. 

Felder served on the board of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and the National Academy. She is currently on the board of directors of the Astoria Performing Arts Center. 

Felder holds a BA in sociology and psychology from City University of New York, Hunter College.