Our Medical Staff

Dr. Mark Young performed his Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology training at Georgetown University. He often lectures to physicians on Allergic Rhinitis and on the proper use of antihistamines. Dr. Young is certified by the American Board of Allergy/Immunology, and he is a member of the Florida Allergy Asthma and Immunology Society. He is a Fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and a member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Dr. Young has been selected as one of the “Top Doctors” in his specialty. Dr. Young speaks English and Spanish.

Dr. Neil Gershman is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine. He did his Internal Medicine training at Montefiore Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. During the fellowship he concentrated on asthma research involving inhaled steroids and other anti-asthma drugs. Dr. Gershman is certified by the American Board of Allergy & Immunology. He currently resides on the Advisory Board of the regional chapter of the American Lung Association. He is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology as well as the American College of Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Gershman is a past President of the Florida, Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society.

Dr. Nina Ramirez is a native of New York City. She graduated from Cornell University Medical College in 1978, and completed her residency training in Pediatrics at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She performed her fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonology at the Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In July 2000, after 17 years in private practice, Dr. Ramirez returned to Fellowship training in the field of Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology at the University Of South Florida College Of Medicine in Tampa. She has lectured frequently and is an author on issues related to allergy and pulmonary diseases. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology, and Adult and Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Ramirez is a Fellow of the American Academy Of Pediatrics, the American College of Chest Physicians, and a member of the American Academy Of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Ramirez was just named a Florida Super Doctor in allergy for 2010-2011.

Dr. Maureen E. Miller joined Asthma & Allergy Associates of FL, P.A. in November 2005, but has been a practicing allergist in South Florida since 1996. She received her B.S. in Biology from The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. in 1987 and her medical degree from University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa in 1991. Dr. Miller completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the Maine Medical Center and her fellowship in Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology at the University of Cincinnati. She is a Diplomat of the American Boards of Internal Medicine and Allergy and Immunology. She is a member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the Joint Council of Allergy and Immunology and the Florida Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society. She has been named a Florida Super Doctor for the past two years. Her particular areas of interest include asthma and food allergies.

Dr. Jose N. Moreno completed both his undergraduate and medical school training at the University of Puerto Rico. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University Hospital in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, and the San Juan City Hospital. His fellowship in Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology along with a Masters in Science was completed at the University of Michigan. Dr. Moreno is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Allergy and Immunology with re-certification in 1991 and 2001. Dr. Moreno has had an illustrious career in academic medicine. He was Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Ruiz-Arnau Hospital in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Chief of the Allergy Section of Clinical Medicine at San Juan City Hospital, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, and later Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He retired from the University of Miami in 2007. Dr. Moreno has published extensively in medical literature and conducted medical research in the areas of Drug Allergies, HIV/Aids, Immune modulators and angioedema. He lectures nationally and internationally in the fields of Allergy and Immunology. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, member of the Infectious Disease Society of America, American Academy of HIV Medicine and John Sheldon Allergy Society. Dr. Moreno has been selected among America’s Top Doctors and Florida Super Doctors. He joined Asthma & Allergy Associates of Florida in January of 2008.

Dr. Zurik Waxenghiser was born and raised in Lima, Peru. He completed his Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in1995 after completing a pediatric residency at Women and Children’s Hospital in Charleston, West Virginia. He has been practicing allergy and immunology since moving to Miami in 1995. Dr. Waxenghiser joined Asthma and Allergy Associates in January of 2008. He is Board Certified in pediatrics and board eligible in allergy and immunology. He is a current member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is fluent in Spanish and English.

Dr. Charlene S. Shookoff joined our practice in 2009, but has been practicing Allergy & Immunology in South Florida for over 10 years. She did her fellowship training in Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Prior to that, she completed a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at Lincoln Hospital in New York. She is Board Certified in pediatrics and board eligible in Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Shookoff is fluent in Spanish and English.

Dr. Michelle L. Eisenfeld completed her undergraduate studies at Brandeis University, with concentrations in Spanish Language & Literature and Latin American Studies. She received her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine. Her residency training in Pediatrics was done at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She then stayed on to complete her fellowship training in Pediatric and Adult Allergy & Immunology at Montefiore Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics and Board Certified in Allergy & Immunology. She is a current member of both the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Dr. Eisenfeld is fluent in English and Spanish.

Dr. Rolando A. Nuñez joined Asthma and Allergy Associates of Florida in 2011, after completing his Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology Fellowship at National Jewish Health. National Jewish Health is widely regarded as the #1 respiratory hospital in the United States. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at California State University, Long Beach, prior to attending medical school at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is specialized in pediatric care completing his internship and residency in pediatrics at UCSF-Fresno. During his fellowship Dr. Nuñez focused his research on Obesity and its effects on Asthma, an area where extensive research still continues. Dr. Nuñez is a fellow of both the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). He is certified by the American Board of Allergy/Immunology. He was born in Puerto Rico and is fluent in both Spanish and English.

Dr. Yoram C. Padeh joined Asthma and Allergy Associates of Florida in April 2012. He graduated from Columbia University in New York, NY summa cum laude and Early Phi Beta Kappa and attended the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, where he received his medical degree. He completed his internship and residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL where he served as the Internal Medicine Chief Resident. He then returned to Albert Einstein for a fellowship in Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology. Dr. Padeh is currently Board Certified in Allergy and Immunology. He is fluent in both English and Spanish and has been treating patients in our specialty for over six years.

Dr. Yasmeen Khan was born and raised in India. She earned her medical degree from Lady Hardinge Medical College and MD in Pharmacology from Maulana Azad Medical College both at Delhi University. She completed her Internal Medicine residency training at the University of Miami/JFK Medical Center campus. She then did her Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology Fellowship training at the State University of New York-Buffalo. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine and in Allergy/Immunology. Dr. Khan has also completed a clinical research Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Asthma/Allergy at the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL). She is a member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American Medical Association, and member of the Indian Pharmacological Society. She is fluent in English, Urdu and Hindi.

Dr. Carpio hails from El Salvador. He did his Pediatric residency at Louisiana State University. He then did his fellowship training in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology as well as Adult Allergy and Immunology at Kings County Hospital – SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He has practiced pediatric and adult Allergy/Immunology in South Florida for 22 years. Dr. Carpio is fluent in Spanish and English

Dr. Maria A. Barcena received her medical degree in Bogota, Colombia. She went on to complete a 3 year Internal Medicine residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland in Ohio. She remained in Cleveland to complete an additional 2 years in the Allergy and Immunology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation where she treated adults and children. During her fellowship, she participated in research projects to advance the knowledge of drug allergy and patient safety. At the Cleveland Clinic, she enhanced medical care of immunodeficiency patients suffering from recurrent infections (i.e. pneumonias, recurrent sinusitis) through the use of social media. She also studied the relationship between allergy skin testing and environmental allergies. Dr. Barcena is a member of the American College of Allergy and Immunology as well as the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Dr. Barcena is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Board Certified by the American Board of Allergy & Immunology. Dr. Barcena is fluent in English and Spanish.

As a native of New Jersey, Dr. Yoomie J. Lee received her undergraduate and medical degrees in a 7-year combined B.S./M.D. program at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. During her undergraduate years, she majored in Biology with a minor in Spanish, which she enjoys using to communicate with patients. Dr. Lee completed her Pediatrics residency at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York and then pursued her Allergy and Immunology Fellowship at National Jewish Health, which is widely regarded as the top respiratory hospital in the United States. During her fellowship, she participated in research to advance the use of different technologies to help diagnose and recognize comorbidities of asthma. She is Board Certified in Allergy and Immunology and in Pediatrics. Dr. Lee is a member of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI). Dr. Lee speaks English, Korean and Spanish.

Dr. Juan Carlos Murillo completed his Pediatric Allergy/Immunology and Adult Allergy/Immunology fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. He is interested in ocular allergy, and treats adult and pediatric patients with allergic and immunologic disorders. He initially attended the University of Los Andes in Venezuela where he graduated cum laude in Medicine. He then completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in Cornea and Immunology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute – University of Miami School of Medicine, followed by residency training in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center of Florida. He served as Internal Medicine Chief Resident, holding an academic position as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

Dr. Murillo is a published author in complex ocular surface conditions and is passionate about patient education. He is an active member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Murillo is a native of Venezuela and is fluent in Spanish and English.

Dr. Grace Padron is a board certified Allergist & Immunologist and received her fellowship training from Duke University in Durham, NC.

A Miami native, Dr. Padron earned her Bachelor of Science cum laude in Microbiology & Immunology from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL.  She subsequently went to obtain her medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN.  Dr. Padron returned to South Florida to complete her Pediatric Residency and Chief Pediatric Resident at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, FL.  Following completion of Chief Resident, she spent another 2 years at Duke University completing her Fellowship program. Upon completion of her Fellowship, Dr. Padron worked as an Assistant Professor of Allergy and Immunology at University of Miami.

She specializes in a variety of allergic/immunologic conditions including allergic rhinitis, primary immunodeficiency, food allergy, atopic dermatitis and urticaria.

Dr. Padron is fluent in both English and Spanish and sees both adult and pediatric patients.

Dr. Sarah Garon completed her undergraduate studies at University of Texas Austin, majoring in Art History and Premedical Studies.  She received her medical degree from Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her residency training in Pediatrics was done at Jacobi Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her fellowship training in Pediatric and Adult Allergy & Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics and Board Certified in Allergy & Immunology.  She is a current member of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology and the Florida Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society. She specializes in a variety of allergic/immunologic conditions including asthma, allergic rhinitis, drug allergy, atopic dermatitis, urticaria & angioedema, primary immunodeficiency and has a passion for food allergy and patient education.  She sees both adult and pediatric patients.

Marilyn De La Paz, PA-C (Certified Physician Assistant) is a Certified Physician Assistant by the Florida Medical Board of Medicine. She is an International Medical Graduate who received her Medical Degree (Doctor of Medicine) from Universidad Central del Este. She has done clinical rotations in many teaching hospitals in South Florida. Marilyn is well trained in asthma, allergy, and immunology and has been in our practice since 1992. Her areas of expertise range from urticaria, angioedema, asthma management, and allergic disease in general. She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and a Fellow of the Florida Academy of Physician Assistants. She has been involved in the Allergy Clinic at the Miami Children’s Hospital. She has organized the Allergy Journal Club for Dade and Broward County for over 10 years together with the Florida Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society. She has been recognized in the Who’s Who in Allergy and Immunology Society due to her professionalism and excellence in patient care.

Dana Blasko, P.A.-C (Certified Physician’s Assistant) hails from State Island, NY where she graduated Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Science degree from Wagner College. She received her Physician Assistant Certificate from Bayley Seton Hospital in 1997. Her clinical rotations were done at Bayley as well as St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center. She received her Florida accreditation in June 1997, and has practiced as a PA at many of our offices since April 2002. She is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa National leadership Honor Society, and was awarded a Dean’s Merit Academic Scholarship and Lehman’s Academic Scholarship 2 years in a row.

Cathy Hollowell is an acute and critical care Nurse Practitioner, board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She began her career in Nursing in 2004 and has been a Nurse Practitioner since 2011 after obtaining a Master’s Degree from Wayne State University. Her experiences include working in an organ transplantation unit, and in a surgical and trauma intensive care unit in one of Detroit’s level one trauma hospitals. Cathy has been practicing in Allergy & Immunology since 2013 in the state of Florida.

Darinka de Taboada is a family nurse practitioner who obtained her associates in Nursing at Florida Keys Community College through the Baptist Scholars Program in 2012. She completed her Bachelors in Nursing at Miami Dade College and then graduated honors with her Masters in Nursing at Nova Southeastern University in Miami, FL. Darinka has clinical experience in Adult Primary Care, Geriatrics, Pediatrics and Women’s Health. She holds two national board certifications with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). BLS and ACLS certified.