The Division of Medical Toxicology in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine at NYU Langone Health is dedicated to preventing, diagnosing, and managing illnesses and injuries caused by exposure to toxins.

One of our greatest strengths is the wide-ranging expertise of our faculty. Our team includes allopathic and osteopathic physicians who have primary training in pediatrics, internal medicine, or emergency medicine, and who hold advanced degrees in toxicology. Our division members also include pharmacists and nurses with advanced toxicological training.

Our team’s broad range of training and mastery enables us to respond quickly and effectively to all types of toxicological emergencies, including poisoning; drug overdose and withdrawal; exposure to occupational, industrial, or environmental hazards; adverse reactions to medication; envenomation (being bitten by a venomous snake or other animal); and exposure to biological contaminants.

Additionally, our commitment to diversity and inclusion enhances our ability to provide exemplary care to local communities.

Medical Toxicology Education

Our division has a long tradition of educating emergency medicine trainees at NYU Grossman School of Medicine who are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education programs. We also welcome trainees visiting from institutions around the country and the world.

Trainees focused on medical toxicology rotate through sites including NYU Langone’s Ronald O. Perelman Center for Emergency Services, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, and the NYC Poison Control Center. The diversity of populations and cases we see at these busy urban sites ensures that trainees gain comprehensive clinical and research experience.

Our teaching faculty are internationally recognized for their accomplishments as clinicians and scholars, and they are dedicated mentors to the next generation of medical toxicologists. All of our division faculty have authored or edited definitive toxicology textbooks, including Lewis R. Goldfrank, MD, editor of Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies, a work considered by many to be the standard reference for the discipline.

Training Programs

Our training programs include a prestigious Medical Toxicology Fellowship that prepares physicians to pursue leadership positions immediately upon graduation. A unique asset of our fellowship is the monthly consultants’ conference, at which toxicologists from all over the Northeast present notable cases and the results of new research. Our faculty and fellows are also routinely invited to lecture locally and at major international conferences.

As active participants in medical student and resident training, fellows develop, refine, and continually adapt their teaching skills and deepen their knowledge of core material.

Our faculty also mentor emergency medicine residents, medical students, pharmacy students, and advanced practice providers as they rotate through our sites as part of their training.

Visiting Resident Medical Toxicology Rotation

In partnership with the NYC Poison Control Center, our division faculty offer a medical toxicology rotation for visiting residents. This didactic elective in medical toxicology is available to residents from institutions in the United States and most of the world. Over the course of two to four weeks, residents gain expertise in treating patients who have been exposed to poisons.

Continuing Medical Education

We offer a medical toxicology course as part of our continuing medical education curriculum. This annual course gives healthcare providers of all backgrounds an opportunity to learn about the latest advances in our field.

Participants in our weekly journal club and monthly toxicology consultants’ conference also qualify for continuing medical education credit.

Medical Toxicology Community Outreach

Our commitment to public health extends beyond institutional walls. Our Prevention and Education Partnership (PEP) engages local youth and empower them to make healthy decisions.

We also participate in a range of illness and injury prevention programs that include efforts to combat the opioid epidemic through prevention initiatives, clinical services, and translational research.

Division physicians and fellows provide all of the medical backup for the NYC Poison Control Center, which serves more than 12 million residents in southern New York State.

Medical Toxicology Research

Division faculty support collaborative research projects led by emergency medicine trainees and lead innovative projects of their own.

Current projects focus on developing international guidelines for fundamental problems in toxicology such as gastrointestinal decontamination, management of QT prolongation, and the use of extracorporeal treatments in poisoning.

Learn more about our work by reading the latest papers published by our team.

Medical Toxicology Clinical Services

Our physicians provide bedside and telephone consultations to providers at NYU Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and NYU Langone clinical sites, who care for thousands of poisoned patients every year. We also provide emergency consultation and medical direction for the NYC Poison Control Center, one of the busiest centers in the country.

We provide toxicological subject matter expertise to various institutional committees within NYU Langone, such as pharmacy and therapeutics, medication safety, pediatrics safety, and quality and safety.

Medical Toxicology Faculty

Rana Biary, MD
Program Director, Medical Toxicology Fellowship
Assistant Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Emily T. Cohen, MD
Assistant Program Director, Division of Medical Toxicology
Assistant Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Robert S. Hoffman, MD
Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine and Department of Medicine

William K. Chiang, MD
Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Lewis R. Goldfrank, MD
Director, International Emergency Program and Faculty Development and Mentorship
The Herbert W. Adams Professor of Emergency Medicine, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Mary Ann Howland, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT
Senior Consultant in Residence, NYC Poison Control Center
Adjunct Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Larissa K. Laskowski, DO
Co-Director, Emergency Medicine Prevention and Education Partnership
Assistant Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Neal Lewin, MD
The Druckenmiller Professor of Emergency Medicine, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine
Professor, Department of Medicine

Lauren M. Schwartz, MPH
Clinical Assistant Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Medicine

Silas W. Smith, MD
Director, Division of Emergency Medicine Quality, Safety, and Practice Innovation
Clinical Associate Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Samara (Sari) E. Soghoian, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Mark K. Su, MD, MPH
Director, New York City Poison Control Center
Clinical Associate Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Susi U. Vassallo, MD
Clinical Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine

Maria M. Zappala
Clinical Assistant Professor, Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine