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We are very proud to introduce you to our highly trained and skilled professional staff who will care for you with the greatest compassion and concern for your health needs. Each is exceptional in its own right; Together they make CHOICES one of the finest medical centers anywhere.
Merle Hoffman is an internationally known leader in the struggle for women’s rights, a healthcare pioneer, founder of women’s health, political, and reproductive rights organizations, and a prize-winning writer and publisher. Her work spans 50 years and continues today, proving to be more essential and relevant than ever in the ongoing fight for women’s human rights, including the ability to make their own reproductive choices. Merle Hoffman established Choices Women’s Medical Center, one of the country’s first abortion centers, in 1971. Read Merle’s full biography here.
Dr. George McMillan is a board-certified OB/GYN physician who brings a great deal of compassion, experience, and knowledge to the patients of Choices Women’s Medical Center. Dr. McMillan has extensive experience in diagnostic and operative Laparoscopy, high-risk Obstetrics, abortions up to 24 weeks, infertility, Ultrasonography, Colposcopy, Microsurgical Tubal Reconstruction, Laser Surgery, and Operative Hysteroscopy and Tubal Sterilization without incision.
He operated a solo private practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology, served as the Director of Gynecology at the Ambulatory Surgery Center in Brooklyn, NY, was Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology for Charles Drew Medical Health Center in Brooklyn, and has served as an instructor to OB-GYN residents and medical students at Downstate University Medical Center. Dr. McMillan has attending privileges at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, Downstate University Hospital of Brooklyn, and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
As a resident of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. McMillan practiced at Columbia University Harlem Hospital Medical Center where he went on to become Chief Resident. In addition, he served as a visiting Clinical Fellow at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at Harlem Hospital Center. Prior to that, he earned a B.Sc. and M.B. from the University of the West Indies where he went on to complete his rotating internship. His M.D. was obtained from New York State University.
Dr. McMillan is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and licensed by Flex to practice medicine in New York, New Jersey, and Florida with reciprocity to 46 States. He is also licensed to practice in Jamaica, West Indies.
Book an appointment with Dr. McMillan via ZocDoc:
Dr. Joseph Ottolenghi is a board-eligible OB/GYN physician who brings a great deal of compassion, experience, and knowledge to the patients of Choices Women’s Medical Center. Dr. Ottolenghi has experience in diagnostic and operative laparoscopy, general obstetrics, abortions up to 24 weeks, infertility, ultrasonography, colposcopy, operative hysteroscopy and tubal sterilization. Prior to coming to CHOICES, he worked as an independent abortion provider and OB/GYN Hospitalist in Seattle, WA.
Dr. Ottolenghi completed his OB/GYN Residency at Maimonides Medical Center, where he went on to become Education Chief his 4th year. There he received awards for excellence in Family Planning, Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, and Student Teaching. Prior to that, he earned his Medical Degree from Florida International University in Miami, FL. Dr. Ottolenghi completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology, earning an MA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.
Dr. Ottolenghi currently has community privileges at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and is licensed to practice medicine in New York and Washington State. Dr. Ottolenghi has conducted research on student learning, contraceptive pharmacology, and health care workers. You can view his research by clicking here.
Book an appointment with Dr. Ottolenghi via ZocDoc:
Evans Crevecoeur, M.D. earned his doctoral degree at the SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn NY. He completed his Medical Internship at Booth Memorial Hospital in Flushing, NY, and residencies in Anesthesiology, Obstetrical Anesthesia, and Pain Management at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. Prior to attending SUNY, Dr. Crevecoeur earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at St. John’s University in Brooklyn. He has served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, Medical Corp since 1988. A dedicated physician, medical writer, researcher, and philanthropist, Dr. Crevecoeur is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, New York State Society of Anesthesiologists, and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia, and the International Anesthesia Research Society. He was Board certified in 1994 and received an MBA degree from Regis University in 2004. He is currently the Director of OB/Anesthesia at Jamaica Hospital and President of Omnicare Anesthesia.
Ms. Banks comes to CHOICES with over 30 years of experience and knowledge. She has worked as an OB/GYN physician’s assistant at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, Planned Parenthood in Nassau and New York City, HIP in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Hospital, and Interfaith Hospital in Brooklyn. She was educated at Kingsborough College and Touro College where she majored in Biology and is licensed and registered as a physician’s assistant in the State of New York.
At Choices Women’s Medical Center and under its GYN/Prenatal physician’s direction and supervision, Ms. Banks provides pre-‐operative and post-‐operative abortion follow-up, GYN services, colposcopies, contraceptives management, patient evaluation and dispenses prescriptions according to guidelines. She records and reviews patients’ medical and psychological histories, performs physical, breast, and bi-‐ manual pelvic examinations, analyzes lab data, orders testing, screens for STI, STD, and HIV, and also follows standing orders, guidelines, and criteria established by the Clinic’s Medical Director.
Ms. Banks is actively involved in the CHOICES team’s approach to patient care. She understands the needs of nursing, social service, and medical personnel and responds in kind. She is disciplined and dedicated to providing, maintaining, documenting, and monitoring the quality of patient care. She is active in staff training and education and acts as a resource person for staff regarding health-‐related topics.
Ms. Banks participates in a wide array of medical conferences focused on GYN and pregnancy termination topics. She is devoted to the continuing improvement of the level of care that she offers patients. Ms. Banks was the recipient of a Clinical Achievement Award from the Department of Physician’s Assistants.
Marisol Castellanos is a concerned and attentive social worker. She welcomes patients of all ages, as a part of Choices Women’s Medical Center. She is experienced in addressing a range of mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, worry, stress, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Ms. Castellanos earned her master’s degree in social work from the City University of New York, Hunter College. She is uncompromising in her dedication to the well-being of her patients.
Bilingual in English and Spanish, Ms. Castellanos welcomes patients from a variety of different cultural backgrounds. She strives to create a partnership with each of her patients by carefully listening to their concerns to maintain and improve lifelong health.
Rebecca Glassman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over ten years of experience in abortion care including within clinic settings, as a Regional Case Manager on the National Abortion Hotline, and as the project lead of the quarterly Community Care events for Exhale Pro Voice. As Choices’ Social Work Supervisor, Rebecca oversees the social work department and provides support to patients throughout their visit. She also assists in coordinating care for our Out-of-Town patients. Rebecca has a BA in Sociology from Muhlenberg College, an MSW from the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, and has additional experience in working in acute psychiatry, victim services, and private practice. Rebecca is enthusiastic about equitable, patient-centered, collaborative healthcare and strives to bring these values to her work every day.
Dmitriy is an experienced Accounting Manager with a diverse background encompassing both the laboratory and hospitality sectors. His career began as a bookkeeper, and through dedication and skill enhancement, he progressed to a Full Charge Bookkeeper and ultimately to the role of Accounting Manager. Dmitriy possesses high proficiency in Microsoft Excel and QuickBooks, and his strong organizational skills have been pivotal to his career advancement. He is committed to continuous learning and skill development, particularly when it comes to mastering new software, leveraging his tech-savvy nature. Outside of work, Dmitriy values quality time spent with his wife and children.
As Chief Administrative Officer, Kelly is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations within CHOICES, as well as being directly responsible for coordinating Development, Marketing, Patient Satisfaction, and Community Relations. She works closely with the Medical Department as well as other administrators and key staff, led by Founder/President Merle Hoffman, to develop and assess strategies and policies to meet CHOICES’ standards of providing the highest-quality women’s reproductive health care. Kelly has held a variety of roles at CHOICES since 2012, including working with other staff to build relationships with community health and education organizations to promote knowledge and understanding of women’s health needs across all ages, cultures, nationalities, and gender identities, with compassion and respect. Kelly holds a BA in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Health Care Administration.
Ariel Major is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with outstanding professional and practical experience as a leader in interdisciplinary medical and surgical work. Her history with Choices Women’s Medical Center began with Ariel completing her volunteer nursing hours here to complete her B.A. studies in Nursing at Long Island University. She then was offered a position in Choices’ Surgical Unit where she received early exposure to the operating room and patient care.
After that, Ariel expanded her experience by working in Labor and Delivery at Brooklyn Hospital as a nurse. She then returned to school, graduating in 2020 from Long Island University with a Master of Science in Nursing. Before returning to Choices in 2023, she worked at St. Luke’s Hospital in a surgical fellowship, training in various surgical procedures such as GYN, orthopedics, and plastic surgeries. She also supervised the Surgical Unit at St. Luke’s, when not in the operating room.
Upon her announcement as our new Director of Clinical Operations, Ariel greeted the Choices staff: “As a women’s health care professional, I believe it is essential to educate our patients so that they can take control of their gynecological health across their lifespans. My goal is to provide gynecological education and compassionate, comprehensive health care to all women. I have always admired your healthcare values and your emphasis on patient power. I look forward to meeting you all and being part of the team.”
We are certain our patients as well as our already-stellar staff will appreciate and benefit from Arial Major’s work as Director of Clinical Operations.
John Pavuk is a seasoned healthcare professional with over 15 years of extensive experience in medical center finance, operations, and leadership. He began his finance career as a Senior Auditor at the public accounting firm of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, where he discovered his passion for healthcare accounting and financial reporting. Subsequently, he assumed the role of Assistant Corporate Controller at Northwell Health Peconic Bay Medical Center. Prior to his current role, he held various progressive executive positions at Nassau Health Care Corporation, starting as Comptroller, advancing to Director of Audit, and culminating as Director of Finance. John is an alumni of Long Island University – CW Post, holding a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance, and he furthered his education with a post-graduate Certification in Accounting from Hofstra University.
Our team of board-certified medical professionals and support staff offer safe, trusted, comprehensive care and services at the highest level. Our state-of-the-art facility is located in the heart of Jamaica Queens, NY.
Schedule an appointment with CHOICES today.
Choices Women’s Medical Center is committed to meeting the needs of our patients, regardless of age, gender identity, nationality, or culture, in a safe, comfortable environment that is completely confidential.
