Cynthia Fishman, M.D.
George Washington University, Washington DC
Dr. Fishman completed her residency at Children’s Hospital in DC and has been with our practice since 1995! She is very passionate about her work and enjoys helping our patients in any way she can. She is an active member in the medical community in participating in numerous committees and training seminars. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Montgomery County Medical Society. Dr. Fishman is a proud mom of two children, one daughter and one son. When she has a free moment, she also enjoys reading, going to the movies and having quality time with her husband and dog.
Stuart Weich, M.D.
George Washington University, Washington DC
Dr. Weich has been practicing since 1991 and has been with our practice since 2000. He is extremely dedicated to his patients and enjoys the challenges of being a pediatrician. His second passion is for music and theater where he musically directs and plays in local theater productions. His 3 grown children share this same passion and they often enjoy working on shows together. Dr. Weich has been nominated several times for outstanding musical direction through WATCH (Washington Area Theater Community Honors). He enjoys traveling in his “free” time.
Learn more about Stuart Weich, M.D.
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Liza Burns, M.D.
Columbia University, New York
Dr. Burns joined our team after residency in December 2005. She has always had a desire to advocate for children having devoted a year before her residency to the program Teach For America. She is a proud mom of 3; 1 girl and 2 boys. Her kids’ after school and weekend activities keep her busy. When she has a free moment, Dr. Burns enjoys reading, traveling, and exercising.
Learn more about Liza Burns, M.D.
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Dr. Paul Porras, M.D.
Universidad de Carabobo, Venezuela
Dr. Paul Porras has been with our practice since summer of 2010. He graduated from medical school in Valencia, Venezuela in 2001 and then moved to the Washington D.C. area to complete his pediatrics residency at Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Porras also holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell and is very passionate about the role of lifestyle in the prevention of diseases. You can find him in documentaries on NETFLIX! In his free time, he enjoys to cook, read, travel and spend time with his family including a son and a daughter.
Learn more about Dr. Porras, M.D.
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Dr. Erica Rupar, M.D.
Tulane University, Louisiana
Dr. Rupar joined us right out of residency from Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC at the end of June 2010. She went into pediatrics because of her passion for helping children. She is the proud mom of 2 boys and 1 girl that keep her busy when she isn’t working! She often uses her own experiences as a mom in how she advises her patients.
Amy Gold, PNP
University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland
Amy joined our group in August 2013. Having grown up in Montgomery County, she is very excited to be back in her local community! Her passion to help children is demonstrated thru the time and commitment she gives to every patient she sees. Now a mom herself to a boy she often uses her own experiences when advising patients. When she isn’t in our office she enjoys running, reading, spending time with her family, and enjoying all of the wonderful events and activities this area has to offer. She is enthusiastic and can’t wait to meet more of our patients!
Learn more about Amy Gold, PNP:
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Liz Stein, PNP
Liz joined our practice in January 2015 after working in the pediatric ER at Holy Cross Hospital for eight years both as a nurse and nurse practitioner. She graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 2010 with a Masters of Science in Nursing, specializing in pediatric primary care. She is the mother of two children, a son born in 2014 and daughter born in 2012, and can relate to the challenges and joys of parenting. She loves building relationships with children and their families. In particular, she is interested in asthma management and obesity prevention. In her rare spare time, she enjoys the outdoors, running and seeing live music.
Valerie Mandelkorn, PNP
School: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Valerie is a Montgomery County local, having been born and raised in Damascus. She received her undergraduate degree in nursing from Towson University and began her nursing career in the NICU at University of MD Medical Center. After 2 years in the NICU, Valerie came to Children First while finishing her masters degree, specializing in pediatric primary care. She is especially passionate about babies and helping educate new parents! She is a member of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Sigma Theta Tau Honors Society of Nursing. In her spare time, Valerie enjoys being a mom of 2 boys who keep her very active! Cooking and boating with her family and their dog, Luna also keep her busy!
Joudeh Freij, MD
The University of Michigan
Dr. Freij recently finished his residency at Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan. He grew up in Michigan, but after finishing his undergraduate degree at University of Michigan, he spent time in Chicago and then spent two years in Baltimore, completing his Master’s of Science in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He truly loved the Baltimore area and loved being near some more of his extended family at that time. He completed medical school back in Michigan at Wayne State University. Dr. Freij has loved pediatrics since Medical school and loves the fact that he can develop long term relations with his patients. He is also a huge Star Wars, Marvel/DC, and Dungeons and Dragons fan. The rest of his family (his father) have recently moved out here and he is looking forward to getting to know the rest of Maryland and the DC area! He is very excited to be part of the team at Children First Pediatrics and can’t wait to get to know all the patients that we take care of!