Meet the Team

Vicki Porges, MD

For Dr. Vicki taking care of families and patients is in her blood, and it shows, “It’s all I know: My mother was a pediatric neurologist, and I’m a fourth-generation family doctor on my Dad’s side.” Her advice to first time parents: put away the parenting books that make you anxious. “There are broad ranges for what is considered normal in child development. Instead of reading about one-year-olds, come in and let’s talk about YOUR one-year old.” Dr. Vicki graduated from NYU’s School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at NYU-Bellevue. She is a board-certified Pediatrician with admitting privileges at NYU-Langone.

Anna Zhivotovsky, MD

As a mom of a middle-schooler Dr. Anna understands parental anxieties. “Giving patients time during well visits really helps. When we ask ‘do you have any questions?’ we mean it, and we actually take the time to go through each and every one. We want to hear if your child has nightmares, how much TV she watches and any and all school concerns.” Dr. Anna completed her residency at St Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center in Manhattan and is a board-certified pediatrician.

Lisa Hughes, CPNP

Lisa Hughes is a board certified pediatric nurse practitioner (CPNP) who specializes in the care of infants, children, and adolescents in the primary care setting. She has a special interest in nutrition and its impact on disease processes and prevention. She completed her masters degree at Boston College, gaining experience at Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and many other renowned facilities.

Office Staff

Karen McCormick, Office Manager

Karen has been at the practice since the doors first opened in 2006 and knows DP families better than anybody. “She is the other half of my brain, she even finishes my sentences,” says Dr. Vicki. Need forms? Call Karen.

Samantha DiChiara, Medical Assistant

Elaine Hornedo, Receptionist

What Moms Say

Dr Porges and her staff are the people you want in your corner when you need medical help. Our son was born a couple days before hurricane sandy. We left the hospital on time, but our neighborhood was evacuated. DP lost power, so they couldn’t have appointments, but Nurse Lisa came to our house and did his healthy baby check ups. And recently when our daughter fell in the tub and needed stitches.

Dr. Porges called us back immediately to say she’d found somebody that would meet us that night, (and it was a Saturday night!), at Lenox Hill hospital.
The office staff is great. Karen, the office manager, is fantastic. They know me when I call. I’m not necessarily a paranoid parent but I will call if something looks strange, and I feel comfortable doing that with them. It’s nice because somebody always calls me back immediately.

Amy Kiplok, Battery Park City

I have twins, age 6, and a little guy, age 3. I want the best care for my kids and Dr. Vicki provides that time and time again. Whenever our youngest has had an asthma attack she calls me unprompted a few hours later and then again the next morning. She really cares and that’s something you want from your pediatrician. And she gives a shot like nobody’s business. My kids never cry.

Vicki is very direct and not an alarmist about the little stuff, but I don’t need nice and fluffy. Whenever we’ve had semi-scary, she has been there for us 110%. When my older son was recently pushed by another child at school and landed funny on his arm, I thought he was fine but called Vicki just in case. She perked up when she heard how he fell and suggested I take him immediately to the emergency room. Turns out he had dislocated his elbow. Vicki called us that night long after office hours to make sure he was okay.

Also a shout out to Karen: she knows the patients, she knows the protocol, she knows what needs to be done. From the simplest things like “I need forms” to “tell Vicki my son is having an asthma attack,” she knows us, and she just gets it.

The entire staff at Downtown Pediatrics really cares. They know their patients; they know the families, and they are just smart people.

Amy Pasquariello, Tribeca