Krisztina Bukur-Doczy, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician at Newton Pediatrics in Newton, Massachusetts. Her scientific research in pathology, immunology, and microbiology gives her a strong background for a pediatric travel medicine specialty. As a mother and a pediatrician, Dr. Bukur-Doczy provides families with strategies for balancing the demands of work and family while creating a nurturing and healthy home environment.
Dr. Bukur-Doczy started her medical studies in Sweden at the University of Lund. She then moved to Massachusetts to complete her graduate studies in immunology and pathology at Boston University. She completed her residency at the University of Illinois in Chicago and served as a researcher at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.
Dr. Bukur-Doczy is affiliated with several local hospitals, including Newton-Wellesley Hospital, the Children’s Hospital Boston, Brockton Hospital, the Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, and South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts.
Board-certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Bukur-Doczy is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Chapter 1 and the Breast Feeding Council, the International Society of Travel Medicine, and the Massachusetts Medical Society.
Dr. Bukur-Doczy lives in the community with her husband and their three children, who all attend Newton Public Schools.
Shirley Gonzalez, MD, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatrician with over 20 years of experience at Newton Pediatrics in Newton, Massachusetts. She specializes in obesity medicine and the management of menstrual disorders. Dr. Gonzalez is passionate about educating patients and their families about preventing adult chronic diseases that may originate during the fetal, neonatal, and childhood periods.
Dr. Gonzalez earned her bachelor’s degree with honors at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She then completed her medical degree at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, and her residency at the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Upon finishing medical school, Dr. Gonzalez continued her education in the field of menstrual disorders at the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha, Nebraska, in affiliation with Creighton University. She earned her FertilityCare practitioner certification and became a Naprotechnology® provider from the American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 2016, Dr. Gonzalez also acquired an obesity medicine specialization.
Dr. Gonzalez devotes significant time to clinical research, medical student education, and administrative leadership roles, including serving as the past chief of the pediatric department at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. She founded the TEEEN® (Teens, Empowerment, Exercise, Education, Nutrition) Program to address pediatric obesity outside the clinical setting. A Harvard Macy Institute Scholar, in 2020 Dr. Gonzalez founded an Interprofessional Education Program at Newton Pediatrics. An award-winning researcher and doctor, Dr. Gonzalez received the Boston Business Journal Champion in Health Care Award for her innovative work as the founder and director of the TEEEN Program in 2009. A poster titled “Pediatric Empowerment Behavioral Program Positively Impacts BMI” presented at the 5 th Annual World Congress on Insulin Resistance Syndrome received a certificate of recognition. In addition, she received the El Planeta Award in recognition for her work with Hispanic population in 2012 and the Tisch College and Tufts University School of Medicine Community Service-Learning Faculty Award for outstanding commitment to civic engagement in medical education in 2016.
Dr. Gonzalez is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Ambulatory Pediatric Society, the American College of Pediatricians, and the Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center. She is an associate member of the Brown University Chapter of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society.
Dr. Gonzalez is affiliated with Boston Children’s Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts.
Varuna Tuli, MD, is a pediatrician with over 19 years of experience at Newton Pediatrics in Waltham, Massachusetts. She specializes in caring for medically complex cases and international and multicultural patients.
Dr. Tuli completed medical school in India. She then moved to Maryland to complete her residency at the Sinai Hospital in Baltimore before moving to Pennsylvania to complete a fellowship at St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia.
Dr. Tuli began her medical career at the Franciscan Hospital For Children in Boston, where she practiced until 2003 before joining the team at Newton Pediatrics. She is passionate about using her personal parenting experience and medical training to help families with their parenting journey.
To improve communication across the diverse populations of Massachusetts, Dr. Tuli speaks English, Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi.
When she’s not at work, Dr. Tuli enjoys spending time with her daughters and traveling to learn about new cultures.
Ebla Abd Alrahman, MD, is a pediatrician with eight years of experience caring for children with a wide range of medical needs. She has extensive training in the care of critically ill children and a strong background in managing medically complex pediatric patients.
Dr. Abd Alrahman completed medical school in Syria before moving to Lebanon, where she completed her pediatric residency along with a fellowship in pediatric critical care. She later moved to the United States and completed an additional pediatric residency at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where she went on to work as a pediatric hospitalist.
After relocating to Massachusetts, Dr. Abd Alrahman joined UMass Memorial Medical Center, continuing her work in inpatient pediatrics. She later transitioned to outpatient care and is now part of the team at Newton Pediatrics, where she brings her extensive inpatient and critical care experience to support children with both routine and complex medical needs.
To better serve diverse families, Dr. Abd Alrahman speaks both English and Arabic.
Michelle Cournoyer, PA, is a pediatric physician assistant with over 25 years of experience at Newton Pediatrics in Waltham, Massachusetts. She is passionate about providing high-quality medical care and support for children and their families.
Ms. Cournoyer earned her bachelor’s degree in biology with honors at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. She then completed a physician assistant degree and a master’s in health professions at Northeastern University in Boston.
Ms. Cournoyer has worked to emphasize the importance of preventative care for her patients with the goal of promoting optimal health. She has contributed to the development of initiatives to improve care for children with asthma, obesity and attentional disorders. At Newton Pediatrics, she has been a strong supporter of developing the medical home care model of care for our patients.
Ms. Cournoyer is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants, and the Pediatric Physicians’ Organization at the Children’s Hospital of Boston.
Working in the same practice for over two decades has been a rewarding experience for Ms. Cournoyer. She enjoys building long-lasting relationshipswith her patients, and their families. Many of her patients, who were infants when they first started seeing her, are now bringing their babies into her care.
Bernadette Sapienza, CPNP, is a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner at Newton Pediatrics, which has several convenient locations in Newton, Massachusetts.
She is passionate about caring for patients from birth through young adulthood and enjoys watching them progress through each stage of development. She finds the resilience, joy, and honesty children possess teaches her something new every day and she looks forward to supporting patients and their families throughout their years at Newton Pediatrics.
Originally from New York, Ms. Sapienza earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. She then completed her master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where she minored in Integrated Nursing Care of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Ms. Sapienza is a member of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).
Outside of work, Ms. Sapienza loves to explore the city of Boston and all it has to offer.
Thalia is a former patient of Newton Pediatrics and has been coming to the Waltham office at 20 Hope Ave since she was a newborn! She grew up coming to see our PA, Michelle. After completing her pediatric clinical rotation with Michelle during her nurse practitioner training, she now greatly enjoys working alongside her former pediatric provider and mentor!
Andrea has treated children and adolescents with complex psychiatric needs in outpatient, residential, and inpatient settings for more than 18 years. Her goal is to provide comprehensive, compassionate, and quality care, and to determine whether psychiatric medication may be a useful part of one’s overall mental health treatment. She uses a strength-based, collaborative, approach, while emphasizing the importance of combining psychoeducation and pharmacology with psychotherapy.
Abbey is a licensed Physician Assistant at Newton Pediatrics.
She completed her undergraduate bachelor of science degree in biology at Elon University and minored in Spanish. Before becoming a PA, she worked as an EMT and a Clinical Assistant in the emergency department at Boston Children’s Hospital. She completed her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Abbey is proficient in Spanish and is dedicated to removing all obstacles to health.
In her free time, Abbey enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking and snowboarding. She also loves to read and hangout with her cat named Ziggy.
Lizzie George is a licensed mental health counselor at Newton Pediatrics, both in the Wellesley and Waltham offices. She offers both in person and telehealth sessions.
Lizzie is both a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC).
Lizzie specializes in working with children, adolescents, young adults, and families. She first obtained her undergraduate degree from Northeastern University, where she played Division I soccer for the women’s team. She completed her Master’s degree from Boston University School of Medicine, in the Mental Health Counseling & Behavioral Medicine Program. Her areas of clinical interest include anxiety and mood disorders, attachment and complex trauma, and ADHD. Lizzie’s goal is to provide comprehensive, compassionate, and effective clinical care. She utilizes a strengths-based, collaborative, and patient/family-centered approach to treatment while creating a unique treatment plan specific to their needs.
Before coming to Newton Pediatrics, Lizzie worked at Boston Medical Center in the psychiatric emergency room and urgent care providing crisis management services for patients of all ages including short term therapy intervention, case management, and psychoeducation for parents and guardians.
Outside of work, Lizzie is very active, loves cooking healthy meals, and loves being with her family-especially her nephew and new niece!
Eva Rubinoff, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counselor at Newton Pediatrics, both in Wellesley and in Waltham.
Eva is passionate about working with children, adolescents and their families. It is her goal to help them understand their mental health and engage them in therapy to gain skills and insight to function more effectively within their home, school and community. Eva’s priority is to provide a space with an unconditional positive environment for youth and parents to help them navigate challenging situations while also helping them find a path for themselves that feels most authentic. Her specialties include anxiety, depression and trauma.
Eva has over 10 years clinical experience. She first completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Rhode Island and then completed her master’s degree at Fordham University in NYC, with a focus on counseling in middle and high schools. Eva later returned to school to earn an advanced graduate certificate in mental health counseling at the University at Buffalo. Prior to joining Newton Pediatrics, her clinical roles included school-based counseling, in-home therapy and inpatient pediatric psychiatry. Eva is a member of the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association (MaMCHA).
Outside of work, Eva loves international travel, exploring Boston with her dog Charlie and baking sweet treats.
