The team at the GROW Clinic consists of a pediatrician, a nurse, a nutritionist, a psychologist and a social worker. Other team members such as occupational therapists and other specialists may be brought in on an as needed basis.
Hans Kersten, MD, Medical Director
Associate Professor, Drexel University School of Medicine
| Hans B. Kersten, MD graduated from Temple University School of Medicine and did his residency at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. He is the Medical Director of the Grow Clinic and is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Drexel University College of Medicine. Dr. Kersten has been accepted into the Pediatric Academic Societies Educational Scholars Program, is a Children’s Environmental Health Faculty Champion of the National Environmental Education and Teaching Foundation (NEETF), |
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and a member of the Mayor’s Lead Primary Prevention Task Force and Philadelphia Citizens’ for Children and Youth in Philadelphia. He is the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read at St. Christopher’s and is on the Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia coalition Advisory Committee. In addition to failure-to-thrive (FTT), his research interests include lead poisoning, resident education and teaching Evidence-Based Medicine.
Bethany M. Staton, MSW
Social Worker and Program Coordinator
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Bethany Staton received her Masters of Social Work from Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. Bethany has been working in the field of Child Welfare and Child Protection for more than 13 years and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in these areas. She has worked with Delaware County Children and Youth Services and most recently, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services. Bethany has dealt with special needs populations and with children who have been diagnosed with failure to thrive. She has a strong interest in promoting good health and well-being, as well as self-sufficiency for underserved families.
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Kathleen Falkenstein, PhD, RN
Nurse Practitioner
Assistant Professor, Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions
Kathleen Falkenstein, RN, Phd, MSN, CPNP has been a pediatric nurse for 33 years and a Pediatric nurse practitioner for 10 years. She has worked in pediatric transplant for 17 years and have been involved in numerous research studies and have many publications, including a chapter in a recent nursing surgical text.
Kathleen currently practices as a PNP in a primary care practice as well as at a tertiary pediatric center in pediatric transplant. She completed her BSN at LaSalle University, Masters Degree |
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and PNP at University of Penn, and PHD at New York University. She currently teaches in the DRNP, MSN and undergraduate program at Drexel and has in the past taught in PNP program at Drexel. Her areas of interest in research are childhood obesity, failure to thrive primary care issues for children with chronic illness and health promotion in the underserved.
Jenni Beary MA, RD
Nutritionist
| Jenni Beary, MA, RD, CSP has been a pediatric dietitian/nutritionist for 23 years. She is a certified specialist in pediatric nutrition by the American Dietetic Assocition. Her special interests include the nutritional needs of children with lung disease, children with failure to thrive and the role of the family in support of healthy eating in the children. In addition to being a member of the GROW team, Ms. Beary is also the clinical nutrition manager of St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. |
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David Bennett, PhD
Psychologist
Associate Professor, Drexel University College of Medicine
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David Bennett received his BA from Albany University, PhD from Indiana University, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at the University of Pennsylvania / Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Bennett directs the GLAD child development research program in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at the Drexel University College of Medicine. In addition to growth and feeding, his research interests include parent and child adjustment to chronic medical problems; parenting; environmental stress; and the effects of prenatal substance exposure on child development.
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