Amr Shayeb, MD
Dr. Shayeb has always enjoyed the intensity of medicine and chose obstetrics and gynecology because he recognized his talent for diagnosing, analyzing, and treating women during all stages of their lives. After an impressive scholastic course that was highlighted by him scoring among the top two percent of all graduates his year in the entire country, Dr. Shayeb graduated from The University of Damascus School of Medicine and came to the United States for his OB/GYN residency.
During his New York City residency at Lutheran Medical Center, he again impressed his colleagues by winning multiple awards for his work in laparoscopic surgeries and research into various maternal infections and gynecological cancer-related studies. As much as Dr. Shayeb enjoys the research and publishing end of his work, he deeply values evidence-based medicine and approaches his treatment protocols based on actual data, unlike many in his field.
Dr. Shayeb has worked in obstetrics and gynecology at several institutions in New York City including Lutheran Hospital, Woodhull Hospital (part of HHC), New York University Medical Center, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. At each of these institutions, he has participated in the teaching of residents and medical students, training the next generation of physicians as he improves the lives of the women he treats.
Dr. Shayeb holds dear to his heart the understanding that only through a firm foundation of fact-based research can the optimum medical care of women be realized. He is often found conferring with his colleagues over challenging cases, ever seeking the safest, most effective approach to concerning clinical issues. Dr. Shayeb is able to balance that highly effective form of treating patients with compassion and communication. His impressive language skills increase his ability to speak confidently with patients and their families and reassure them that he is the sort of physician every woman wants caring for her.
Maria Leon, DO
Dr. Maria Leon’s mission has been to give back to her community by providing quality care and advocating for women’s health. Living and training in the Brooklyn/Queens area have given Dr. Leon an extra sense of purpose. Not only has she had the opportunity to care for this population, but she also had the unique experience of being a patient here herself during her pregnancy and delivery of her beautiful baby boy. Because of this, she is able to connect with her patients on a deeper level.
As a graduate from NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Leon was trained with an additional set of skills. Aside from a foundation in anatomy and physiology, Dr. Leon learned to listen to her patient’s bodies and that not all ailments require medicinal management. Dr. Leon is trained and proficient in osteopathic techniques for treating common complaints such as lower back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome, giving her additional tools to help her patients.
Dr. Leon completed her residency training at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. During this time she assisted in and performed various obstetric and gynecologic procedures. She participated in research opportunities focusing on sonographic findings and their predictability of early pregnancy success or failure. Her time in residency helped her to develop her clinical acumen and her sense of purpose to the people of this community.
Dr. Leon was born and raised in Ecuador before coming to New York. Aside from being fluent in Spanish, she is able to make her patients feel comfortable through her belief in collaborative care. She encourages open communication and makes sure to include her patients in decisions about their healthcare.
Dr. Leon is excited to begin this next phase in her career. She plans to bring together the lessons she learned in medical school, the skills she acquired in residency, and her sense of compassion and collaboration to be a champion for her patients.
Lesley Cohen, CNM, MSN, MPH
“With women for a lifetime”, the American College of Nurse-Midwives motto, is true and dear to Lesley Cohen’s heart. As a midwife for almost 20 years, Lesley has dedicated her professional life to caring for, empowering, and educating women.
She found her passion for women’s health issues during her college years at Penn State University where she participated in women’s health research and learned of midwifery as a profession. After receiving a Masters degree in Public Health, she followed her heart and pursued nursing and midwifery at Columbia University.
Lesley has worked at several NYC healthcare institutions, including NYU Brooklyn (formerly Lutheran Medical Center), Choices Women’s Medical Center, Ryan Nena Community Health Center, and currently she is the Director of Midwifery at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. Each of these sites has a diverse and culturally rich population from whom Lesley has learned so much as well as had the privilege of caring for. In addition to providing direct patient care, Lesley also enjoys mentoring midwifery, nurse practitioner and medical students, ensuring that the next generation of providers is indoctrinated with the grace of midwifery care.
Lesley is thrilled to be joining The Augury for Women’s Health & Midwifery. Knowing that this practice provides the highest quality of care, she looks forward to bringing her rigorous clinical skills, dedication to patient education and commitment to providing compassionate care to the women at The Augury.
Windi Muraszka, CNM, NP, MS
Ms. Muraszka (or Windi, as she prefers to be called) has been in the field of women’s health, pregnancy, and birth for over two decades, and welcomed over 2,500 newborns as a licensed midwife in New York City since 1996. Windi attended Hunter College School of Nursing, Frontier School of Midwifery, and Stony Brook University, graduating with the highest honors from all three schools.
She has worked at various hospitals and women’s healthcare centers in the city over the years, including St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, Metropolitan Hospital (part of the HHC network), Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. Windi also volunteered at high schools in Queens and Brooklyn teaching Human Sexuality Classes to adolescents. Women from New York City’s rich mix of cultural, ethnic, sexual identity, and racial groups have all enjoyed superior care at Windi’s hands.
Windi is the mother to three children of her own who are now transitioning into adulthood. She understands pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding from the inside out as only a mother can. There are as many parenting styles and beliefs as there are parents in the world and all are worthy of respect and thoughtful consideration. Windi strives to work closely with women to help them integrate their own personal needs and childbearing desires with their special gifts and abilities.
Windi believes that all women are entitled to compassionate, thoughtful care at all times in their lives. Providing wellness-oriented high-level midwifery service translates to insuring that when women and their families leave her office, they feel nurtured, educated, and incredibly well taken-care of.