About Us
Heart Associates of Long Island (HALI) was founded in 2006 by John M. Reitano, MD, John P. Dervan, MD and Mitchell A. Saunders, MD. Daniel R. Montellese, MD joined the practice in 2009. Grace Chung, MD joined the practice in 2014 and John A. Savino III, MD joined the practice in 2017. Arash Ehteshami Afshar, MD joined the practice in 2020 and Jeremy Fertel, MD joined the practice in 2021.
Our physicians each have several years of experience, many of those years spent heading up larger cardiology practices. During that time, Drs. Reitano, Dervan and Saunders, who knew one another professionally, found that they shared the same dream of one day having a smaller cardiology practice — one where each patient would be treated in an unhurried manner. Today, each of our 25 employees knows that the most important part of their job is to ensure that you are pleased with and have confidence in the care and treatment you receive at HALI.
For your convenience, and depending on your cardiac needs, our board-certified physicians provide diagnostic testing in our office in East Setauket as well as in a hospital setting. We are affiliated with the following hospitals on Long Island:
- Stony Brook University Hospital
- St. Charles Hospital
- John T. Mather Memorial Hospital
Physicians & Staff
PHYSICIANS
Dr. Chung received her undergraduate degree at New York University, where she graduated magna cum laude with an honors degree in economics. She attended New York University School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency training at the University of Chicago and her cardiovascular fellowship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital - Weill Cornell. She is board certified in nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, internal medicine and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Chung is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, a position she has held since 2014.
Dr. Ehteshami is an interventional cardiologist and is board certified in general cardiology, nuclear cardiology, echocardiography and internal medicine. He received a Master of Science degree in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Alberta School of Public Health in Canada and completed his residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Morningside in New York City. He completed his subspecialty training in general and interventional cardiology at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Dr. Fertel is a noninvasive cardiologist and is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, and vascular interpretation. He received his undergraduate degree in biopsychology and cognitive science from the University of Michigan, completed a Post-Baccalaureate from Columbia University, and his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Dr. Fertel completed his residency in internal medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center. He completed his fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, where he served as chief fellow and was honored as Fellow of the Year. Since joining Heart Associates, he was awarded Stony Brook Community Cardiology Teacher of the Year.
Dr. Montellese joined HALI in 2009. He is an alumnus of State University of New York at Albany and received his medical degree from St. George's University. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Stony Brook University Hospital, where he also completed his fellowship in cardiology and a fellowship in interventional cardiology. Dr. Montellese was chief cardiology fellow while training at Stony Brook. He also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, a position he has held since 2009. He served on the Stony Brook University Hospital Medical Board from 2014 to 2016.
Dr. Saunders is a co-founder of HALI and is board certified in nuclear cardiology, internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular computed tomography. He received his undergraduate degree from Stony Brook University and his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and his fellowship in cardiology at the Manhattan VA-NYU program.
Dr. Saunders is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, a position he has held since 1994.
Dr. Savino received his undergraduate degree at St. John’s University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with an honors degree in Biology and Philosophy of Science. He attended Georgetown University School of Medicine Cum Laude and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He completed his internal medicine residency, chief residency and cardiovascular fellowship at The Mount Sinai Hospital. He is board certified in nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, internal medicine and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Savino is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, a position he has held since 2017.
NURSE PRACTITIONERS
Kerin Beedenbender has been board-certified by ANCC in Adult Health since 2011. She began working with our practice in 2011 through 2013 and rejoined us again in 2018. She has a background in cardiology, renal transplantation and adult critical care. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Stony Brook University, as well as her Master in Adult Health Nurse Practitioner. She did a post-baccalaureate residency in critical care at the University of Arizona where she spent the first several years of her nursing career and began working for Stony Brook Medicine in 2009.
Annmarie is a board-certified nurse practitioner. She received her bachelor’s degree and Master of Science in nursing from Stony Brook University. She has certifications in adult gerontology, advanced cardiovascular life support and basic life support. Annmarie has a passion for providing efficient medical care while utilizing excellent interpersonal skills in her role at Heart Associates of Long Island.
Alyssa is a board-certified nurse practitioner who has been with Heart Associates of Long Island since 2020. She has a background in cardiology, critical care and family medicine, with certifications in family medicine and critical care. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in nursing at Stony Brook University as well as a Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner at Stony Brook University.
KEY STAFF
Lynn is the technical director of our echocardiology department and is responsible for the daily lab procedures and ensuring that our lab continuously meets accreditation standards. She has more than 18 years of extensive experience in the field of cardiac ultrasound and has been with HALI since it was founded in 2006. Lynn received her bachelor of science degree in diagnostic ultrasound from Downstate Medical College of Healthcare Professionals, Brooklyn, NY.
