Damian Leadership

Prior to joining Damian Family Care Center, Dr. Chandler served as CEO of Coastal Community Health, where he led a period of transformative growth. Over four years, the organization expanded from serving 5,000 to more than 25,000 unique patients. During his tenure, he extended services across two states, developed school-based and senior care programs, launched pharmacy services, and strengthened partnerships with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and hospital systems.

“While growth and expansion are important, what matters most are the lives impacted,” said Dr. Chandler. “Every number represents a person, a family, and a story. When we expand access to care, we create stronger, healthier communities.”

Known for his collaborative and compassionate leadership style, Dr. Chandler emphasizes accountability, innovation, and a people-first approach. He is driven by a simple but powerful belief: “If not us, then who?”—a call to action to serve those most in need.

As President & CEO, Dr. Chandler will lead Damian Family Care Center into its next phase of growth and impact, with a continued focus on expanding access, enhancing quality of care, and strengthening community partnerships.

He left medical practice to become the medical director of a public health non-profit in New York City until 2016, and joined the Damian Family Care Centers in 2017. He became the Chief Medical Officer of Damian in March of 2019, and has been both a practicing physician and administrator since then, working at the Headquarters in Jamaica, as well as several of the DFCC clinical sites. He is a New Yorker, born and raised, and currently resides on the Upper East Side.

As the head of the Corporate Compliance and Quality department, Sadia Choudhury has the ultimate responsibility of ensuring the organization is adhering to all federal, and state laws and regulations, evidence based quality standards and as well as with Damian’s internal Corporate Compliance Program.

With more than 10 years of experience in Healthcare Quality, Population Health, Healthcare Compliance, Program/Project Operations and Management, Sadia Choudhury brings a wealth of knowledge to Damian Family Care Centers. Sadia Choudhury was hired as the Director of Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement in July 2020. Within 2 years she got promoted to Chief Corporate Compliance & Quality Assurance Officer. During her tenure as the Director, Sadia implemented and led many successful initiatives within Damian network. To name few of many successes were: roll out of Social Determinants of Health Initiative (SDOH) for the first time in Damian, significant patient health improvement outcomes from the Hypertension Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring Initiative (a HRSA grant funded program) (recognized by AHA and CHCANYS for the program success), thru various PDSA projects, transitioning most HRSA reported UDS clinical quality measures to 1st and 2nd quartile ranking, achievement of American Heart Association (AHA) Recognitions for Gold and Silver Award for all 14 Health Centers for Hypertension Control, Diabetes Control, and Cholesterol Management, and National Council of Quality Assurance (NCQA) Patient Centered Medical Home Recognition with Behavioral Health Distinction.

Sadia earned her Master of Public Administration (MPA) specializing in Health Policy & Management degree from Long Island University and Bachelor (BA) degree with Biochemistry major from CUNY Hunter College.

Sadia Choudhury is certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. She also achieved recognition as New York State Department of Health Medicaid Accelerated Exchange (NYSDOH MAX) Certified Train-the-Trainer for Leading Lean methodology inspired Quality Improvement projects in an organization with primary objective of reducing potentially avoidable inpatient admission and ED visits. Sadia Choudhury also achieved Content Expert certification (PCMH CCE) for Patient Centered Medical Home from the recognition body of National Council of Quality Assurance (NCQA). Sadia is also the active member of American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Healthcare Leaders of New York (HLNY), American Society of Public Administration (ASPA), and HealthCare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

She brings the same passion for teaching to Damian’s clinical staff and provides clinical leadership to foster excellence and care at Damian Family Care Center.

Dr. Ilarraza is inspired by the dedication of Damian’s team to serve the community, as they continue the caring legacy of Fr. Damian Pitcaithly. Dr. Ilarraza is married to Rev. Dr. JP Ilarraza, and they have three children. Her family actively engages in pastoral ministry through their local church. Dr. Ilarraza’s area of clinical interest is in the field of women’s health. Her doctoral research was focused on the topic of Maternal infant bonding.

She brings more than 25 years of experience in healthcare administration, with a strong focus on operational leadership, population health, and systems transformation. Prior to joining Damian, Julie held several leadership roles at Harmony Healthcare Long Island (HHLI), most recently as Chief Transformation Officer. During her 10-year tenure, she led major initiatives in value-based care, care model transformation, and community health partnerships.

Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at North Shore–LIJ Health System (now Northwell Health), Nassau Health Care Corporation, Health Plus, and All Metro Health Care. Her work has encompassed care model transformation, provider and payer relations, risk management, and home- and patient-centered service delivery.

Julie earned a Master’s degree in Health Care Administration from Hofstra University. Her leadership reflects a strong commitment to high-quality care, with a focus on expanding access and affordability for all. She serves on the Board of Directors for EPIC Long Island, supporting programs for individuals with epilepsy, developmental disabilities, and mental health challenges, and is a member of the Energeia Partnership, a regional leadership academy dedicated to solving Long Island’s most pressing challenges.

An alumna of Brooklyn College and 14 years at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Ann combines academic rigor with extensive hands-on expertise. As the newly appointed Chief Information Officer at Damian, Ann is focused on driving technological innovation to elevate the organization’s impact on the communities served and reach new heights of excellence.

Outside of work, Ann is a dedicated mother of four, a proud grandmother, and she finds balance as a fitness enthusiast.