Uptown Pediatrics · 1245 Park Ave, Upper East Side
Upper East Side pediatricians who know your kids by name.
At Uptown Pediatrics, you’re more than a name on a chart. As an independent, physician-owned practice, we take the time to know your child and family, and that personal connection shapes the care we provide. When questions come up, you can reach us easily through our patient portal, speak with one of our doctors 24/7 for emergencies, and get your child seen for a Saturday sick visit when needed. You get the convenience and responsiveness families want, with doctors who know your child and care about your family.
- Caring for NYC kids since
- 1985
- Doctor on call
- 24/7
- Parent reviews
- 4.5

Walk-in sick visits
Mon – Fri, 9:30 am – 3 pm. No appointment needed.

Patient Portal
Message your doctor, check labs and vaccine records, and upload forms, 24/7.
Open the portal
Pay My Bill
Securely pay your balance online in a minute or two.
Pay online
Become a Patient
New to Uptown Pediatrics? Email us to set up a first visit, or call us at 212-427-0540.
Email us
Patient Forms
Registration, consent, records requests, and psychiatry intake, ready to print.
Get the formsMeet the team
Manhattan pediatricians who've watched generations grow up
Some of our families now bring their own kids to the doctors who cared for them. That's the kind of continuity we're proud of.

John Larsen, MD
Pediatrics · Pediatric Infectious Disease
In the office Mon · Wed · Fri
With the practice since 1985, Dr. Larsen is the office expert on pediatric infectious disease and dermatology.
Meet Dr. Larsen
Beth Cohen, MD
Pediatrics
In the office Tue · Wed · Thu
At Uptown Pediatrics since 1989, Dr. Cohen went straight into private practice because she “absolutely loves children.”
Meet Dr. Cohen
Ivanya Landon Alpert, MD
Pediatrics · Adolescent Medicine
In the office Mon · Tue · Thu · Fri
Fellowship-trained in adolescent medicine and recognized as a top NY doctor by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly.
Meet Dr. Alpert
Michelle L. Klein, MD
Pediatrics · Pediatric Endocrinology
In the office Tue · Wed · Fri
Fellowship-trained pediatric endocrinologist focused on growth, thyroid disease, and pubertal development.
Meet Dr. Klein
Jennifer Cerasoli, MD
Pediatrics
In the office Mon · Tue · Thu
Former Pediatric Chief Resident at Mount Sinai with a special interest in child advocacy and developmental disabilities.
Meet Dr. Cerasoli
Vickie Wu, MD
Pediatrics · Pediatric Endocrinology
In the office Mon · Tue · Thu
Native New Yorker and Mount Sinai-trained pediatric endocrinologist with interests in growth, precocious puberty, and obesity.
Meet Dr. Wu
Divya Hoon, MD
Pediatrics · Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · Psychiatry
In the office Mon · Wed · Thu · Fri
Board certified in pediatrics, psychiatry, child & adolescent psychiatry with expertise in anxiety, depression, ADHD, postpartum mood.
Meet Dr. Hoon
Emese Szirtes, RN, IBCLC
Pediatric Nursing · Lactation Counseling
Known to families as Nurse Mesi (mè-shee), our nursing supervisor and in-house breastfeeding expert since 2006.
Meet Nurse MesiFound your doctor?
Why families choose Uptown Pediatrics
Concierge-level care, with the insurance you already have.
Families who join us from other practices often notice the difference right away. We’re an independent practice, not a hospital or corporate chain, so we can offer the kind of personal care that’s increasingly hard to find: quick responses, easy access to your pediatrician, and a team that truly knows your child and family. We believe exceptional, personalized care should be accessible to everyone, and we accept a wide range of insurance plans.
Independent & physician-owned
No hospital system or corporation owns us. Our doctors run the practice, so decisions about your child's care are made by the people who know your child.
You'll know your doctor
You see the same doctor at every checkup, and most sick visits too. We know your kids well, and they know us.
Here when you need us
Portal messages answered throughout the day, one of our own doctors on call 24/7, walk-in and Saturday sick visits. We never turn away our patients: if the schedule is full, we make room.
Specialists under one roof
Adolescent medicine, endocrinology, infectious disease, and psychiatry down the hall from your pediatrician. Easy coordination, no months-long waits.
Support for new parents
Prenatal visits, Mount Sinai nursery rounds, in-office lactation help from Nurse Mesi, and postpartum mood screening with a psychiatrist on our team.
A kid-friendly office
Our staff love kids as much as our doctors do. Some of our medical assistants have been with us for decades, and they know your children by name.
A practice that feels like family
When your child walks in, our team knows them and makes them feel at home. If you call in the middle of the night, you speak with one of our own doctors, not a nurse at a far-away call center. Many families have been with us for generations: today's parents were once our patients.
Why families choose us- Same doctor at every checkup
- Our own doctors on call 24/7
- Portal messages answered throughout the day
- We never turn away our patients
- Shared decisions, not just prescriptions

Academic medicine, close to home
Independent, with Mount Sinai behind us. The best of both worlds.
All of our doctors are Mount Sinai faculty, and we work closely with specialists there to coordinate your child’s care when needed. Because we’re independently owned, we can also connect you with the right specialist anywhere in New York City. Our office is a national model for pediatric medical education, where medical students and residents learn evidence-based medicine alongside the kind of personal, family-centered care that has always defined our practice.
- Faculty at Mount Sinai School of Medicine
- Newborn nursery rounds at Mount Sinai
- Free to refer to the top specialists at any hospital in NY
- Medical students & residents train with us
Care & specialties
Pediatric primary care and specialists, under one roof
Primary care for every age, plus pediatric specialists most NYC families wait months to see at a hospital.

Birth through adolescence
Pediatric Primary Care
Checkups, vaccines, and same-day sick visits with pediatricians who get to know your family for years.
Learn more
Teens & young adults
Adolescent Medicine
Confidential, respectful care for teenagers from a fellowship-trained adolescent medicine specialist, with mental health support from our in-house psychiatrist.
Learn more
Growth, hormones & puberty
Pediatric Endocrinology
Two Mount Sinai-trained pediatric endocrinologists for growth, thyroid, puberty, and weight concerns, in the same office as your pediatrician.
Learn more
Complex & recurring infections
Pediatric Infectious Disease
Fellowship-trained infectious disease expertise for tricky, recurring, or unusual infections without a hospital referral.
Learn more
Mental health, in your pediatric home
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Psychiatric evaluations and medication management from a Triple Board-trained psychiatrist who's also a pediatrician.
Learn more
The first weeks
Newborn Care & Lactation Support
A whole newborn and lactation team: prenatal visits, Mount Sinai nursery rounds, a separate newborn waiting area, and in-office breastfeeding help from Nurse Mesi.
Learn moreParent reviews
What Upper East Side families say
Rated 4.5 out of 5 across 112 reviews on Google, Facebook & Citysearch.
“My daughter is 10 now and she's been with Dr. Cerasoli and Dr. Alpert since she was 5 months old. I can't ask for better caring, humble, supportive doctors and personnel. They always listen and don't judge even the minutest fears, and they've been very supportive through our triumphs and special needs. They always go above and beyond for their patients.”
“I have been bringing my daughter to this practice for over 15 years and there is nowhere else I would trust with her care.”
“Dr. Larsen saved my son's life a few years ago when he got a rare form of cellulitis on his foot at camp.”
“I've been taking my daughter here for 3 years to see Dr. Cohen. I've had a great experience at this office and I'm happy to share that! My daughter loves all the toys, books & the fish tank in the waiting room. Very nice people here!”
“I am extremely satisfied and grateful for the pediatricians in this office!”
“I have both my children seen here. Uptown Pediatrics has had my kids since they were 3 days old, and 16 years later we're still here with the same doctors and staff.”
Hours
When you can see us
- Monday – Friday
- 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
- Walk-in sick visits
- Mon – Fri, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm
- Saturday sick visits
- By appointment. Call 10 – 11 am
- Sunday
- Closed. Doctor on call 24/7
No Saturday hours in summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day). Saturday sick visits can't be booked in advance: send a portal message Friday night or call between 10 and 11 am Saturday.
Directions & office infoInsurance
Plans we generally accept
- Aetna
- Cigna
- Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Oxford Freedom
- UnitedHealthcare
- NYS Medicaid
- Healthfirst
Specific plans vary. Call your carrier with our NPI, 1619016854, to confirm we're in-network.
Insurance & billing helpParent guides
Answers from our pediatricians

Baby care
Starting Solids: When and How to Introduce Your Baby's First Foods
When to start solid foods, the signs your baby is ready, which first foods to offer, how to introduce peanut and egg early, and what to avoid before age one. Evidence-based guidance from the pediatricians at Uptown Pediatrics, following the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Baby care
Sleep Training Your Baby: What the Evidence Says (and How to Start)
Is sleep training safe? When to start, the most common methods, what research in the AAP's journal Pediatrics found, and safe sleep basics. A guide from the pediatricians at Uptown Pediatrics on the Upper East Side.

Vaccines
MMR Vaccine and Autism: Busting the Myth with the Evidence
Does the MMR vaccine cause autism? No. Where the myth came from, what studies of millions of children show, why spacing out the MMR isn't safer, and when your child needs each dose. From the pediatricians at Uptown Pediatrics on the Upper East Side.
FAQ
Questions parents ask Uptown Pediatrics
Do you take walk-ins for sick kids?
Yes. Walk-in sick visits are Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, with no appointment needed. If those hours don't work, call or send a portal message and we'll schedule a same-day sick visit at a more convenient time.
Are you open on Saturdays?
Yes, for sick visits, except in summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day). Saturday visits can't be booked ahead. Send a portal message Friday night or call between 10 and 11 am on Saturday to get a time.
What if my child gets sick at night or on a weekend?
One of our own doctors is on call 24/7, not an outside nurse line. Call 212-427-0540, leave a message saying it's urgent, and we'll call you right back. For a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Are you accepting new patients?
Yes. Call 212-427-0540 to get started, and fill out the new patient registration form before your first visit.
What insurance do you accept?
Our doctors are generally in-network with Aetna, Cigna, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Oxford Freedom, UnitedHealthcare, NYS Medicaid, and Healthfirst. Some specific plans within these carriers may not be in-network, so please call your carrier to confirm.
Which hospital are you affiliated with?
All of our doctors have attending privileges at Mount Sinai Hospital and are faculty in the Department of Pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Because we're independent, we can also refer you to specialists elsewhere when that's the best fit.
Ready to join the Uptown Pediatrics family?
We welcome new patients from newborns to teens.
New to Uptown Pediatrics
Email us to become a patient
Tell us your child's age and insurance, and we'll get back to you to set up a first visit.
Email ushello@upnyc.pcc.com · Please leave out symptoms and medical details.
Already a patient
Message us in the patient portal
Send us a message to set up a checkup or follow-up, or to ask your doctor a question. You can also see records there.
Message usSick today? Call for a same-day appointment, or just stop by weekdays 9:30-3.
Prefer to talk? Call us at 212-427-0540