About

Dr. Alyssa J Mancini is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Medicine at Stony Brook Internists - Endocrinology, located in Lake Grove, NY. She specializes in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, and is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in both Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (2025) and Internal Medicine (2021). Dr. Mancini completed her fellowship at Stony Brook University Medical Center in 2025, her residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 2021, and earned her medical degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 2018. She accepts a variety of insurance plans and provides care for adult patients aged 21-65 and older adults over 65.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Pediatrics
• Internal medicine
• Intensive care medicine
• Medical emergency
• Family medicine
• Anesthesia

Selected publications

• Multi-center study of long-term evolution of neuroimaging findings in PHACE syndrome

  European Journal of Paediatric Neurology · 2026-02-07

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Using the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) Checklist at the Exercise Level to Assess the Completeness of Exercise Reporting: A Methodological Review

  JOSPT Methods · 2025-09-15 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: To evaluate exercise reporting completeness at the exercise level using the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) checklist (a guideline for reporting of exercise trials, consisting of 19 items), explore the partial-credit versus traditional full-credit models of scoring completeness, and assess the reliability of scoring methods. DESIGN: Methodological review of randomized clinical trials. LITERATURE SEARCH: Eight databases were searched for trials investigating exercise for subacromial pain syndrome, published between January 2021 and February 2024. STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA: Trials examining exercise in treatment and comparator arms for subacromial pain syndrome were included. Of 25 eligible studies, 10 were randomly selected for analysis. DATA SYNTHESIS: Each exercise was scored using a modified CERT, employing a partial-credit model. Exercise-level mean scores were calculated for each study and compared to traditional study-level scores. Proportions of completeness and interrater reliability were calculated for each CERT item. RESULTS: The mean CERT total score of 7.3/20 using a partial-credit model (0, 0.5, or 1 point) across all exercises demonstrates inadequate exercise reporting, with lower scores indicating incomplete reporting. Traditional scoring (0 or 1 point) applied at the exercise level (using recoding) resulted in a judgment of less complete reporting, with a mean CERT score of 3.7/20, while traditional study-level scoring suggested more complete reporting (8.7/19). Reliability (kappa) was improved with partial-credit (mean k = 0.54) versus traditional study-level scoring (mean k = 0.29). CONCLUSION: Exercise-level CERT scoring with a partial-credit model details gaps in reporting and limitations of the traditional study-level scoring. This somewhat labor-intensive approach provides a more accurate and reliable assessment of exercise reporting completeness. JOSPT Methods 2025;1(3):102-112. Epub 15 September 2025. doi:10.2519/josptmethods.2025.0004

  PublisherDOI

• Patient-Perceived Benefits and Adverse Events of Dry Needling

  International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy · 2025-08-31 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background: Dry needling (DN) has emerged as a safe and effective physical therapy technique to address neuromusculoskeletal pain and dysfunctions; however, a gap in the literature exists regarding the experience from the patient's perspective, with most studies focusing on clinician-reported outcomes. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate patients' perspectives of self-reported adverse events and clinical outcomes from DN within the first 24 hours following the technique. Study Design: Cross-sectional retrospective study. Methods: From April to May 2022, 123 participants were recruited through word of mouth, university-wide emails, and social media to complete an electronic survey. Inclusion criteria included those >18 years of age and who had received DN in the prior three months by a licensed physical therapist. The survey consisted of three sections: knowledge and experience with DN, location and perceived effects of DN, and participant demographics. Perceived effects focused on localized (e.g., pain, soreness, bruising) and generalized adverse events (e.g., shortness of breath, fatigue, fever), as well as outcomes (pain, gait, strength, mobility). Descriptive statistics were used for participant demographics and item responses. Results: One hundred twenty-three participants completed the electronic survey (77.2% aged 18-50 years; 53.7% female). Soreness (52.0%) and pain (33.0%) were the most reported localized adverse events. Fatigue (21.7%) and headache (15.4%) were the most reported generalized adverse events. Following DN, patient-reported improvements in pain occurred in 73.8% of the selected body regions, while improved mobility occurred in 70.6%, improved strength in 38.5%, and improved gait in 46.2%. Conclusion: Practitioners who utilize DN have a responsibility to communicate the possible benefits and adverse events post-DN. At least one localized event was reported in over 80% of the cases and one generalized adverse event in 40%, while positive improvements in pain or physical impairment occurred 38.5-73.8% of the time. Taken together, patients' self-reported benefits and adverse events in response to DN should both be carefully considered and discussed by practitioners when making clinical decisions about its use as a therapeutic intervention. Level of Evidence: 3.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 44: Capillary Malformation-Arteriovenous Malformation Syndrome: Proposed Consensus Guidelines

  Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2025-03-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Cutaneous Nodules in an Infant from Uganda: A Rare, Vaccine-Associated Complication

  The Journal of Pediatrics · 2025-03-29 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Delay in diagnosis and undertreatment of lichen sclerosus in pediatric male patients: A retrospective case series

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2024-08-24

  article
  PublisherDOI

• When life imitates data: Failing patients with language barriers

  Pediatric Dermatology · 2024-05-14

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  In the United States, Census Bureau data notes that over 25 million Americans report speaking English less than “very well” at home.1 Many of these Americans rely upon limited English skills and interpreters to interact with the medical care system. In healthcare settings with language discordance between providers and patients, studies have shown reduced patient comprehension and satisfacation.2 Non-English speaking families in pediatric emergency departments may have lower trust in their physician, despite no difference in trust scores seen across sex or ethnicity.3 Sometimes systems-level data are too impersonal to truly display the impact these disparities have upon the daily lives of patients. Here, we illustrate one example in a non-English speaking patient who had an appointment in our dermatology clinic for a complex new diagnosis requiring significant trust and care from their medical team. This vignette highlights how significant language barriers can be, even in less acute settings. We also discuss broader implications and briefly touch upon potential solutions for language barriers across medical care in the United States. Our dermatology patient had a scheduled appointment at 9:15 AM in the pediatric dermatology clinic (Table 1), located on the third floor of our main hospital. The Dari-speaking family was unable to locate the clinic and walked instead to the second floor to ask the Emergency Department (ED) triage desk for help in locating the dermatology clinic. There, they were triaged as a patient requiring ED evaluation. There is no record of interpreter use by the triage nurse. They were processed and roomed by 10:08 AM, and initially seen by an attending physician at 10:31 AM. Photos of the skin condition were captured into the electronic medical record around 10:55 AM. The situation was eventually sorted out with a Dari interpreter and the family was discharged from the ED at 11:35 AM and directed to dermatology. The patient was subsequently roomed in the dermatology clinic around 1:30 PM. Multiple family members present with the patient spent nearly the entire day in the hospital. It is easy to see direct costs to the system, the patient, and the provider from underutilization of interpreter services, leading to poor communication, misunderstanding, and misdirection. More than 4 h of the family's time was wasted, an unnecessary ED visit was completed, and the dermatology clinic provider had to reschedule and shift patients, resulting in delays for other scheduled patients. Given the complexity of this patient's diagnosis, they will require multiple visits with many providers, and experiences like the one described can erode trust in the medical field.4 Fortunately, these problems can be addressed. We know that professional interpreters improve patient satisfaction and outcomes.5 Families with limited English proficiency report greater satisfaction with their care when a professional interpreter service, remote or in-person, is used.5 And the outcomes when a professional interpreter is not used can be catastrophic. A well-known example is a paramedic's misinterpretation of the Spanish “intoxicado” as “intoxicated” rather than the intended meaning of “nauseated.” The result of this miscommunication was a child with several days of a missed ruptured brain aneurysm as physicians instead pursued a diagnosis of drug overdose, resulting in permanent brain damage.6 When caring for a family with limited or absent English literacy, an appropriate interpreter is vital. Despite this knowledge, access to and use of interpreters remains an issue. A 2016 analysis of 4514 hospitals across the United States found that only 68.8% of hospitals offered language services, despite federal mandates that require federally funded health care institutions to provide language services to patients with limited English proficiency.7 These mandates are based in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and have most recently been reinforced by Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prevent discrimination and require provision of language services by institutions, including hospitals, receiving federal funds. Not-for-profit private hospitals are substantially more likely to offer language services (70.2%) than private for-profit hospitals (18.6%).7 A lack of access to resources may contribute in some settings as well, with a study of 216 non-federally funded safety-net clinics in the United States finding the vast majority reporting limited access to in-person, phone, or video interpreter services.8 Re-allocation of resources both within and across institutions to invest in these services will allow individual providers access to them when they are inevitably needed. On an individual level, there is unfortunately lower-than-ideal uptake of interpreters even when available. A study of qualitative interviews with 20 internal medicine residents at hospitals with “excellent interpreter services” found that participants knew they underused interpreters, and that they used them less in the setting of what they perceived to be less complex or important information.9 This underuse was “normalized,” despite the recognition that it resulted in suboptimal care. Although this study was published in 2009, underutilization of interpreters is an ongoing problem, with a recent (2023) analysis of nurses, pharmacists, and physicians finding that “lack of time” was a common reason cited to avoid using formal interpreters.10 As might be expected, interpreter use is especially underutilized in environments where time is perceived to be a vital issue, such as the emergency department. A retrospective analysis of pediatric emergency visits found interpreter use for non-English preferred families was only 45%.9 It is challenging to address these root issues. For appropriate care of patients with limited English proficiency, a multilevel approach must ensure that: (1) interpreters are available at the systems level; (2) interpreters are utilized by all members of the medical care team from the front desk to the providers; and (3) interpreters are of sufficient quality to ensure accurate communication. Even when interpreters are available, it can be hard to achieve the motivation to take the extra step when one can “get by” without one, especially for simpler medical scenarios, even among members of the medical team who no doubt care deeply about their patients. But, as we can see from the patient example presented here, even in situations that may appear simple such as basic triage for a patient presenting in error to the ED, the full utilization of a professional interpreter is merited. Mistakes may result in ramifications as simple as wasted time, or as complex as life-threatening medical errors. We can target this with interventions and quality improvement projects, but efforts need to be fully inclusive of all medical personnel, not just physicians and other providers. Interventions also need to go beyond reminding health care teams to use interpreters, as even when members of the healthcare team knew they were being videorecorded as part of the research, professional interpreters were not used for the majority of interactions.11 Of note, this was particularly true for nurses and consulting physicians, illustrating the need to involve the whole medical team with these efforts.11 Given the improved quality of care and the reduction in errors interpreters provide, with 1 in 40 malpractice claims related to inadequate interpreter use, the importance of these interventions and quality improvement projects cannot be overstated.12, 13 Our family returned to clinic 1 month later for further management of their complex condition and followed through with all diagnostic and treatment recommendations. They were personally escorted by our dermatology clinic nurse to their visit that day, to help ensure their timely arrival and to help restore confidence in our medical system. All subsequent touchpoints with our hospital providers and staff included appropriate utilization of a Dari interpreter, and our patient is doing well early in the course of therapy. With coordinated and consistent effort, situations such as the one our family experienced (and others which may have poorer outcomes) can be avoided. This will require a dedicated effort by not only providers, but also broader changes on a systemic level and continued governmental efforts and support to obtain enduring change for this vulnerable patient population. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Atopic Dermatitis in Children

  Pediatric Annals · 2024-04-01 · 5 citations

  articleSenior author

  Atopic dermatitis (AD) is extremely common in the pediatric population, and most children with AD will first present to their primary care provider (PCP). The PCP can recognize AD by its clinical features, including itch, a chronic relapsing course, and the characteristic eruption. The cornerstone of AD therapy is dry skin care, typically a short daily bath/shower followed by an emollient applied to all skin. Most children with AD will also require topical medications, such as topical corticosteroids and/or topical nonsteroidal therapies. For children with more severe disease, systemic agents, including several novel therapies, may be required. In managing AD, the clinician must monitor for side effects of medications as well as complications of the AD itself, the most common of which is secondary infection. An understanding of the pathogenesis, treatments, and complications of AD is essential for the PCP, as untreated (or undertreated) AD has a significant impact on the quality of life of affected children and their caregivers. [ Pediatr Ann . 2024;53(4):e121–e128.]

  PublisherDOI

• Multicenter Study of Long-Term Outcomes and Quality of Life in PHACE Syndrome after Age 10

  The Journal of Pediatrics · 2024-01-11 · 11 citations

  articleOpen access

  Objective To characterize long-term outcomes of PHACE Syndrome Study Design Multicenter study with cross-sectional interviews and chart review of individuals with definite PHACE syndrome ≥10 years of age. Data from charts were collected across multiple PHACE-related topics. Data not available in charts were collected from patients directly. Likert scales were used to assess the impact of specific findings. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scales were used to assess quality-of-life domains. Results A total of 104/153 (68%) individuals contacted participated in the study at a median of 14 years of age (range 10 -77 years). There were infantile hemangioma (IH) residua in 94.1%. Approximately half had received laser treatment for residual IH, and the majority (89.5%) of participants were satisfied or very satisfied with the appearance. Neurocognitive manifestations were common including headaches/migraines (72.1%), participant-reported learning differences (45.1%), and need for individualized education plans (39.4%). Cerebrovascular arteriopathy was present in 91.3%, with progression identified in 20/68 (29.4%) of those with available follow-up imaging reports. Among these, 6/68 (8.8%) developed moyamoya vasculopathy or progressive stenoocclusion, leading to isolated circulation at or above the level of the circle of Willis. Despite the prevalence of cerebrovascular arteriopathy, the proportion of those with ischemic stroke was low (2/104; 1.9%). PROMIS global health scores were lower than population norms by at least 1 standard deviation. Conclusions PHACE syndrome is associated with long-term, mild to severe morbidities including IH residua, headaches, learning differences, and progressive arteriopathy. Primary and specialty follow-up care is critical for PHACE patients into adulthood. To characterize long-term outcomes of PHACE Syndrome Multicenter study with cross-sectional interviews and chart review of individuals with definite PHACE syndrome ≥10 years of age. Data from charts were collected across multiple PHACE-related topics. Data not available in charts were collected from patients directly. Likert scales were used to assess the impact of specific findings. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scales were used to assess quality-of-life domains. A total of 104/153 (68%) individuals contacted participated in the study at a median of 14 years of age (range 10 -77 years). There were infantile hemangioma (IH) residua in 94.1%. Approximately half had received laser treatment for residual IH, and the majority (89.5%) of participants were satisfied or very satisfied with the appearance. Neurocognitive manifestations were common including headaches/migraines (72.1%), participant-reported learning differences (45.1%), and need for individualized education plans (39.4%). Cerebrovascular arteriopathy was present in 91.3%, with progression identified in 20/68 (29.4%) of those with available follow-up imaging reports. Among these, 6/68 (8.8%) developed moyamoya vasculopathy or progressive stenoocclusion, leading to isolated circulation at or above the level of the circle of Willis. Despite the prevalence of cerebrovascular arteriopathy, the proportion of those with ischemic stroke was low (2/104; 1.9%). PROMIS global health scores were lower than population norms by at least 1 standard deviation. PHACE syndrome is associated with long-term, mild to severe morbidities including IH residua, headaches, learning differences, and progressive arteriopathy. Primary and specialty follow-up care is critical for PHACE patients into adulthood.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Midfacial toddler excoriation syndrome (MiTES): case series, diagnostic criteria and evidence for a pathogenic mechanism

  British Journal of Dermatology · 2024-04-09 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: PRDM12 polyalanine tract expansions cause two different disorders: midfacial toddler excoriation syndrome (MiTES; itch with normal pain sensation associated with 18 homozygous alanines (18A); and congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) with normal itch associated with 19 homozygous alanines (19A). Knowledge of the phenotype, genotype and disease mechanism of MiTES is incomplete. Why 18A vs. 19A PRDM12 can cause almost opposite phenotypes is unknown; no other polyalanine or polyglutamine tract expansion disease causes two such disparate phenotypes. OBJECTIVES: To assess the genotype and phenotype of nine new, nine atypical and six previously reported patients diagnosed with MiTES. METHODS: Using cell lines with homozygous PR domain zinc finger protein 12 (PRDM12) containing 12 alanines (12A; normal), 18A (MiTES) and 19A (CIP), we examined PRDM12 aggregation and subcellular localization by image-separation confocal microscopy and subcellular fractionation Western blotting. RESULTS: MiTES presents in the first year of life; in all cases the condition regresses over the first decade, leaving scarring. The MiTES phenotype is highly distinctive. Features overlapping with PRDM12 CIP are rarely found. The genotype-phenotype study of the PRDM12 polyalanine tract shows that having 7-15 alanines is normal; 16-18 alanines is associated with MiTES; 19 alanines leads to CIP; and no clinically atypical cases of MiTES had a polyalanine tract expansion. PRDM12 aggregation and subcellular localization differed significantly between 18A and normal 12A cell lines and between 18A and 19A cell lines. MiTES is a new protein-aggregation disease. CONCLUSIONS: We provide diagnostic criteria for MiTES and improved longitudinal data. MiTES and CIP are distinct phenotypes, despite their genotypes varying by a single alanine in the PRDM12 polyalanine tract. We found clear distinctions between the cellular phenotypes of normal, MiTES and CIP cells. We hypothesize that the developmental environment of the trigeminal ganglion is unique and critically sensitive to pre- and postnatal levels of PRDM12.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Sarah L. Chamlin

  Lurie Children's Hospital

  169 shared

• Daniel P. Krowchuk

  American Academy of Pediatrics

  127 shared

• Amy S. Paller

  Northwestern University

  124 shared

• Ilona J. Frieden

  University of California, San Francisco

  106 shared

• Beth A. Drolet

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  50 shared

• Anita N. Haggstrom

  Indiana University School of Medicine

  47 shared

• María C. Garzon

  42 shared

• Denise W. Metry

  Texas Children's Hospital

  40 shared

Labs

• Mancini - Stony Brook MedicinePI

Education

• M.D.

  Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

  2018

• Other, IM-Endo/Diab/Metab

  Stony Brook University Medical Center

  2025