A Need For A Change
Coralis Health was created to solve two major problems – extraordinarily long wait times and a shortage of highly trained and experienced professionals.
There are approximately 19 million children with mental, emotional, and behavioral concerns in the U.S. alone, and average wait times for diagnostic consultations can be months to years. These lengthy wait times cause unnecessary emotional distress on children that need critical services, and on family members searching desperately to help their loved ones.
At the same time, fewer doctors are going into the specialty fields of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, causing families to struggle to find appropriate specialists. They often have to travel to other cities or states to find a physician to provide the services that their child needs to thrive.
The problem is compounded further by the lack of extensive training in child development and behavioral health among front-line primary care providers. Taken together, these issues have not only created a huge void and lack of knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of neurodivergent and disabled youth, but have caused “burn out” among an ever-increasing number of physicians who are trying to help. Our current system is failing the children, their families, and our healthcare providers.
Enter Coralis Health
Coralis Health aims to be the solution to these problems. By providing timely diagnostic evaluations, connections to services, access to highly trained and experienced providers via our comprehensive network, and education for families and primary care providers, we hope to fill this gap in care.
How It Works
Membership Has Many Benefits
Users of our platform will have access to our vast database of providers and educational information using our app and our website. This is the only available network that is comprehensive and easy to use. You can search for a provider based on location, specialty, expertise, telehealth versus in-person visits, payment options, and wait time.
Consultations with Coralis Health are provided by highly trained Developmental Behavioral Pediatricians, Psychologists, and Psychiatrists, selected to meet specific needs. Visits with providers will primarily be telehealth, with some in-person options available.
Users will receive care coordination services by both in app and compassionate human support. After a consultation is completed via our patient portal, these coordination services will work with each family to review recommendations made, and match them with the right providers and services needed. They will also assist families during transition from adolescent care to adult providers.
Users of our platform will have access to our vast database of providers and educational information using our app and our website. This is the only available network that is comprehensive and easy to use. You can search for a provider based on location, specialty, expertise, telehealth versus in-person visits, payment options, and wait time.
Consultations with Coralis Health are provided by highly trained Developmental Behavioral Pediatricians, Psychologists, and Psychiatrists, selected to meet specific needs. Visits with providers will primarily be telehealth, with some in-person options available.
Users will receive care coordination services by both in app and compassionate human support. After a consultation is completed via our patient portal, these coordination services will work with each family to review recommendations made, and match them with the right providers and services needed. They will also assist families during transition from adolescent care to adult providers.
The Coralis Health Story
Ayesha Cheema-Hasan, MD
CEO and Founder, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician
Angelica Robles, MD
CMO and Co-Founder, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician
The idea for Coralis Health was first conceived by Dr. Ayesha Cheema-Hasan in 2021, initially as a brick-and-mortar establishment that would provide exceptional world-class, evidence-based care in Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics. Dr. Cheema-Hasan decided to rethink the idea after she returned to the U.S. from working overseas in China and Abu Dhabi in 2022. She realized that not much had changed with the current system – children and their caregivers were still waiting from 9 months to 2 years to get a diagnosis and answers to questions, if they were lucky to connect with providers at all. Too many families were unsure of where they should go, or where they could get information to help their loved ones.
Her transatlantic move, and the pandemic, made her realize that it was important to adapt her plan to reach and help as many families as possible – something that she had already been doing for the past five years; consulting, connecting and educating in different countries.
At the same time, Dr. Angelica Robles had spent several years in clinical practice. While she loved the work and helping families with children with developmental differences, she knew that the current system to help families in need was simply not sustainable. The outdated system was not only failing children and their families, but also burning out the healthcare professionals caring for them. Even with her staunch dedication to the field, and her love for her patients, she was feeling the pressure of a crumbling system.
Dr. Cheema-Hasan and Dr. Robles initially crossed paths during their training and fellowship at Brown University. Dr. Cheema-Hasan graduated a couple of years ahead and they went their separate ways, but a chance meeting brought them together in the spring of 2022. After reconnecting, and much discussion, they both realized that, while their journeys had taken them down separate paths, their goals and vision for the future were in perfect alignment. The idea for an app-based program to help families connect with providers, and an education-centric website to help educate caregivers and other physicians was cemented, and Coralis Health, LLC was founded.
They realized that despite the need for physicians to work in this area, few do, creating a lack of qualified mental health providers. This caused Dr. Cheema-Hasan and Dr. Robles to come to a staggering realization – that all the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Developmental Pediatricians in total, would not be able to tackle this problem on their own in their lifetime! This lack of specialists was also putting increasing pressure on primary care providers, who are often the first point of contact to help families affected by autism and developmental disabilities. Something had to be done to mitigate this looming mental health crisis, and the solution had to include primary care providers. With this in mind, they set a goal to help all physicians, especially primary care providers, build skills that can be utilized directly in most provider’s offices.
Dr. Cheema-Hasan’s and Dr. Robles’s collective vision and mission harmonized, leading to a partnership that fulfills their lifelong commitment to helping children with developmental differences and mental health concerns. Together, they will be unrelenting in their work to accomplish this goal.
Meet Our Team
Ayesha Cheema-Hasan, MD,
Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Cheema-Hasan is a Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician residing in Chicago. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Adjunct) at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University.
She completed her pediatric training at Washington University in St. Louis, and worked as a general pediatrician and clinical instructor at Connecticut Children’s Hospital for many years.
In 2013 she decided to pursue training in her field of interest and completed a 3-year fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics from Brown University. She would drive 65 miles one way daily with her 4 children for her fellowship training – a testament to her passion and dedication to her work in the field of developmental pediatrics. During her fellowship she was the sole recipient of the 2015 Society for Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP) Young Investigator Research Award.
After completing her training, Dr. Cheema-Hasan joined her husband in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. She practiced at the American Center in Abu Dhabi and was involved in research and clinical services at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. She also traveled to Shenzhen, China, where she served as the Chief Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician in charge of program development and clinical services at LIH-Olivia’s Place.
Dr. Cheema-Hasan has presented both in the U.S. and internationally, and has held leadership positions in the SDBP. She is passionate about advocacy and early childhood development (ECD), and enjoys teaching developmental behavioral pediatrics to the new generation of pediatricians.
She serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) first global ECD advisory committee for Kenya and Tanzania, and as a technical advisor for AAP’s ECD project with the Royal Health Awareness Society in Jordan. She is also a technical advisor to the collaborative ECD project between AAP and the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority.
Her work internationally on emergency preparedness and disaster management, with a focus on children, has been featured online by HRSA/MCHB and Hasbro Children’s Hospital/Rhode Island hospital.
Angelica Robles, MD,
Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician,
Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Robles specializes in child development, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and ADHD. She completed her pediatric training at Albany Medical Center. After she completed her 3-year Developmental and Behavioral Pediatric fellowship at Brown University, Dr. Robles moved to practice in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dr. Robles provides in-depth evaluations and guidance to families, focusing on family-centered care. She prides herself on building strong relationships with her patients and families in order to help them achieve their fullest potential. Dr. Robles is passionate about teaching and sharing her knowledge with primary care doctors and providers. She created a private Facebook group that includes Q&A, resource lists, and educational content, so that other providers can develop their knowledge and skills in caring for this growing population.
Her outstanding devotion to the care of neurodivergent and disabled children and their families earned her being named a Castle Connolly’s and Charlotte Magazine’s Top Doctor in 2021 and 2022.
Starrina Gianelloni, DO,
Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician
Dr. Gianelloni is a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician whose focus is to provide accurate diagnostic evaluations for families of children with special healthcare needs. She is passionate about helping neurodiverse children obtain equitable access to the support services they need. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Adjunct) at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University and serves as faculty for the University of Alaska at Anchorage’s Learning and Education in Neurodevelopment program.
Dr. Gianelloni completed her pediatric residency at LSU New Orleans. She then spent 7 years overseas with the United States Air Force in Japan and Italy serving as a General Pediatrician and a Developmental Extender before completing her fellowship training. She completed Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics training at Brown University in Rhode Island. She now resides in Alaska where she continues to serve as a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician.
Dr. Gianelloni provides in-depth, family focused, telehealth developmental consultations for children aged 2-10 years in Rhode Island. She plans to expand services to Alaskan families in late 2023.
Philip Allessi
Educational Psychologist,
Mental Health Counselor
Philip Allessi is a licensed educational psychologist and licensed mental health counselor, with over 20 years of experience working in the fields of mental health and education.
Philip has worked in inpatient hospital settings, partial hospitalization, outpatient and school settings. Philip has been a professor of educational psychology at Rhode Island College and William James College, teaching classes on counseling, educational assessment and child psychopathology.
Philip is also a certified Power Yoga instructor. He has presented at national conferences both in fields of school psychology and psychotherapy. Philip enjoys using mindfulness-based strategies to help individuals develop self-regulatory skills to manage emotions and executive functioning challenges.
Kristi Troutman, OTR/L,
Occupational Therapist,
Care Coordinator
Kristi Troutman is an occupational therapist, with over 30 years of experience working in direct care and leadership roles in a variety of settings. She completed her occupational therapy training at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania in 1990. Kristi has specialized in providing pediatric care for the last 24 years. She has worked in early intervention, multidisciplinary clinics, community based programs, and schools in the US and internationally. She has extensive experience in working with children, families, educators and care providers across three continents. She has lived in the United States, China and the Netherlands.
Kristi holds a strong belief that components of development cannot be addressed in isolation, and it is vital to support development of the WHOLE child through connections and collaborations with children, families, care providers, educators and other key supports and services in each child’s life. During her career, she has presented internationally to parents, educators, medical and other care providers. She promotes support and education for families and has spearheaded ongoing opportunities for professional collaboration among other internationally-based occupational therapists.
Kristi is passionate about promoting growth, education and advocacy for children and families. She is excited to provide coordination of care and to develop effective partnerships with families and care providers.
K. Rose Zarnowski, SLPD, CCC-SLP, IBCLC
Speech-Language Pathologist,
Care Coordinator
K. Rose Zarnowski, known by her patients as “Rose,” is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) that has practiced for several years in OR, AZ, FL and AK. Rose’s areas of focus are in Adult Neuro-Oncology and Pediatric Neurodevelopment. She is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
Rose was born and raised in Washington state, where she has roots in outdoor activities like rock climbing and hiking. Rose enjoys spending time with her husband Ryan, Golden Retriever Maverick, and Lynx-Siamese Oscar.
Practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Rose strives for optimal patient outcomes in all manners possible. Further education and certifications, such as her SLPD and IBCLC, have played critical roles in Rose providing holistic care.
“Enveloping myself closely within community involvement and interactions with all collaborative care team members has flexed my knowledge and understanding, so I may provide ideal systematic care. Working at the most intimate levels of care has given me a deep appreciation and humility throughout my journey as a Speech-Language Pathologist.”
We are excited to have Rose join our team as a care coordinator. Her experience and attentiveness as an SLP will be invaluable to our families!
