Faculty & Staff

Bernadine Gagnon, MS, CCC-SLP has been a supervisor at the Edward D. Mysak Clinic for Communication Disorders since Fall 2004, moving into the position of Chief Clinical Supervisor in the Fall 2005, and into the current position of Clinic Director in Fall 2024. Bernadine has been in the health profession for over fifteen years, with nursing being her first profession.  She later graduated magna cum laude from SUNY Stony Brook with dual majors in Linguistics and Biology and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language.  After teaching ESL in public schools, as well as university settings, she received her MS degree in speech and language pathology from Teachers College in 2001 and worked in various health care settings before joining our staff. Bernadine's clinical experiences range across the lifespan from infants and toddlers through geriatrics.  Primary clinical interests are pediatric feeding and swallowing and working with adult patients with neurogenic speech and language disorders.  Bernadine has published in peer reviewed journals and speaks at conferences nationally. In addition to her role as Chief Clinical Supervisor, Bernadine oversees the Aphasia Clinic within the Edward D. Mysak Clinic for Communication Disorders. The Aphasia Clinic provides therapy for up to 80 patients monthly in our Monday and Saturday Aphasia Programs.

Paula V Pineda, M.S., CCC-SLP, TSSLD-BE (Spanish) received her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Adelphi University in 2011, and is currently pursuing her Clinical Doctorate at Northwestern University, where she is expected to graduate in March 2023. Paula began her career as a school-based SLP for the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE). For 11 years, she worked with children (K-5) from very diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in a community school in Elmhurst/Jackson Heights, Queens. Throughout her years in the NYC DOE, Paula supervised graduate students during their student teaching experiences and SLPs completing their clinical fellowship. She conducted training sessions for colleagues at the school and district level, as well as parents at the school where she worked. Additionally, Paula has experience as a home-based provider and evaluator, working for the New York State Early Intervention program. She used a family-centered approach during interventions and assessments, and worked closely with families and caregivers to help them identify their unique strengths and areas/goals they wanted to work on. In addition to her role as Chief Clinical Supervisor at the Mysak CLinic, Paula teaches the School Speech-Language Hearing Programs, a graduate course in the Speech-Language Pathology Program at Teachers College. Paula’s areas of focus are working with culturally and linguistically diverse children and families, multicultural/bilingual issues in communication disorders, engaging in culturally responsive practices, and using a family-centered approach to interventions and assessments. Paula is passionate about increasing representation in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders and working closely with graduate students to help them develop the tools and skills needed to feel confident when providing assessments and interventions to diverse populations. She volunteers at a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocate for diversity within the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders to better serve our communities.

Jonathan Jolivette, MS CCC-SLP LSLS Cert. AVT is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in helping clients diagnosed with hearing loss develop listening and spoken language skills. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Houston in 2013, he then earned a Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015. After graduation, he joined The Auditory-Verbal Center in Atlanta, Georgia, a clinic that focuses on serving clients diagnosed with hearing loss. In 2018 he earned the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist designation. In addition to his general interest in helping clients diagnosed with hearing loss, he has a specific interest in understanding the impact of hearing loss on literacy development among children diagnosed with hearing loss.

Alina Lipkin Makhinson, SLPD CCC-SLP is a pediatric speech-language pathologist for over 13 years, with experience working in private practices, school districts, and home settings.  Alina received her Master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Montclair State University in 2011, and earned her SLPD doctorate from Kean University in 2023. She is experienced in a wide array of pediatric speech and language disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, social-skills, receptive and expressive language disorders, articulation, fluency, voice, resonance and family counseling. Her research interests lie in rare craniofacial disorders, including treatment of voice and articulation related to structurally compromised facial anatomy and upper airways.  Alina is bilingual in Russian and is passionate about providing holistically driven and culturally sensitive pediatric therapy. Alina lives in Westfield, New Jersey with her husband and 4-year-old daughter.  

With 15 years of experience in the medical field and customer service, I am a Bronx native eager to contribute my skills and vibrant personality to the Mysak Clinic.  My passion lies in delivering compassionate care and ensuring a positive experience for every client. I believe that exceptional patient experiences foster trust and compliance, ultimately enhancing health outcomes. By combining empathy with effective communication, I strive to create meaningful connections that go beyond mere transactions, making every interaction memorable and impactful.