Rehabilitation & Specialized Care Team

Chief Operating Officer

As chief operating officer, Deborah Holson, RN, MSN, CPN, NE-BC, provides leadership and oversight for both the inpatient and outpatient programs, professional services, support services and overall management and leadership support at Children’s National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care at Bunker Hill Road.

She partners with the medical director on a full range of clinical, operational and strategic initiatives with a goal to deliver exceptional care to children with complex medical issues and rehabilitation needs.  She leads and collaborates with an exceptional team of clinical leaders to deliver highly specialized pediatric services. Together with the entire team, there is a determination to provide high quality and safe care to patients and families with a focus on medical stabilization, attainment of rehabilitation goals and preparation for discharge into the community.  

Debbie joined Children’s National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care (formerly The HSC Pediatric Center) in 1993 as a staff nurse with an interest in the ever changing world of healthcare and an innate capacity for leadership. She became vice president of Patient Care Services in 2006 and was appointed chief operating officer in 2015. She is a licensed registered nurse, a certified pediatric nurse and a certified nurse executive. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from The Catholic University of America and a master’s degree in nursing from Walden University with a specialization in leadership and management.

Medical Director

Eugene Suwandhi, MD, FAAP, MMM, began his role as the permanent medical director at Rehabilitation & Specialized Care in July 2024. Born in Indonesia, he completed medical school at the University of Indonesia before moving to the United States for postgraduate training. He completed his pediatric residency at Long Island College Hospital/Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and went on to spend five years serving an underserved community in north Florida – a formative period that deepened his commitment to accessible, high-quality pediatric care.

In 2017, Dr. Suwandhi further strengthened his leadership foundation by earning a Master of Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Over the course of his career, he has cared for children across both inpatient and outpatient settings and has held significant leadership responsibilities in pediatric hospital medicine.

Before joining Children’s National, Dr. Suwandhi served as the director of the Pediatric Hospitalist Service Line at Adfinitas Health. In that role, he partnered with regional medical centers and hospitals across Maryland, Virginia and neighboring states to provide pediatric hospitalist services. He played a key role in building a sustainable, reliable and high-performing hospitalist group serving small- to medium-sized hospitals, supporting everything from neonatal services and emergency department coverage to inpatient care and consultations. Since 2012, he also led the Pediatric Hospital Medicine program at the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, guiding quality improvement and strengthening local pediatric services.

In his role at Children’s National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care, Dr. Suwandhi is proud to work alongside a large team of hospitalists and physician leaders dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-level care to the region’s most vulnerable pediatric patients. His blend of clinical excellence, operational insight and commitment to service continues to shape and elevate pediatric care across the communities he serves.

Assistant Medical Director
Medical Staff President

Margaret Rush, MD, MSHS, is originally from New Jersey and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia. She then went on to complete her medical degree at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. 

Dr. Rush completed her residency in pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and her fellowship in pediatric hospital medicine at Children's National Hospital as well as a master's degree in healthcare quality at George Washington University. She has worked at Children’s National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care (formerly The HSC Pediatric Center) and at Children's National since 2018 and holds a faculty appointment at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.  

Dr. Rush is passionate about improving healthcare delivery for children with medical complexity with a specific focus on helping families transition home from the hospital.   She has led multiple research and quality improvement projects across the hospital system focused on improved care transitions and streamlining care delivery for children and their families who are hospitalized.  

As medical staff president at Children’s National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care she ensures that the clinical team provides safe, high-quality care, and that medical staff operate effectively within the facility’s governance, rules and regulatory requirements.

Director, Therapy Programs

Anne Ruecktenwald, PT, DPT, has been a leader at Children’s National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care (formerly The HSC Pediatric Center) since 2007 and has brought more than 30 years of experience in hospital-based rehabilitation as a skilled physical therapist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from New York University and a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Seton Hall University, where she specialized in pediatrics and leadership.

In her role, Anne oversees a comprehensive range of therapy services, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language therapy and an equipment clinic that provides seating, positioning and orthotic support. She also leads key specialty programs such as the Assistive Technology Clinic and the Feeding and Swallowing Program. Beyond clinical services, Anne directs community-based initiatives, including the Kids in Action Program, and has played a central role in expanding Rehabilitation & Specialized Care’s outpatient footprint through the development of two outpatient centers in Maryland.

Anne has held numerous clinical management positions throughout her career. She is a licensed physical therapist in the District of Columbia, an active long-standing member of the American Physical Therapy Association and a member of the steering committee for the International Pediatric Rehabilitation Collaborative.

Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to advancing high-quality rehabilitation care and strengthening access to meaningful therapeutic and community experiences for children and families.

Psychologist

Nakisa Asefnia, PhD, is a pediatric clinical psychologist specializing in traumatic stress, resiliency and child and adolescent adjustment to illness and injury. She earned her doctorate from the University of South Carolina, completed her predoctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed a two-year fellowship in the Division of Trauma and Burn Surgery at Children’s National Hospital.

Dr. Asefnia currently serves as the primary psychologist Children’s National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care and is an assistant professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is also an active clinical researcher within the Children’s National Research Institute Center for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, where her research focuses on improving adjustment and quality of life among teens and families affected by injury and chronic illness, with a particular emphasis on developing programs that promote adherence and resilience in adolescence.

Medical Director

• Eugene Suwandhi, MD*

Attending Pediatricians 

• Andrew Metinko, MD
• Samar Hussein, MD
• Sridaran Narayanan, MD*
• Amina Khan, MD*
• Anand Gourishankar, MD*
• Margaret Rush, MD, MSHS*

Cardiology

• Shiela Bostelman, CPNP*
• Ian Hovis, MD.*

Gastroenterology

• Virginia Gebus, APN*
• Seema Khan, MD*

Neurology

• Claudine Sinsioco, MD
• Jullie Rhee, NP

Ophthalmology

• Jonathan Taylormoore, MD*

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physiatry)

• Lisa Noel, CPNP
• Justin Burton, MD*
• Leslie Phillips, CPNP*
• Jeffrey Rabin, MD*
• Melissa Fleming, MD* 

Psychology

• Nakisa Asefnia, PhD*

Pulmonology

• Maria Arroyo Morr, MD*

*Indicates a Children’s National Hospital physician