Samaritan physicians are board certified in hospice and palliative care, family medicine, internal medicine, or geriatrics. Hospice physicians oversee the interdisciplinary team and the plan of care. Palliative Medical Partners physicians meet with patients and their families to discuss palliative care options. HomeVisit Physicians provide at-home primary care.
Quick Links
Hospice and Palliative Physicians
Sara Pagliaro, DO, serves as the chief medical officer where she oversees the care of all Samaritan’s patients in hospice care, palliative medicine, and primary care at home. In addition to her role on Samaritan’s Senior Leadership Team, Dr. Pagliaro also serves as Samaritan’s liaison with the medical community and provides direct care for patients at home, at hospitals, and in long-term care communities.
Dr. Pagliaro first joined Samaritan in 2012 as a Hospice & Palliative Physician, later advanced to Associate Director of Palliative Medicine and then Vice President of Medical Services. As a respected leader, advocate and educator, Dr. Pagliaro works closely with Samaritan’s hospice teams and oversees the organization’s expanding inpatient palliative services at area hospitals and nursing facilities.
She is Medical Director of Jefferson Health East (NJ) Palliative Medicine and serves on Jefferson’s Ethics and Cancer Committees. A recognized expert in dementia care, she also regularly collaborates with the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation.
Prior to joining Samaritan, Dr. Pagliaro served as Medical Director at University Doctors and Assistant Professor of Rowan University of Osteopathic Medicine, where she earned her Doctor of Osteopathy in 2006 and continues to serve as a volunteer faculty member. She is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, and the New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons.
Stephen Goldfine, MD, DABFP, CAQGM, DABHP, is a palliative care physician with more than 30 years of experience. As Physician Executive, Dr. Goldfine supports Samaritan’s established Home Visit Physicians and Palliative Medical Partners programs. He served as Samaritan’s Chief Medical Officer for more than 20 years before transitioning to his new part-time role.
Dr. Goldfine is certified by both the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Board of Family Practice, with added qualifications in geriatrics and hospice and palliative medicine.
An articulate and engaging speaker, Dr. Goldfine has presented a range of educational workshops to healthcare professionals and the public through collaborations with the Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey, the New Jersey Hospital Association, New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, Medical Society of New Jersey, and the Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey. Dr. Goldfine provided keynote presentations for the New Jersey Healthcare Leadership Academy, New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Leadership and Management Conference. Dr. Goldfine serves on the National Partnership for Healthcare & Hospice Innovation’s Physician Forum. Dr. Goldfine completed Faculty Training with VitalTalk, an organization nurturing healthier communication between clinicians and patients on advance care planning, serious illness, and end-of-life care options.
Dr. Goldfine received his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and his undergraduate degree from Emory University in Atlanta.
John Bertagnolli, DO brings more than 35 years of family medicine experience to Samaritan since starting at the not-for-profit organization in 2016. He serves as a hospice physician who oversees inter-disciplinary teams and patient care.
Dr. Bertagnolli is board certified in family medicine by the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians and also completed the Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Hospice & Palliative Medicine. He’s a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, and the New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Bertagnolli’s dedication to the community is exemplified through his extensive contributions to teaching and mentoring, plus many years of giving back through volunteering. He serves as a volunteer physician for Missionaries of the Poor in Jamaica, an assistant scout master and advisory committee chair for a local Boy Scouts club, a mission-steering committee chair for the Our Lady of Good Counsel in Moorestown, NJ, and is even an ordained deacon for the Catholic Church.
Dr. Bertagnolli received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, NJ, and his undergraduate degree Rutgers University in Camden, NJ. He is a frequent choice for Top Physician in South Jersey Magazine in the family medicine and/or hospice/palliative care categories.
Jennifer Chiesa, DO serves as a hospice and palliative medicine physician where she oversees the inter-disciplinary team and patient care. She visits patients in their homes, facilities, our inpatient hospice centers, and area hospitals.
In 2013, Dr. Chiesa broke ground when she was chosen as the first hospice and palliative care fellow in New Jersey through an innovative collaboration between Samaritan and the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. Chiesa is board certified in hospice and palliative medicine. She’s a member of the American Osteopathic Association, American College of Osteopathic Internists, and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Dr. Chiesa received her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, NJ, and her undergraduate degree from University of Scranton in Scranton, PA.
Sanjiv Patel, MD is a physician with more than 20 years of experience. Since 2011, he has served as a hospice physician caring for patients and their families at Samaritan’s Inpatient Centers. He also serves as lead physician at Virtua Primary Care of Moorestown.
Dr. Patel is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice (ABFP) and the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board (HMDCB)
Dr. Patel received his medical degree from the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA and his undergraduate degree from University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. He was named a Top Physician by South Jersey Magazine in 2018.
Akshay Dave, MD, FACGS is a physician with more than 25 years of experience caring for patients and their families in South Jersey.
In 2000, he started his own family medicine practice after an internship at Lankenau Hospital and a residency at Underwood Memorial Hospital. He has cared for patients at Inspira Medical Center in Woodbury, ManorCare Health Services in West Deptford, and Atrium Post-Acute Care of Woodbury. Dr. Dave has also served as a physician for Lighthouse Hospice.
Dr. Dave is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) and received his medical degree from M.P. Shah Medical School in Jamnagar, India. Dr. Dave earned NJ Top Doc in 2017.
Emily A. Burns, MD, is a physician with more than 20 years of experience caring for patients and their families.
Prior to starting at Samaritan, Dr. Burns spent many years in a primary-care setting. She provided hands-on care managing acute and chronic diseases of adult and pediatric patients. In 2018, she expanded her medical expertise by completing a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, ME. She then served as a hospice physician for Home Health & Hospice Care in New Hampshire where she cared for patients in their homes, nursing homes, and in a community hospice house.
Dr. Burns is board certified in family medicine and hospice and palliative medicine. She is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
She received her medical degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, NJ, and her undergraduate degree from The Catholic University of American in Washington, DC.
Zachary Klock, MD, serves as a hospice and palliative medicine physician where he oversees the inter-disciplinary team and patient care. He visits patients in their homes, facilities, our inpatient centers, and area hospitals.
Dr. Klock is board certified in family medicine and will be board certified in hospice and palliative medicine in 2022. He is a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr. Klock completed a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship and a Family and Community Medicine Residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, where he served as chief resident. He received his medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, and his undergraduate degree from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. Dr. Klock is proficient in Spanish.