Rehabilitation & Specialized Care Team

At Children's National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care, our goal is to provide the best possible care for children and young adults with special healthcare needs. Every day, our clinicians work hand-in-hand to provide the children we serve with the most advanced rehabilitative and transitional care available in the region.

We have a team of pediatricians, pediatric nurse practitioners, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, respiratory therapists, dieticians, psychologists, social workers, case managers, recreational therapists and child life specialists.

Pediatricians also staff the hospital 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year, ensuring that a physician is always close at hand.

Contact Information

If you have questions about our medical staff, please contact Sonia Prince, our medical staff administrator, at 202-635-6138.

Call 202-635-6138

Our Management

Deborah C. Holson, RN, MSN, CPN, NE-BC

Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer, Deborah Holson provides leadership and oversight for both inpatient and outpatient care organization, professional services, support services and management.

She partners with the Chief Medical Officer on a full range of clinical, operational and strategic issues and is responsible for all physician, nursing and support staff, representing a variety of highly specialized pediatric services. In addition to overseeing clinical performance and physician management, she is responsible for working with partners to execute the mission.

Debbie joined The HSC Pediatric Center in 1993 as a staff nurse, gradually focusing on the management of care services to enhance practices from a system level. She became vice president of patient care services in 2006 and was appointed chief operating officer in 2015. Prior to coming to The HSC Pediatric Center, Debbie was a staff nurse at Greater Southeast Community Hospital, providing patient care to infants in a Level II Step-down Nursery. She also served as a staff nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s National Medical Center. 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 master’s degree in nursing from Walden University with a specialization in leadership and management.

Leonard W. Smith Jr., LNHA

Margaret Rush, MD, MSHS

Medical Director

Margaret Rush, M.D., M.S.H.S., is the chief medical officer (or medical director). She is originally from New Jersey and completed her undergraduate degree at University of Virginia. She then went on to complete her medical degree at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

She 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 in healthcare quality at George Washington University. She has worked at HSC and at Children's National since 2018 and also holds a faculty appointment at the George Washington University School of Medicine.

Anne Ruecktenwald, PT, DPT

Director, Outpatient Programs

Anne Ruecktenwald has worked at The HSC Pediatric Center since 2007 and has more than 30 years of experience leading hospital-based rehabilitation programs as a skilled physical therapist.

As Director of Outpatient Programs, Anne is responsible for all therapy programs, including occupational therapy; physical therapy; speech-language therapy and an equipment clinic that provides seating, positioning, and orthotic support. In addition to overseeing clinical quality improvement projects, Anne has consistently worked to expand HSC’s community based programs, most recently through two outpatient centers in Maryland.

Before joining HSC, Anne worked in a variety of clinical management positions, including serving as Director of Physical Therapy at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey. A licensed Physical Therapist in the District of Columbia, she is a long-standing member of the American Physical Therapy Association, and also on the steering committee of the International Pediatric Rehabilitative Collaborative (IPRC). Anne has a Bachelor’s Degree in physical therapy from New York University and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, specializing in pediatrics and leadership, from Seton Hall University

Jamie Cinotti, MSN, RN, CPEN

Our Medical Staff

Staff List

Medical Director

Margaret Rush, M.D., MSHS

Attending Pediatricians

Andrew Metinko, M.D.
Samar Hussein, M.D.
Sridaran Narayanan, M.D.*
Amina Khan, M.D.*
Anand Gourishankar, M.D.*
Margaret Rush, M.D.*

Rehabilitation & Specialized Care Team

Contact Information

Our Management

Deborah C. Holson, RN, MSN, CPN, NE-BC

Leonard W. Smith Jr., LNHA

Margaret Rush, MD, MSHS

Anne Ruecktenwald, PT, DPT

Jamie Cinotti, MSN, RN, CPEN

Our Medical Staff

Staff List

Medical Director

Attending Pediatricians

Nurse Practitioners

Cardiology

Gastroenterology

Neurology

Ophthalmology

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physiatry)

Pulmonology

*Indicates a Children’s National Hospital physician