Dr. Mitchel Alpert, Dr. Elsa Castro, and Dr. Vincent Zales provide cutting-edge pediatric cardiac care in a warm, welcoming environment for patients ranging in age from the fetal stage to late adolescence. Their practice is one of the few in New Jersey to receive the prestigious certification in pediatric echocardiography from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.

The doctors, who work with Drs. Maria Angela Umali-Pamintuan and Stephanie E. Chin, try to accommodate patients who have nowhere else to go. “We are one of the few practices in the state that accepts all insurance plans, including all five New Jersey Medicaid plans,” says Dr. Alpert, who serves as director of pediatric cardiology at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. “And we get people in within a reasonable amount of time to receive our state-of-the-art care.”

Dr. Castro actively pursues special interests in transthoracic echocardiography and congenital heart disease. “Dr. Alpert has built a tremendous practice, and it is my privilege to be part of it and help take care of these amazing kids,” says Dr. Castro.

Dr. Zales has a special interest and training in the care of infants and children with complex congenital heart disease. “Because I’ve been doing this since 1987, many of my patients are now young adults, and it’s wonderful to follow their lives, especially the women who were told they might not be able to have children and now have healthy babies,” he says.

HOSPITAL AFFILIATIONS: Hackensack Meridian Health K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Neptune; Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank; Ocean University Medical Center, Brick Township.