Celebrating our culture of inclusion and belonging for all at Northwell

This year, to honor Pride Month, we are connecting with two of our Expressions BERG (Business Employee Resource Group) team members, James Zaffuto and Stephanie Coiro. Read on to learn how they are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging, advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community, while they find success in their own career journeys at Northwell Health.

James Zaffuto, Program Director, Revenue Cycle Front End Operations

James Zaffuto is one of the executive coordinators for the Expressions BERG. He is passionate about the role that the BERG played in his career growth. He felt trusted with new challenges and empowered to grow both professionally and personally. James shared, “Our BERGs are about fostering a sense of belonging and community within Northwell. Having BERGs like Expressions is essential for promoting unity among team members as they provide a space for us to come together and express who we are.”

James has had a long career of growth at Northwell, beginning his journey here in 2005 as a part-time student clerk. He later transitioned into a full-time role as a payment poster the following year, and then in 2008, he worked as an account representative before his work as an IDX software trainer in 2010. As an IDX trainer, James worked for the IDX Training and Support Team, developing and delivering system training and onboarding newly acquired sites to the Northwell Health organization. Two years later, he transitioned to an application analyst, where he helped lead the implementation of front-end applications for newly acquired Northwell sites.

This led James to the role of senior analyst in 2014, where he also supported system transitions and process improvements. In 2016, James became a business analyst III for revenue cycle front-end operations where he implemented and maintained revenue cycle activities, recommended system improvements, and optimized and created workflows for team members on new and existing applications. Two years later, James was promoted to revenue manager, where he continued to work in the same division, maintaining the same responsibilities but was partnered with various Northwell departments to implement best practices, provided technical support and addressed business and regulatory issues to ensure system integrity. His prior experiences led James to his current role as program director for revenue cycle front-end operations, where he now leads strategic initiatives to enhance performance and patient experience across Northwell Health.

James believes that being a member of the Expressions BERG has positively impacted his career journey through the networking connections he has made and more. “I have been lucky enough to have support from incredible leadership, who have encouraged my growth and development.” He continued, “My involvement in the Expressions BERG has empowered me to step outside of my comfort zone to grow both professionally and personally.”

Stephanie Coiro, LCSW, Senior Social Worker, Medicine – Transgender Program, Northwell Health Physician Partners

Stephanie began her career at Northwell Health in 2021 in her current role as a senior social worker, where she provides individual talk therapy and family therapy to patients within the LGBTQIA+ community. She also assists in preparing individuals to start their medical transition with appropriate medications and in preparing for gender-affirming surgical procedures. In addition, she also provides education to staff within Northwell Health related to gender-affirming care and the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Stephanie has always felt supported by Northwell in her career development and she is grateful for the opportunities the Expressions BERG provided for her to network and find community within our organization. “Being a BERG member has allowed me to get my name and work experience known and to connect with some truly amazing, hardworking and compassionate individuals,” said Stephanie.

During Pride Month, Stephanie shared, “There are so many opportunities to network and find community within Northwell and to me, that is how the organization supports a well-balanced career.” She continued, “I am excited to grow in this organization and continue my career journey within the Northwell system.”

This Pride Month, James and Stephanie are participating in events with their BERG team members, including Pride parades, festivals and street fairs, tabling events, virtual storytelling events and fundraising/networking events.

Learn more about Northwell’s culture of inclusion and belonging.  Discover a career well cared for with our Truly Inclusive team.