Nicoletta Pallotta, MD, LCSW

Biography

For the last twenty-five years, Dr. Pallotta has been dedicated to helping women and their families achieve wellness and improve their quality of life. She has successfully created women and family health centers, numerous crisis intervention programs for abused women, counseling centers, as well as a strong record of community outreach programs designed to educate and empower women on their own health and well-being. Nicoletta was born in Italy and was brought to the United States when she was eight years old.  As a child she attended New York City Public Schools in Brooklyn and attended Kingsborough College and the City University of New York for her undergraduate work.  She received a Master of Arts in Social Work from Hunter College and later went to medical school to receive her medical degree at Chieti University in Italy.

In 1983, she opened Neighborhood Counseling Center (NCC), an outpatient mental health center in Brooklyn. Dr. Pallotta saw that many Italian families had moved to the community, and wanted to be able to offer them support services to help them better adjust to living in a new country. NCC has become a leading resource for mental health services in New York City, and continues to thrive, treating over five hundred patients per week. After her success with NCC, Dr. Pallotta continued to be a leader within the women’s health care arena. 

In the early 1990s, before the women’s health revolution began, she recognized that medical care for women was fragmented, and that it also failed to recognize the essential connection between physical and emotional health. After receiving her Medical Degree, in 1995 she opened Brooklyn Women’s Services (BWS), New York City’s first comprehensive health center for women. An affiliate of Maimonides Medical Center, BWS is a showcase center and remains committed to treating the whole woman, providing both physical and emotional health services. BWS’s program also includes a year-round free lecture series and symposiums for women on how to stay well and prevent illness.

In 1998, Dr. Pallotta founded Women Against Violence (WAV) a non-profit violence prevention and education organization dedicated to empowering women of all ages with the ability and strength to avoid and recover from abuse and violence. WAV helps numerous women in crisis, who have been victims of violence and abuse, while at the same time offering preventive programs to help educate women, as well as the general community about the problem of violence against women.  In 2008, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz appointed Dr. Pallotta as Chair of his Task Force for Teenage Violence.

Her extensive knowledge of women’s health, coupled with her commitment, passion and dedication to women’s needs, distinguishes Dr. Pallotta as a true visionary and puts her at the forefront of women’s health care. Given her expertise in developing and managing programs to keep women healthy and safe, Dr. Pallotta has been recognized by numerous prestigious organizations and individuals for her vision, knowledge, courage and ability.  In 2002, she was the recipient of the first-ever New York Post Liberty Award Medal for Community Services.

If you would like to contact Dr. Pallotta she can be contacted at npallotta@nccny.com.