After working as a registered pharmacist in both hospital and retail pharmacies, Dr. LaRusso chose to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a physician. She continued to work as a pharmacist throughout medical school and graduated from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury in 2007 with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree.

Dr. LaRusso completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC. Following her residency, Dr. La Russo focused on Rheumatology, a specialty that allowed her to apply her background in pharmacology to the treatment of autoimmune conditions. She completed her Rheumatology fellowship at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Manhasset, NY. In addition she conducted research at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and performed studies focusing on the treatment of Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Following graduation in 2012, Dr. LaRusso accepted a faculty position at Mount Sinai/St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospitals in NYC where she treated complex autoimmune conditions in the inpatient hospital setting. As both a faculty and teaching staff member, Dr. LaRusso was extensively involved in resident physician education, teaching both clinical and pharmacologic medicine. A board certified physician trained in rheumatology, Dr. LaRusso is qualified to treat all rheumatologic conditions, all forms of arthritis, other autoimmune and inflammatory disorders as well as osteoporosis. She also has specialized interests in Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Sjgoren’s Syndrome, Gout, and Fibromyalgia.

Dr. Melissa Russo sees patients in Staten Island, NY and Manhattan, NY.