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Dr. Marilyn Ruiz is a physician licensed to practice medicine in the State of New Jersey with specialty in pediatrics and additional medical training in neurodevelopmental pediatrics. She received her M.D. from Howard University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1983 after completing a selective 7-year B.S.-M.D. program initiated at The Sophie-Davis School of Biomedical Education at The City College of New York, CUNY (from where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1981 plus achieved the academic requirements of the 1st two years of medical school then transferred to 3rd year medical school). Notably, Dr. Ruiz was particularly drawn to the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education 7-year-B.S.-M.D. program’s mission to expand access to excellent medical education and medical services to individuals from underrepresented, underserved communities of as well as the program’s vision of: access – excellence – community.

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After receiving her M.D. degree, Dr. Ruiz completed her pediatric internship and residency in 1986 and subsequently a Fellowship in Developmental Pediatrics in 1988 both through Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospitals in NYC. She became Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in 1989.

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Throughout her career as a pediatrician, Dr. Ruiz has been addressing the health and developmental concerns of children consistently providing hospital- and clinic-based pediatric care as well as school- and community-based pediatric medical services in New York and New Jersey. As a Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician, Dr. Ruiz has vast experience in addressing the neurologically-based developmental concerns of children at hospitals, private settings and various schools. Her experiences have included evaluation and consultation of special needs children at The Lighthouse School for the Blind, The Lexington School for the Deaf and the New York Institute School for Special Education in NYC.

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In 1988, Dr. Ruiz was employed at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Child Development Center in various functions including: Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician in the Child Development Center; Supervising Attending Physician in the Pediatric Clinic; School Physician to regular schools; School Physician/Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician consultant to schools for children with special needs; and, Instructor of Clinical Pediatrics through the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons for the Pediatric Residency program at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Within a year, Dr. Ruiz was offered the position of Course Director of the Developmental Pediatrics Resident’s Rotation, teaching residents in training as well as formulating and presenting the Developmental Pediatrics Resident Lecture Series. In 1989, Dr. Ruiz was offered the position of Medical Director of the Child Development Center and Special Care Infant Follow-up Program continuing in all prior roles as well. Additionally, from 1992-1998, Dr. Ruiz was also a part of a child sexual abuse response team as a child sexual abuse pediatrician consultant providing child sexual abuse evaluations of child victims and involved in training of pediatric residents in child sexual abuse evaluations.

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Since 1998, Dr. Ruiz has been practicing as a Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician consultant at the Center for Child & Family Development in Morristown, NJ and as a School Physician/Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician consultant to schools including for children with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as the Park Lake School, The Regional Day School and The Allegro School.

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Dr. Ruiz has given presentations on neurodevelopmental pediatrics topics including for the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Developmental Disabilities, Grand Rounds, etc. for pediatricians, physicians-in-training, school staff, parents and family child care providers. Ruiz has also co-authored journal articles on neurodevelopmental topics published in medical journals including pediatrics.

Dr. Ruiz has also appeared on television (e.g. ABC Eyewitness News) selected by her supervisor at Morristown Memorial Hospital as an expert in child development. Dr. Ruiz has also testified in court as an expert in her field as a neurodevelopmental pediatrician. Additionally, Dr. Ruiz has also testified in court as an expert in child sexual abuse evaluations on behalf of the child victims.

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Since 2010, Dr. Ruiz has been proud to be on the Board of Trustees for El Primer Paso, a unique, non-profit, multi-service agency serving its predominantly underserved Hispanic community including offering a much-needed, high-quality, nationally-accredited, developmentally, culturally and financially responsive, affordable bilingual preschool education program at a research-supported critical time for initiating the first steps that can significantly and positively have an impact towards lifelong learning, as well as, providing English as a second language curriculum for adults, family childcare services, professional staff training and community advocacy.

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Dr. Ruiz has been and continues to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a designation by the American Academy of Pediatrics for pediatricians who have obtained board certification and made ongoing commitment to lifelong learning and advocacy for children.

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Moreover, Dr. Ruiz is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish. She brings a personal connection to the underserved and disadvantaged especially those of Hispanic communities as a first generation Latina child of parents emigrating from Puerto Rico whose first language was Spanish and who grew up in the New York City’s projects in an inner city underserved and disadvantaged community. She also brings a personal connection to children with developmental, learning and neurological disorders and special needs experiencing children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in her own extended family. She is personally invested in the advocacy for the ongoing optimal health and development of all children and families with a special place in her heart for those of underserved and disadvantaged communities and for children with developmental, learning and neurological disorders.

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She maintains an investment towards continuing to pursue the vision that drew her to her initial training of: access – excellence – community.