Niagara Hospice Medical Leadership
Dr. Richard Castaldo, Medical Director
Dr. Richard Castaldo is the Medical Director for Niagara Hospice and has more than 25 years of experience as a physician. With specialties in internal medicine and primary care, he also serves as the Medical Director for the Pathways palliative care program and Kalos Health. His career has included an affiliation with Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Primary Care and Suboxone Clinic.
He has been appointed a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo’s Jacob Medical School for his role in guiding fourth-year medical students through their hospice and palliative care elective rotations. In 2002, he was named UB’s Medical School Teacher of the Year for his work with the program.
Over the last 25 years, he also served as the primary care doctor for Division I student-athletes, specifically the Niagara University Men’s Hockey Team.
He has participated in numerous phase two and phase three research projects throughout his career and has been published in various topics.
Dr. Jay Newman, Assistant Medical Director
Dr. Jay Newman is the assistant medical director for Niagara Hospice. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and brings 30 years of experience to the clinical leadership team at Niagara Hospice. Under medical director, Dr. Richard Castaldo, Dr. Newman provides leadership to the clinical care team while providing comprehensive end-of-life care for Niagara County patients and families facing a terminal illness.
He has extensive clinical experience in a hospital setting, having previously worked as an attending physician in the emergency departments at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Buffalo VA Medical Center and Mount St. Mary’s Hospital. He received the Doctor of Distinction award from Kenmore Mercy in 2018. He previously served as Chief Medical Resident at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 1991 and later as the Chief of Emergency Department at the Buffalo VA. He also served as Chief of the Emergency Department at Kenmore Mercy Hospital.
He is a graduate of SUNY at Buffalo with a B.A. in psychology and earned his M.D. at Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Danielle M. Burngasser, RN, BSN, Vice President of Hospice Clinical Operations
Danielle Burngasser is the Vice President of Hospice Clinical Operations at Niagara Hospice. She began her career at Niagara Hospice in 2004 as a full-time home care nurse. She was promoted to Team Leader in 2006 and then to Director of Hospice Homecare Services in 2008.
In 2012, Ms. Burngasser assisted in establishing the organization’s collaborative hospice units at the Northgate Health Care Facility in North Tonawanda and Schoellkopf Health Center in Niagara Falls.
She has been certified in Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing since 2009 and is an active member of the Certified and Palliative Care Nurses Association. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Niagara University.
Janet Ligammari, RN, Director of Nursing Services
Janet Ligammari is a native of Niagara Falls. During her 40-year career in the health care field, Ms. Ligammari has received several awards, including the 2005 Mission in Action Nurse Award, and was nominated for the New York State Nurse of Distinction recognition. She started her career as a staff nurse at Mount Saint Mary’s Hospital, was promoted to assistant nurse coordinator, and again promoted to Director of the Medical-Surgical Department in 2001.
Ms. Ligammari also worked for Frank Altieri, MD and James Wopperer, MD for four years as an orthopaedic office nurse before joining Niagara Hospice in January 2007.
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