Meet our team

Pediatric gastroentrologists 

Tanyaporn Kaenkumchorn, MD

Kaenkumchorn 

Dr. Kaenkumchorn is a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist with advanced training in nutrition. She has a special interest in intestinal rehabilitation, parenteral nutrition, enteral nutrition, and micronutrients. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, spending time in nature, and trying new restaurants with her husband and very energetic toddler daughter.

Karlo Kovacic, MD

Karlo Kovacic 

Dr. Kovacic is a board certified pediatric gastroenterologist and the Program Director of the Feeding, Swallowing and Nutrition Program at Children’s Wisconsin. He has a special interest in diagnosing and managing disorders of swallowing and stomach motility that lead to feeding difficulties. In his free time, Dr. Kovacic enjoys coaching boys and girls basketball.

Rose Lee, MD

Kaenkumchorn 

Dr. Lee is a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist. She has a special interest in managing Eosinophilic conditions and pediatric feeding disorders. Dr. Lee also is trained in pediatric transnasal endoscopy (TNE). In Dr. Lee's free time she enjoys spending time with her pets and exploring Milwaukee's restaurant scene.

Psychologists

Andrea Begotka, PhD

Andrea M Begotka

Dr. Begotka is a psychologist who uses a behavioral and/or cognitive behavioral approach and parent training to help children modify behaviors for better life functioning. Dr. Begotka focuses on addressing the behavioral elements associated with feeding disorders and failure to thrive. Personal fun fact: Dr. Begotka enjoys baking healthy treats, being active, spending time at her cottage up north and cheering her children on at their sporting events.

Alan Silverman, PhD

Alan H Silverman

Dr. Silverman is a pediatric psychologist. His areas of interest include failure to thrive, feeding and nutritional disorders. Before Dr. Silverman became a psychologist, he was a waterskiing instructor!

Meghan Wall, PhD

Meghan A Wall

Dr. Wall is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst. Her areas of interest include pediatric feeding disorders and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. She enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Speech and language pathologists

Mindy Aldinger, MA, CCC-SLP

Mindy Aldinger

Mindy Aldinger is a speech language pathologist whose role is to assess, diagnose and treat children with feeding, swallowing and/or oral motor disorders. Her areas of interest include dysphagia, feeding and swallowing disorders, and oral or motor feeding issues. Because these challenges can significantly impact a family, she believes the best approach is to involve the family in their child's plan of care. This includes setting realistic goals and working together to address challenges so the child has every opportunity to reach his or her full potential. In her free time, Mindy enjoys whole food cooking, trying new restaurants, traveling to new places and spending time with her family.

Claire Gorman Stachowiak, MA, CCC-SLP

Claire Gorman-Stachowiak 
Claire is a speech language pathologists whose role is to assess, diagnose and treat children with feeding, swallowing and/or oral motor disorders. She utilizes functional oral skill based strategies to improve chewing strength and coordination, tongue strength and coordination, and oral sensory awareness in order to facilitate diet and texture advancement. She also works on functional drinking skills. Her areas of interest include new/novel feeders who are just beginning to explore eating orally and transitional feeders working on texture advancement and food transitions. In her free time, Claire enjoys painting, listening to music and spending time with family and friends.

Dorie Mendell, PhD, CCC-SLP

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Dr. Mendell is a speech language pathologist who provides services to children with feeding and swallowing disorders.

Rachell Verhulst M.A. CCC -SLP

Rachell Verhulst 
Rachelle is a speech-language pathologist who assesses oropharyngeal swallow function and treats children who have difficulty eating and drinking due to underlying skill deficits or muscle weakness. She enjoys working together with caregivers and collaborating with other team members to achieve feeding goals that are functional and meaningful for each child and family. 

Registered dietitians

Caitlin Hessenthaler, MS, RD, CD 

Caitlin Hessenthaler 
Caitie is a clinical dietitian who is interested in clinical nutrition, feeding disorders, gastroenterology, and nutrition management of inborn errors of metabolism. She enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, playing tennis, and shopping at the farmer’s market. 

Julia Hilbrands, MS, MPH, RD, CD, CSP 

Hilbrands Julia 
Julia is a clinical dietitian and certified specialist in pediatric nutrition. Her areas of interest within nutrition include feeding disorders, failure to thrive, and nutrition support. Outside of her work at Children’s Wisconsin, Julia enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, gardening, and playing volleyball.

Caitlin Jacobs, RD, CD

Caitlin Jacobs 
Caitlin Jacobs is a pediatric clinical dietitian at Children’s Wisconsin. She has worked in the Gastroenterology, Cystic Fibrosis, & Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant clinics. She has a great understanding on how various conditions, such as Cancer, can affect feeding skills. She first started out as a baker and came to love the science behind cooking and baking while working in fine dining. This special interest led her to the field of Nutrition. During her free time she loves to explore in the woods taking in Wisconsin’s amazing state parks and trails.

Megan Van Hoorn, MS, RD, CSP, CD

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Megan is a clinical dietitian specialist and certified specialist in pediatric nutrition. Her areas of interest include feeding disorders and failure to thrive. In her free time, Megan enjoys gardening and spending time with her family.

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(877) 607-5280

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Leaders in research and advocacy

Research and advocacy is integral to what we do. Learn more about the latest work our program is doing to ensure we are providing the best care to our patients and families.