When Dr. Panta Rouhani Schaffer was growing up in Los Angeles, the local hospital, Cedars-Sinai, was one of her favorite places in the world. It represented happy moments and sad moments in her family’s life, and as she roamed the hospital’s halls, she fell in love with the idea of caring for other people through medicine. This path crystalized when she read Emily Dickinson's poem If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking, in which the author declares her life would not be in vain if she could help a robin back into its nest. “When I was 9 or 10, I was thinking, ‘What is the purpose of life?’” Dr. Schaffer recalls. “That poem sealed it. My purpose is to help others.”
Dr. Schaffer began her studies with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Human Biology from Emory University, where she also conducted research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national headquarters. She then went on to earn a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of South Florida and a medical degree and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Schaffer’s experience with public health led her to study ethnic disparities in cancer, and she soon found dermatology to be a perfect way to combine her interests in science, anthropology, and medicine.
After graduating from medical school, Dr. Schaffer completed an internship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and finished her residency training in dermatology at New York University. In 2015, Dr. Schaffer began teaching as a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU and launched a laser clinic at the VA Hospital in New York Harbor, where she treats post-combat veterans. There, her specialty is using what people think of as cosmetic procedures for medical interventions, whether that’s employing laser resurfacing to treat a scar or Botox and laser hair removal to ensure a prosthetic limb fits more tightly.
Dr. Schaffer also worked at Gramercy Park Dermatology for nine years and in the summer of 2023 launched her own practice, where she has treated dermatology patients of all types. Whether patients want to avoid skin cancer, reverse sun damage, or stimulate collagen production, Dr. Schaffer grounds her care in science, relying on the latest research to inform her treatment plans. She provides each patient with the context to understand that their treatment can change as they do, or as new data emerges. “I help guide patients,” she says. “I want people to make their own informed decisions about what’s best for them.”
Dr. Schaffer particularly appreciates exploring how people’s questions about their skin fit into the full picture of their health. Most medical practices aren’t set up to allow the time or collaboration this requires, but at Atria, Dr. Schaffer says that way of practicing is the reality. “The cornerstone of everything in public health and in my personality is prevention and preparation,” she says. “That’s what Atria is all about.” Dr. Schaffer gets to know each member and their family so that she and her fellow physicians can work together to create a comprehensive picture of a member’s health and then provide actionable guidance in real time.
Outside of work, Dr. Schaffer dances ballet and lives with her husband and her two children in Manhattan. She serves as Team Mom for her son’s Lego robotics team and co-leads her daughter’s Girl Scout troop, so during cookie season, she says patients can often pick up a box of cookies on their way out of her office.
Credentials
- Assistant Clinical ProfessorNew York University
- Attending DermatologistVA Hospital at New York Harbor
- Former DermatologistGramercy Park Dermatology
Awards
- Part-time Attending of the YearNew York Harbor VA Hospital
Affiliations
- FellowAmerican Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
- MemberAmerican Society of Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS)
- MemberAmerican Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery (ASLMS)
- MemberAmerican Association of Cancer Research (AACR)
Meet Our Doctors
Dr. David W. Dodick
Chief Science & Medical Officer, Atria; Co-Chair, Atria Academy of Science & Medicine
Dr. Paul G. Lee
Chief Clinical Consultant
Dr. Richard S. Isaacson
Director of Brain Health
Dr. Lawrence C. Newman
Director of Brain Health
Dr. Ken Shubin Stein
Co-Founder, Atria; Co-Founder and CEO, Atria Academy of Science & Medicine
Dr. Nieca Goldberg
Women’s Health & Cardiology, Medical Director of Atria New York
Dr. Benjamin H. Lewis
Director of Atria South Florida; Cardiology
Dr. Rony Shimony
Director of Cardiology
Dr. Jahangir Rahman
Internal Medicine
Dr. Jennifer McGugins Hill
Internal Medicine
Dr. Edward J. Greaney
Internal Medicine
Dr. Bernard M. Kruger
Internal Medicine
Dr. Yadiera M. Brown
Family Medicine
Dr. Daniel Angerbauer
Preventive Medicine
Dr. Nicholas D. Caputo
Director of Urgent & Home Care
Dr. Evelyn C. Granieri
Director of Geriatrics
Dr. Carmela Seymour
Gynecology
Dr. Panta Rouhani Schaffer
Medical Dermatology
Mr. Kyle O’Flaherty
Director of Performance and Movement; Physical Therapy
Dr. Kelly Fradin
Director of Pediatrics
Dr. Hina J. Talib
Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Dr. Cory Kercher
Pediatrics
Dr. Amish Nishawala
Pediatrics
Dr. Kersha S. Pennicott
Pediatrics & Urgent Care
Dr. David W. Dodick
Chief Science & Medical Officer, Atria; Co-Chair, Atria Academy of Science & Medicine
Dr. Paul G. Lee
Chief Clinical Consultant
Dr. Richard S. Isaacson
Director of Brain Health
Dr. Lawrence C. Newman
Director of Brain Health
Dr. Ken Shubin Stein
Co-Founder, Atria; Co-Founder and CEO, Atria Academy of Science & Medicine
Dr. Nieca Goldberg
Women’s Health & Cardiology, Medical Director of Atria New York
Dr. Benjamin H. Lewis
Director of Atria South Florida; Cardiology
Dr. Rony Shimony
Director of Cardiology
Dr. Jahangir Rahman
Internal Medicine
Dr. Jennifer McGugins Hill
Internal Medicine
Dr. Edward J. Greaney
Internal Medicine
Dr. Bernard M. Kruger
Internal Medicine
Dr. Yadiera M. Brown
Family Medicine
Dr. Daniel Angerbauer
Preventive Medicine
Dr. Nicholas D. Caputo
Director of Urgent & Home Care
Dr. Evelyn C. Granieri
Director of Geriatrics
Dr. Carmela Seymour
Gynecology
Dr. Panta Rouhani Schaffer
Medical Dermatology
Mr. Kyle O’Flaherty
Director of Performance and Movement; Physical Therapy
Dr. Kelly Fradin
Director of Pediatrics
Dr. Hina J. Talib
Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Dr. Cory Kercher
Pediatrics
Dr. Amish Nishawala
Pediatrics
Dr. Kersha S. Pennicott
Pediatrics & Urgent Care
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Dr. David W. Dodick
Chief Science & Medical Officer, Atria; Co-Chair, Atria Academy of Science & Medicine
Dr. Paul G. Lee
Chief Clinical Consultant
Dr. Richard S. Isaacson
Director of Brain Health
Dr. Lawrence C. Newman
Director of Brain Health
Dr. Ken Shubin Stein
Co-Founder, Atria; Co-Founder and CEO, Atria Academy of Science & Medicine
Dr. Nieca Goldberg
Women’s Health & Cardiology, Medical Director of Atria New York
Dr. Benjamin H. Lewis
Director of Atria South Florida; Cardiology
Dr. Rony Shimony
Director of Cardiology
Dr. Jahangir Rahman
Internal Medicine
Dr. Jennifer McGugins Hill
Internal Medicine
Dr. Edward J. Greaney
Internal Medicine
Dr. Bernard M. Kruger
Internal Medicine
Dr. Yadiera M. Brown
Family Medicine
Dr. Daniel Angerbauer
Preventive Medicine
Dr. Nicholas D. Caputo
Director of Urgent & Home Care
Dr. Evelyn C. Granieri
Director of Geriatrics
Dr. Carmela Seymour
Gynecology
Dr. Panta Rouhani Schaffer
Medical Dermatology
Mr. Kyle O’Flaherty
Director of Performance and Movement; Physical Therapy
Dr. Kelly Fradin
Director of Pediatrics
Dr. Hina J. Talib
Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Dr. Cory Kercher
Pediatrics
Dr. Amish Nishawala
Pediatrics
Dr. Kersha S. Pennicott
Pediatrics & Urgent Care
Dr. David W. Dodick
Chief Science & Medical Officer, Atria; Co-Chair, Atria Academy of Science & Medicine
Dr. Paul G. Lee
Chief Clinical Consultant
Dr. Richard S. Isaacson
Director of Brain Health
Dr. Lawrence C. Newman
Director of Brain Health
Dr. Ken Shubin Stein
Co-Founder, Atria; Co-Founder and CEO, Atria Academy of Science & Medicine
Dr. Nieca Goldberg
Women’s Health & Cardiology, Medical Director of Atria New York
Dr. Benjamin H. Lewis
Director of Atria South Florida; Cardiology
Dr. Rony Shimony
Director of Cardiology
Dr. Jahangir Rahman
Internal Medicine
Dr. Jennifer McGugins Hill
Internal Medicine
Dr. Edward J. Greaney
Internal Medicine
Dr. Bernard M. Kruger
Internal Medicine
Dr. Yadiera M. Brown
Family Medicine
Dr. Daniel Angerbauer
Preventive Medicine
Dr. Nicholas D. Caputo
Director of Urgent & Home Care
Dr. Evelyn C. Granieri
Director of Geriatrics
Dr. Carmela Seymour
Gynecology
Dr. Panta Rouhani Schaffer
Medical Dermatology
Mr. Kyle O’Flaherty
Director of Performance and Movement; Physical Therapy
Dr. Kelly Fradin
Director of Pediatrics
Dr. Hina J. Talib
Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Dr. Cory Kercher
Pediatrics
Dr. Amish Nishawala
Pediatrics
Dr. Kersha S. Pennicott
Pediatrics & Urgent Care
