Meet The Team
Dr. Beata F. Nelken, MD
Dr. Beata Nelken, a graduate of the University of Connecticut Medical School and Brown University Pediatrics Residency Program, has dedicated 23 years to serving Rhode Island's urban and disadvantaged communities, focusing on Latino populations. She opened Jenks Park Pediatrics in Central Falls in 2020, Rhode Island's first free-care pediatric office with a bilingual Spanish-speaking staff. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Nelken provided crucial testing and vaccination services, significantly impacting Central Falls.
In 2019, she founded the Central Falls Children’s Foundation (CFCF) to offer comprehensive medical and social services. Her leadership led to the addition of a bilingual social worker and nutritionist, the opening of a women's health clinic in 2023, and insurance enrollment for over 1,200 children. Dr. Nelken also serves as the physician of record for the Central Falls School District and is a board member of the Care Transformation Collaborative in Rhode Island.
Dr. Nelken's exceptional work has earned her numerous awards, including the City of Central Falls COVID-19 Hero Award, the Public Health Hero Award, and the Immunization Champion Award. Her efforts have been featured in major publications and she was recently recognized for opening the Jenks Park Residence, a housing facility for women and children at risk of homelessness.
Dr. Elizabeth Gomes, DO
Dr. Elizabeth Gomes is a dedicated family medicine and obstetrics practitioner, serving the communities of Pawtucket and Central Falls. Growing up in a Cabo Verdean household in Pawtucket and then Central Falls, she is thrilled to be back, overcoming obstacles to provide quality care. Dr. Gomes is a proud alumna of Central Falls High School and Connecticut College, where she earned a B.A. in neuroscience. Her journey led her to Ohio University for medical school and Firelands Regional Medical Center for family medicine residency. Her medical training allowed her to travel to Mexico and Kenya which contributed to her cultural competency in medicine. Pawtucket is home to one of the largest populations of non-English speaking Cabo Verdeans. Dr. Gomes is fluent in Spanish and Cabo Verdean creole and knew she had to return home to provide medical care that was inaccessible to the Cabo Verdean community.
After completing her residency, Dr. Gomes was accepted into Brown University's prestigious Maternal Child Health Fellowship in Pawtucket, RI. This fellowship provided specialized training in prenatal care, obstetric care and surgical training, further enhancing her skills and expertise in the field.. Graduating fellowship in 2014, she could not be persuaded to leave her hometown and has since become a Brown University Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, training family medicine residents at Women and Infants Hospital. Dr. Gomes is honored to be a part of Jenks Park Pediatrics.
Dr. Carla Martin, MD
Dr. Martín is first-generation Honduran American. She attended Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Rhode Island Hospital. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obesity Medicine and is board eligible in Lifestyle Medicine. She has worked in Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket.
She teaches medical students at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and serves on several committees at the medical school, mentors medical and undergraduate students at Brown, and serves as a faculty advisor to the LatinX Medical Student Association.
Dr. Martin is honored to provide culturally appropriate medical care, partnering with patients and their families and advocating for them to improve the overall health of the communities she serves.