NJBIZ Names Hackensack Meridian Health the Top Research Center in State
December 27, 2021
HMH is Number 1 in New Jersey, Climbing from Second Last Year
Hackensack Meridian Health was named the top research center in the state by NJBIZ, marking the first time the state’s largest and most comprehensive health network has topped the list.
HMH climbed to the top from the second spot last year, in the publication’s annual “Book of Lists.”
“This is a remarkable distinction for a rapidly growing program which proves its worth time and time again,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, the chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. “Under the leadership of Dr. Ihor Sawczuk, our physicians and scientists are making the lives of patients better now - and into the future.”
“We are gratified to be recognized for the efforts of so many researchers working across HMH,” added Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, the chief research officer and president of the health network’s Northern Region. “The growth is a testament to the talent and professionalism we have brought together into one collaborative team.”
Hackensack Meridian Health employs roughly 3,500 researchers in New Jersey, which spans across applied and basic research. The employees come from the entire span of the health network, including the 17 hospitals across the state, other clinical sites, as well as the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and the Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI). The research includes development of novel therapies and diagnostics for solid and liquid cancers, diabetes, dementia, antibiotic-resistant infection, autoimmune disorders and COVID-19. Other key areas of research include oncology, cardiovascular, neuroscience, pediatrics, behavioral medicine, geriatrics, population health, ulsculoskeletic, integrative and rehabilitative medicine, maternal fetal health, and patient safety and quality.
The health network has been particularly active since COVID-19 appeared globally, by engaging in major clinical trials for therapies and vaccines, along with a wide range of other projects at the vanguard of scientific inquiry. The CDI, founded in 2019 under the leadership of David Perlin, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and senior vice president, has been key in the efforts to develop tests, diagnostics, potential therapies, and surveillance methodologies to help the network keep pace with the spread of SARS-CoV-2.