Hackensack Meridian Health Team Members Honored by the NJ American Academy of Pediatrics
May 09, 2019
Hackensack Meridian Health is pleased to announce that four of its team members have been honored by the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (NJAAP) at the NJAAP’s 9th Annual New Jersey Children’s Ball, an evening dedicated to New Jersey’s Children.
“I am proud to congratulate our esteemed team members on their significant and well-deserved recognition,” said Robert C. Garrett, CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health. “They fully embody our mission to transform health care and serve as leaders of positive change.”
Susan Mautone, M.D., FAAP, a pediatric hospitalist at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, associate professor of Pediatrics at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, and program director of the Hackensack University Medical Center Pediatric Residency, was recognized as Pediatrician of the Year.
The Champions of Children Award was presented to: Raymond Hanbury, Ph.D., ABPP, chief psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and program director, Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative Program, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and Pediatrics at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University; Steven Kairys, M.D., MPH, FAAP, chair, Department of Pediatrics at the K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, founding chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University; and Ramon Solhkhah, M.D., founding chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and Pediatrics at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. They were recognized for their leadership of the Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative at Hackensack Meridian Health.
“This exceptional group of health care providers leads by example, making a positive impact and a meaningful difference in the lives of the children and their families in our care,” Judy Aschner, M.D., clinical director, Children’s Care Transformation Service at Hackensack Meridian Health, physician-in-chief, Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, and Marvin I. Gottlieb, M.D., Ph.D. chair, Department of Pediatrics. “I am grateful for these essential team members and for their important contributions.”
According to the NJAAP, the honorees were selected because their care, support, and advocacy have made a genuine difference in the lives of children and families in New Jersey. All proceeds benefitted NJAAP programs that improve the health, safety, and well-being of all children across the state. In addition, NJAAP will dedicate $10,000 of the funds raised to support mental health initiatives.
Over the past four years, with funding from the NJ Department of Children and Families, Hackensack Meridian Health, along with partners Cooper University Health Care, Atlantic Health System, and St. Peter’s University Hospital, has successfully established the Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative, through eight regional hubs across 20 counties in New Jersey, spanning the north, central, and southern parts of the state. A ninth Hub, in Essex County, managed by Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, ensures every county has improved access to pediatric mental/behavioral health care.
The Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, a state-designated children’s hospital, is a leader in research, innovation and quality, providing top-notch medical and surgical pediatric care, delivering state-of-the-art, patient- and family-centered care in 30 specialties. Its Children’s Cancer Institute is the largest pediatric cancer program in New Jersey, offering the only bone marrow transplant program in the state, participating in the groundbreaking immunotherapy program CAR-T cell therapy as a member of a network of certified treatment centers.