Hackensack Meridian Health Receives Multiple NJBIZ Health Care Heroes Finalist Recognitions   

Hackensack Meridian Health Receives Multiple NJBIZ Health Care Heroes Finalist Recognitions

May 30, 2019

Hackensack Meridian Health is pleased to announce multiple NJBIZ Health Care Heroes finalist recognitions in the following categories: Education Hero, Health Care Professional, Innovation Hero, Nurse of the Year, Physician of the Year, Public Health Hero, Volunteer of the Year, and Workplace Wellness Hero.

“I am proud and pleased to be included in this esteemed group of team members recognized by NJBIZ as Health Care Heroes finalists,” said Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. Mr. Garrett is a finalist in the Health Care Professional award category. “Working together, we strive every day to transform health care and serve as leaders of positive change on behalf of our patients, their families, and the communities we serve.”

Laura Amdur, BSN, RN, a staff nurse in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center, is a finalist in the Nurse of the Year category. Ms. Amdur, who recently transitioned from service as a staff nurse in the Emergency Department of Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center, is a dynamic advocate for patients and a collaborative, insightful team member.

Michael Ellis, a volunteer at Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center, is a finalist in the Volunteer of the Year category. Mr. Ellis makes Pastoral Care visits with great compassion and is an essential member of the medical center’s holiday caroling program.

Manisha Parulekar, M.D., chief of the Division of Geriatrics at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center, is a finalist in the Physician of the Year category. Dr. Parulekar embodies a passion for patient care, exceptional leadership, and strong collaboration with colleagues on behalf of her patients.

Bonita Stanton, M.D., founding dean of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University and president of Academic Enterprise at Hackensack Meridian Health, is a finalist in the Education Hero category. A visionary medical educator, Dr. Stanton motivates and inspires team members to engage in the best approach to training physicians and health care leaders of the future.

Shavonda Sumter, MBA, associate vice president of Behavioral Health Services at Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center, is a finalist in the Public Health Hero category. Leading a team of psychiatrists, nurses, clinical and ancillary personnel at every level of care, Ms. Sumter takes a holistic and innovative approach in monitoring health care trends, expanding geriatric and outpatient psychiatric services, integrating mental health services in primary care practices, and implementing telepsychiatry, which is critical to expediting access to care.

Michelle Wilder, BSN, RN, CPN, a Level III staff nurse at the Pediatric Center for Heart Disease at Hackensack University Medical Center, is a finalist in the Nurse of the Year category. Ms. Wilder provides exceptional care for children with congenital heart defects, while serving on international medical missions for more than two decades.

Patrick Young, president of Population Health at Hackensack Meridian Health, is a finalist in the Public Health Hero category. Mr. Young offers a level of expertise developed over 25 years of experience in the insurance space. Now serving on the provider side, he is dedicated to finding solutions that benefit both the insurer and the provider, leading to better care at lower cost for our patients.

In addition, Hackensack Meridian Health is a finalist in two organizational categories:  Innovation Hero and Workplace Wellness Hero.

According to NJBIZ, the Health Care Hero awards honor individuals, and organizations, making a positive impact on the condition of health care in the state. Following an open nomination process, honorees are selected by a panel of independent judges. The 2019 finalists will be recognized and winners will be announced during a ceremony in Somerset, NJ on June 18.

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