The Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper along with the Cooper Foundation tonight held a special reception to honor two esteemed South Jersey leaders in pediatric medicine and to raise funds to benefit children’s health care programs.
Honorees William Sharrar, M.D. and Sidney Sussman, M.D., have been providing pediatric care to children across South Jersey for more than three decades and received the “Champion for Children” award in recognition for their contributions to the medical community.
“Doctors Sharrar and Sussman are champions in every sense of the word,” said Michael Goodman, M.D., chief of pediatrics at the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper. “They have treated thousands of children across South Jersey and have taught generations of doctors how to listen to and care for our youngest patients.”
More than 200 people attended the tribute event, which was held in the Roberts Pavilion at Cooper University Hospital and raised $130,000.
Proceeds will go toward supporting the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper, as well as Cooper’s Summer Reading Institute, which helps Camden children build lifelong reading skills, and the Child Life Program, which enhances the well-being of children as they undergo the stress of illness and hospitalization.
In addition, the funds will help establish a child abuse and neglect prevention program aimed at educating the community and expanding the expertise of Children’s Regional Hospital staff.
“The Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper offers top-level pediatric care and programs right here in South Jersey,” said Susan Bass Levin, president and CEO of the Cooper Foundation. “Doctors Sharrar and Sussman have been instrumental in the growth of the hospital and have long been advocates for improving children’s health from infancy through graduation day.”
Dr. Sharrar joined Cooper in 1983 as a general pediatrician and the first Division Head of General Pediatrics, a position he held for 15 years. In 1998, Dr. Sharrar was appointed Chief of Pediatrics, a position he held until 2010 when he returned to his prize role as a pediatrician.
In 2001, Dr. Sharrar was named as a member of the Board of Trustees at Cooper University Hospital. He was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees at the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Clinically, Dr, Sharrar is known for his expertise in children with hyperactivity and behavioral problems as well as his work with children with cleft lip and palate.
“Pediatrics is perhaps the most rewarding specialty in all of medicine,” said Dr. Sharrar. “When you make a child feel better, you make a difference in the world.”
Dr. Sussman joined Cooper in 1978 as a general pediatrician and the first full-time Chief of Pediatrics. At the time, the department consisted of only a few full-time physicians and there were no pediatric residents.
During his 13 years as Chief, Dr. Sussman’s focus was to provide high quality medical care to all children in South Jersey. His work led to the State Legislature designating Cooper as the regional Children’s Hospital in 1991.
Dr. Sussman was known for his expertise in physical diagnosis, medical education, child abuse and infectious diseases, particularly HIV. In 1989, just prior to stepping down as Chief, he established the Southern New Jersey Pediatric Aids Program – a program that continues to support the needs of pediatric HIV patients and their families.
Today, Dr. Sussman continues to educate medical students and residents with more than 25,000 photographic images of children with medical problems.
“It is an honor to receive the Champion for Children Award,” said Dr. Sussman. “I am proud to have helped establish the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper and am happy to have the opportunity to continue sharing my experience with the next generation of doctors.”
The tribute event was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Cherry Hill and The Cooper Women’s Board and included a special presentation, raffle prizes, a silent auction, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Dr. Goodman, along with Michael Hartung, owner of Mercedes-Benz of Cherry Hill, and Anne E. Koons, of Prudential Fox & Roach, served as co-chairs of the event.
The Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper is committed to excellence in education, research, and high-quality, safe care for pediatric patients and their families. As the only state-designated acute children’s hospital in South Jersey, Cooper provides exceptional pediatric primary care and comprehensive specialty care services for every patient, every day, in a safe, patient- and family-centered environment.