Today, Cooper joins our colleagues across the country in celebrating National Women Physicians Day, which is the birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States in 1849.

Women represent nearly half of all medical school graduates and assistant professors at academic institutions. Here at Cooper, 44% of our physicians are women. In recognition of the compassionate, quality care they provide and the many accomplishments they have achieved, Cooper’s Women In Medicine group are proud to share the work of some of our women physicians with you.

This year, we’re spotlighting four of these remarkable physicians: Carolyn Bekes, MD; Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams, MD, PhD; Annette Reboli, MD, and Andrea M. Russo, MD. To read more about the contributions of some of our other exceptional women physicians at Cooper, click here.

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Andrea M. Russo, MD

is currently Professor of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Director of Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Services and Director of the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Program at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey.  She is the immediate Past President of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) and is a current member of the HRS Board of Trustees.

We honor Dr. Russo for all of her accomplishments in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, a subspeciality of cardiology that is only 9% female. In addition to her academic accomplishments she has served as a mentor and sponsor for many women and men in this field over the last several decades.

Dr. Russo received her medical degree from Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York. She did her residency at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and her fellowship training at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Cooper Hospital. Prior to joining Cooper in 2009, Dr. Russo was faculty at the Hospital of University where she served as Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory at UPHS/Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center.

Dr. Russo been very active in volunteer activities for national cardiovascular societies including the Heart Rhythm Society where she served as president from 2019-2020 and now remains as a member of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Russo has held numerous influential national leadership positions over the last few decades. Some notable positions include Chair of the HRS Health Policy Committee, Vice-Chair of the HRS Quality Improvement Subcommittee, former Chair of the ACC Cardiovascular Practice Improvement Program and former Chair of the HRS Program Committee, member of the ACC Best Practice and Quality Improvement Subcommittee, member of the ACC NCDR ICD Research & Publications Committee, and member of the ABIM Subspecialty Board on Cardiovascular Disease. She has also been active as a volunteer in the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA), the National Quality Forum (NQF), the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). She is current member of the ACC Cardiovascular Disease in Women Committee and current member of the ABIM Cardiovascular Board.

Dr. Russo has also served on several national and international research steering committees, including the Apple Heart Study, UNTOUCHED study, mid-EF, and DEFINE-AF steering committees.

Dr. Russo has authored multiple manuscripts on a variety of arrhythmia and device topics and has been co-chair or member of various writing groups, including guideline, consensus and appropriate use documents. She has authored or co-authored multiple other peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts and book chapters related to arrhythmia and device topics. Her specific areas of interest include sex differences in arrhythmias, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, performance improvement, atrial fibrillation therapy, impact of COVID-19 on arrhythmia care and role of digital health in the diagnosis of arrhythmias.

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