(Camden, New Jersey) Cooper University Hospital announces the appointment of Harry Mazurek, Ph.D., as Administrative Director of the Cooper Research Institute. Dr. Mazurek will lead the Institute as it leverages shared resources throughout the Cooper Health System to grow sponsored research. Cooper will be increasing the number of academic studies positioning Cooper University Physicians to be the academic faculty for the proposed four year medical school in Camden. “Research is essential in order to make progress in medicine. The number of research grants at Cooper is growing, and Dr. Mazurek will help us achieve national prominence, continuing our mission to make a real difference in patients’ lives,” said Carolyn Bekes, M.D., Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

(Camden, New Jersey) Today, Cooper University Hospital and Saint Joseph’s Carpenter Society celebrated their partnership to rebuild the Cooper Plaza neighborhood. Six houses in the 600 block of Benson Street, immediately across the street from the Cooper University Hospital emergency room, have been rehabilitated and will be sold to families. In October 2006, Cooper sold 600, 602, 604, 608, 612, and 614 Benson Street to Saint Joseph’s Carpenter Society for $206,000 less than the appraised value. All units were vacant and in various states of disrepair. Since that time, St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society, has transformed these historic Victorian-era homes and given a new, vibrant face to this rapidly-revitalizing neighborhood.

Cooper University Hospital is proud to announce that it has been selected to receive a 2008 Smart Growth Award from New Jersey Future. This award recognizes the positive impact that Cooper’s expansion and vision plan has made on Camden’s revitalization effort. Five years ago, the City of Camden was in a spiral of deterioration that few thought could be reversed. To jump-start the city’s revitalization, six of Camden’s institutions of higher education and health care anchors developed a plan for expansion and investment. Today, that plan has surpassed all expectations and Cooper has taken the lead in developing a strategic plan that not only includes its own new $222 million patient care pavilion but also the development of a comprehensive $500 million Health Sciences Campus.

(Camden, New Jersey) The Department of Radiation Oncology at Cooper University Hospital is pleased to announce the addition of Tamara A. LaCouture, M.D., to its Radiation Oncology team. Dr. LaCouture will see patients in both Camden and Voorhees. Dr. LaCouture is Board Certified in Radiation Oncology. She received her medical degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Camden, NJ, and her residency training at Cooper. She resides in Mount Laurel, NJ.