Lt. Antonio Ellis, a Manchester Township police officer, was among the first severe COVID-19 cases in New Jersey in mid-March 2020. After more than a year of recovery, Officer Ellis returned to Cooper University Health Care triumphantly on Monday, November 22 to thank the team of caregivers who saved his life.

More than 100 Cooper team members including the critical care doctors, nurses, and staff who cared for him during his long battle with COVID-19 greeted Officer Ellis and his wife, Carla, with celebratory cheers. Read more.

In the spirit of giving, Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen and The Cooper Foundation will be joined by City Council members, community leaders, Camden corporate partners, the City’s Department of Human Services, staff and volunteers, as they look to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday by providing a total of 1,000 turkeys and turkey breasts to Camden senior citizens and families.

The effort is coordinated as a part of Mayor Victor Carstarphen’s Annual Turkey Giveaway in cooperation with The Cooper Foundation and Cooper University Health Care.  Read more.

Kathy Devine, DrNP, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Cooper University Health Care is the recipient of the 2021 Nurse Executive Award by The Organization of Nurse Leaders of New Jersey. This award, which will be presented in early December, recognizes Dr. Devine’s exceptional leadership, guidance, and service to the nursing profession and in particular to the Cooper University Health Care system. Read more.

Internationally known stroke expert Tudor G. Jovin, MD, medical director of the Cooper Neurological Institute at Cooper University Health Care and Professor of Neurological Surgery at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, is the lead author in a study published today in The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, examining the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure consisting of removal of the occlusive clot from within the vessel to treat patients with acute stroke. Read more.

Cooper University Health Care is the first hospital in New Jersey to treat complex abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with the new Chimney EndoVascular Aneurysm Sealing (ChEVAS™) System. Recently, Joseph Lombardi, MD, FACS, head of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and a vascular surgeon, performed this sealing procedure on a patient at Cooper.

“As the region’s leading academic health system, we are committed to investigating and implementing the most advanced technology and procedures to benefit our patients,” said Dr. Read more.

Joy Luedtke and her son and business partner, Lee Luedtke, of the prominent Long Beach Island-based Joy Luedtke Real Estate company recently hosted an outdoor fundraiser event raising $10,000 to benefit the Center for LGBTQ+ Health at Cooper University Health Care.

“We are grateful to the Luedtke family for their generous efforts. The proceeds of their event will support a wide range of wellness initiatives and services focused on meeting the unique health care needs of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Justin Schweitzer, DO, Medical Director for LGBTQ+ Health and Primary Care at Cooper Care Alliance. Read more.

Cooper University Health Care has named James Irwin, a U.S. Navy veteran, its 2021 Cooper Military Employee of the Year. Irwin is a resident of Maple Shade and has worked at Cooper for 18 years. In addition to his daily responsibilities as a supply coordinator with the Cooper Digestive Health Institute, he volunteers his time at community health events for active and retired military members and their families through Cooper’s Community Outreach Program. Read more.

On Sunday morning, November 7, 2021, more than 2,000 runners and walkers took to the historic Ben Franklin Bridge to participate in this year’s Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge Event presented by AmeriHealth New Jersey. The popular charity run has raised nearly $5 million for the Larc School since its inception.

This unique 10K run and two-mile bridge walk—one of the most popular in the tristate area—benefits the Larc School, located in Bellmawr, NJ, serving students with a wide range of moderate to severe disabilities. Read more.

Cooper University Health Care is now scheduling COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 at four Cooper Pediatric offices, The Kroc Center in Camden, and at the Camden County Health Hub at Camden County College in Blackwood.  The announcement was made after the recommendation from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention on Tuesday, November 2, that children five years of age and older receive an age-appropriate dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Read more.

MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper is participating by invitation in a national pilot project being conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). The pilot project is testing a research site self-assessment tool and training program focused on increasing racial and ethnic diversity among cancer treatment trial participants.

“We are hopeful that by participating in this research we will have a better understanding of potential barriers which may prevent segments of the community who are underrepresented in cancer research from fully participating in available treatments and clinical trials,” Robert A. Read more.