Governor Phil Murphy has nominated Cooper’s Kaitlan Baston, MD, MSc, DFASAM, to be the new Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health replacing Judith Persichilli, who is retiring. Dr. Baston will be the first Cooper physician ever appointed to the highest public health position in the State of New Jersey.
Dr. Baston has been a tremendous asset to Cooper, having built and led the Cooper Center for Healing and the Division of Addiction Medicine. She also serves as Medical Director of Government Relations and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. She is board certified in both Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine and has been recognized nationally for her clinical expertise in perinatal substance use.
Dr. Baston and her team are also nationally renowned for their innovative work in the delivery of addiction treatment by emergency medical services (EMS). Through their partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health, Cooper became the first EMS team in the United States to administer buprenorphine to patients who have overdosed.
Dr. Baston has a keen interest in public health policy. She has taken an active role in public policy related to substance use disorder treatment and addressing social determinants of health to improve population health. Over the years, she has spoken to Congress and has worked with federal and state lawmakers and regulators on several legislative and policy initiatives.
Our Cooper team thanks Dr. Baston for her dedication to her patients, to improving the health care system, and to Cooper University Health Care. We know she will bring the same commitment to innovation and improvement to the New Jersey’s public health system. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Baston and wishing her great success.
Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Haroz, who will replace Dr. Baston as head of Cooper’s Center for Healing.