Hackensack University Medical Center and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine Welcome Howard M. Ross, M.D. as Chair of Surgery/Surgeon-in-Chief

HACKENSACK, N.J., June 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hackensack Meridian Health is proud to welcome nationally recognized Colon and Rectal Surgeon, Howard M. Ross, M.D., as Chair of Surgery/Surgeon-in-Chief of Hackensack University Medical Center, and as Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. 

With more than 20 years of experience as a board-certified colon and rectal surgeon, Dr. Ross specializes in minimally invasive surgical approaches to treating colon and rectal cancer.  Dr. Ross also provides leading-edge surgical care for ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, polyps, and other colorectal conditions. His research interests include the adoption of new technologies, surgical outcomes, surgical education and health disparities.  Dr. Ross is broadly published and the editor of four noted textbooks, including Robotic Approaches to Colorectal Surgery & Minimally Invasive Approaches to Colon and Rectal Disease.

Before his appointments at Hackensack University Medical Center and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Dr. Ross served in various roles at Temple University Health System, Meridian Health System, and University of Pennsylvania Health System. Most recently he was Vice Chair, Department of Surgery; Professor and Chief, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery; and Program Director for the General Surgery Residency at Temple University Health System.

As Chair of Surgery/Surgeon-in-Chief, Dr. Ross will oversee 9 Divisions of Surgery that include Bariatrics; Breast; Colorectal; General Surgery; Pediatrics; Surgical Oncology; Thoracic Surgery; Transplant; and Trauma taking place in 18 regular operating room suites; 4 pediatric OR suites; 2 Hybrid OR suites; 3 plastic & reconstructive surgery OR suites; and 12 suites in our Center for Ambulatory Surgery. Additionally, Dr. Ross will preside over 24 state-of-the-art operating rooms to be housed in the new Helena Theurer Pavilion opening on the campus of Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center in 2022. 

"We are excited to welcome Dr. Ross in his new leadership role," said Mark Sparta, FACHE, president and chief hospital executive, Hackensack University Medical Center. "His expertise and years of experience will be a tremendous asset to Hackensack University Medical Center and the community we serve."

Dr. Ross earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, New York. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, Connecticut, and his colon and rectal surgery residency at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts. He completed his surgical oncology research fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York.

"The appointment of Dr. Ross is a significant addition to our group of specialists," said Lisa Tank, M.D., chief medical officer, Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center. "We are excited about his plans to continue to build and expand all of our surgical programs, especially Transplant, Trauma and Colorectal surgery through new techniques and cutting-edge technology."

As Chair of Surgery/Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Ross will actively guide the surgical education of future physicians, teaching the art and science of surgery to our residents and medical students.

"Dr. Ross's reputation precedes him," said Bonita Stanton, M.D., the founding dean of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. "His contributions to our growing School promise to be invaluable."

Dr. Ross is a fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and the American College of Surgeons.  He has served as president of the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery and the New Jersey Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery.   Dr. Ross has received numerous honors, including Top Doctor recognitions, Physician of the Year from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, and multiple student and resident teaching awards.   

"I am thrilled to join the team at Hackensack University Medical Center's renowned Department of Surgery, and I look forward to working with each of my colleagues to provide collaborative, high-quality care for our patients," said Dr. Ross.

ABOUT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Hackensack University Medical Center, a 771-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital located in Bergen County, is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in New Jersey.  Founded in 1888, it was the county's first hospital. It was the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet^®-recognized hospital for nursing excellence, receiving its sixth consecutive designation in 2019 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The academic flagship of the Hackensack Meridian Health network, Hackensack University Medical Center provides award-winning care on a campus that is home to facilities such as John Theurer Cancer Center, a consortium member of the NCI-designated Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and recognized as the #1 hospital for cancer care in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report's 2020-21 "Best Hospitals" Honor Roll; the Heart & Vascular Hospital; and the Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women's and Children's Pavilion, which houses the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital and Donna A. Sanzari Women's Hospital, designed in collaboration with The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center and listed on the Green Guide's list of Top 10 Green Hospitals in the U.S. Recognized as being in the top 1% of hospitals in the nation and #2 in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report's 2020-21 "Best Hospitals" Honor Roll, Hackensack University Medical Center also ranked as high-performing in nine specialties: cancer care, cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Hackensack University Medical Center's comprehensive clinical research portfolio includes studies focused on precision medicine, translational medicine, immunotherapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development. The hospital has embarked on the largest healthcare expansion project ever approved by the state: Construction of the Helena Theurer Pavilion, a 530,000-sq.-ft., nine-story building, which began in 2019. A $714.2 million endeavor, the pavilion is one the largest healthcare capital projects in New Jersey and will house 24 state-of-the-art operating rooms with intraoperative MRI capability, 50 ICU beds, and 150 private patient rooms, including a dedicated 50-bed Orthopedic Institute. For additional information, please visit https://www.hackensackumc.org/.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Hackensack Meridian Health assumed its independent operation in July 2020. The school's vision is that each person in New Jersey, and in the United States, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, will enjoy the highest levels of wellness in an economically and behaviorally sustainable fashion. The School's unique curriculum focuses on linking the basic science with clinical relevance, through an integrated curriculum in a team-oriented, collaborative environment. The school prides itself on outreach, through programs like the Human Dimension, which is active in communities across New Jersey.

SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center