News & Stories

Tonight, the Cooper Red Hot Gala will raise needed funds for the expansion of the hospital’s Simulation Laboratory – an asset that puts Cooper University Hospital in the distinguished company of health care institutions like Mayo Clinic, Stanford, and Harvard that are leading the way in simulation education for health care professionals.

The Cooper Foundation would like to thank all the physicians and staff who have pledged their support to the Gala and to the Sim Lab. Learn more about several of these supporters here!

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As Director of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Cooper, Dr. Umur Atabek specializes in breast surgery, oncological surgery, and general surgery. As an Associate Professor of Surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, he has been recognized by medical students and surgical residents with several excellence in teaching awards.

Dr. Atabek earned his Bachelor’s degree from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. He completed surgical residencies at the University of Maryland Hospital and the Westchester County Medical Center, in Valhalla, New York, followed by fellowship training in Surgical Oncology at UMDNJ-Newark. He joined Cooper in 1987.

Dr. Atabek regularly authors and co-authors abstracts and articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is consistently named as a “Top Doc” by numerous local and regional publications, including Philadelphia, South Jersey, SJ, and Inside Jersey magazines. He also has been recognized often in lists such as “Top Docs for Women” and “Top Physicians 2010.”

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Dr. David Clements is the Director of the Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Program and the Scoliosis Program at Cooper University Hospital. He graduated from Temple University School of Medicine in 1982 and completed his residency training at Temple in 1988, which included time at the Shriners Hospital for Children, Philadelphia. He also completed a fellowship in spine surgery in 1989 at The Hospital for Special Surgery of Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City.

Dr. Clements is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the UMNDJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and is a member of the volunteer faculty at Shriners Hospital for Children and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, in Philadelphia.

Dr. Clements lectures extensively and has authored nearly 30 articles, chapters and books in his field. He is a member of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Scoliosis Research Society, as well as state and local societies. He has a special interest in pediatric scoliosis and cerebral palsy spine surgery.

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Dr. David Fuller earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1991. He completed his residency training in 1997 at Case Western Reserve University and a fellowship in Hand and Microvascular Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and in Neuro-Orthopaedic Surgery at Albert Einstein Medical Center, both in Philadelphia.

Dr. Fuller has worked, written and lectured extensively as an expert in orthopaedic surgery, hand surgery and rehabilitation surgery. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and practices at Cooper University Hospital, where he serves as Director of Hand Surgery and also Director of the Orthopaedic Residency program. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Trauma Association and Phi Beta Kappa. He is a past president of the Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Association. He has volunteered for national and international relief organizations. He has received numerous awards of recognition, including “Top Doc” designations by several local and regional publications.

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Dr. Tamara LaCouture serves Cooper as Chief, Department of Radiation Oncology; as Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University; Vice Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Medical Director, South Jersey CyberKnife at Cooper.

Dr. LaCouture joined Cooper in 2007 from a busy private Radiation Oncology Group and as a consultant at various local hospitals. She is an active member of several professional societies in Oncology and Radiation Oncology. As Principal Investigator at Cooper for the Radiation Therapy Oncology group, Dr. LaCouture continues active participation in National Cancer Institute trial accrual and cooperative group protocols. She regularly lectures at patient education seminars and Physician Continuing Medical Education programs.

Dr. LaCouture earned her medical degree at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, and completed her internship and residency training here at Cooper.

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Dr. Mark Pello is a renowned surgeon, researcher and teacher. He is Director of the Division of Colorectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Cooper and also serves UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as Associate Professor of Surgery. Dr. Pello has authored and co-authored nearly 100 articles, abstracts, chapters and publications.

With a Bachelor’s Degree from Rutgers University, Dr. Pello earned his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. He then completed his internship and residency training in general surgery at Cooper, followed by a second residency in colon and rectal surgery at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. He joined Cooper’s medical staff in 1980.

Among numerous awards and honors received during his career, Dr. Pello has been named in “Best Doctors in America” each year since 1997. Dr. Pello also belongs to several professional societies, including the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the Camden County Medical Society, and the Medical Society of New Jersey.

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Throughout his career, Dr. Steven Ross has earned accolades from state, regional, and local organizations honoring his expertise in trauma care. He serves Cooper as Head, Division of Trauma; Vice Chief, Department of Surgery; and Director of the Level 1 Trauma Center. He also is a Professor of Surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Dr. Ross earned his medical degree at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. He completed a general surgery residency at York Hospital in York, Pa., and a fellowship in Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.

Among his many professional memberships, Dr. Ross belongs to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the American College of Surgeons, the International Association for the Surgery of Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care, and the New Jersey Organ Tissue Sharing Network Board of Trustees. He serves as an editorial reviewer for Critical Care Medicine, Injury, and the Journal of Trauma.

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After completing his internship and residency here, Dr. Michael Sabia returned to Cooper from The Central Texas Pain Institute in Austin, Texas. He is a board-certified anesthesiologist with subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine. His special interests include low back pain, post-laminectomy syndrome, and dorsal column stimulation.

Dr. Sabia received his medical degree from New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. He was a Chief Resident during his first stint at Cooper, and also served on several hospital committees at that time. Dr. Sabia completed his pain medicine fellowship at Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

He has presented at numerous conferences and is interested in community education. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, the American Academy of Pain Management, and the New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Sabia also has been recognized with several awards throughout his career.

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Board-certified in anesthesiology, Dr. Cheryl Seabron-Rambert specializes in treating Cooper’s smallest patients as a pediatric anesthesiologist. She has practiced medicine throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including New York, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and New Jersey.

Dr. Seabron-Rambert attended Barnard College for her undergraduate degree, and earned her medical degree at the State University of New York-Health Science Center at Brooklyn. She completed an internship in internal medicine at Harlem Hospital Center in New York, and returned to SUNY-Brooklyn College of Medicine to complete her anesthesiology residency. Throughout her career, Dr. Seabron-Rambert has held academic appointments at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-Piscataway, Howard University Hospital, and SUNY-Health Science Center.

She is a member of several professional medical societies, including the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the International Anesthesia Research Society, and the National Medical Association. Dr. Seabron-Rambert is a Diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology and the National Board of Medical Examiners.

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