News & Stories

More physicians who have made generous contributions to the Cooper Red Hot Gala, benefiting the hospital’s Simulation Laboratory, include:

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DR. CAROLYN E. BEKES
Dr. Bekes is widely known for being a leader in the field of Critical Care Medicine, and for educating and mentoring many talented physicians since joining Cooper in 1977. In addition, she has been a pioneer in simulation education. As one colleague noted, Cooper’s Sim Lab will likely be her legacy. “It would not have happened without her foresight.”

Dr. Bekes first saw simulation mannequins demonstrated at a conference she attended in 2002. Immediately, she was inspired by the potential of the technology and she approached Cooper’s Board of Trustees with the idea. Her conviction led to the purchase of the first simulation mannequin at Cooper, which arrived in 2003. The Cooper Foundation and Women’s Board, in particular, played pivotal roles in development and funding, and in fall of 2005 the program – and first iteration of the Simulation Laboratory – was begun in earnest.

Dr. Bekes serves Cooper as Chief Medical Officer, and the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University as Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education. She earned her medical degree at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and completed her residency training at Cooper. After completing a nephrology fellowship training program at Tenet-Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, she returned to Cooper. In 1995, she completed a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Widener University.

Among her other career highlights, Dr. Bekes has served on the Governor’s Commission on Rationalizing Healthcare Resources, the Critical Care Medicine Test and Policy Committee for the American Board of Internal Medicine, the New Jersey Hospital Association’s Health Research and Educational Trust, and the Advisory Council of the Health Care Management Program at Widener University. Dr. Bekes is also a past president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

Though she is described as a modest and quiet leader, another colleague spoke of Dr. Bekes as “a very accomplished woman” and “an amazing role model” for Cooper employees, especially women.

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DR. ROBIN L. PERRY
Dr. Perry may well be one of the most in-demand people at Cooper University Hospital. She is an award-winning practitioner in obstetrics and gynecology who is consistently named a “Top Doc” in maternal-fetal medicine by several regional magazines. She serves as Chief of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Cooper, with an appointment as Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She also is Director of the Ob/Gyn Residency Program. She is just completing a two-year term as President of the Medical Staff at Cooper. In addition, Dr. Perry sits on the Cooper University Hospital Board of Trustees.

Colleagues describe her as dedicated, patient and fair-minded. She is obviously highly-respected by peers inside and beyond Cooper, being a frequently-invited speaker at national conferences on the subject of high-risk pregnancy. Dr. Perry is also described as an excellent educator of medical students and residents.

One example of her dedication is her commitment to International Healthcare Volunteers, a medical mission trip to the Republic of Ghana in West Africa. There, she and other volunteer physicians treat local residents for ob/gyn and any other medical issues they may face. The next trip is in August of 2011, and Dr. Perry is planning for one of her three sons to accompany her.

Dr. Perry received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biochemistry from Rutgers College/Rutgers University and her medical degree from UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School. She completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden, followed by a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.

One colleague commented, “Dr. Perry is so active – she is in touch with everything going on around Cooper. Quite frankly, I don’t know how she does it!”

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DR. EDWARD D. VINER
Dr. Viner’s commitment to Cooper could be described as legendary. Among his accomplishments, he recently completed a twenty-year stint as Chief of the Department of Medicine. He currently continues to serve the organization as Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Professor of Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Chairman of The Cooper Foundation, and as a member of the Hospital Board of Trustees. In those various roles, he works to create new opportunities for Cooper in the region, to attract major philanthropic support, and play a leadership role in the evolution of the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.

Dr. Viner received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard, and earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his postgraduate medical training in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Subsequently, he spent twenty-two years practicing at Pennsylvania Hospital, where he was also Head of the Section of Hematology/Oncology; director of fellowship training in these disciplines, and Co-Director of the Oncology Research Laboratory. He also began the Hospice Program at Pennsylvania Hospital, and was a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Dr. Viner was recently named a Master of the American College of Physicians, and is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Society of Hematology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He has been the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of his clinical excellence and teaching skills. Among his other career experiences, he served as the Team Physician for the Philadelphia Flyers in their heyday, and currently serves as the physician for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

He has been called “an advice-giver and a problem-solver at all levels” and “unparalleled in his compassion and caring” by colleagues. His innumerable contributions to various committees and task forces, as well as his two terms on the Board of Trustees (from 1989-1998 and 2006-present), only better illustrate these descriptions.

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Learn much more about the Cooper Red Hot Gala by visiting the Red Hot Gala web page at cooperhealth.org/redhot!