Leadership Messages (Emergency Medicine)

It is with great personal pride that our Department graduated its 27th class of residents this past June (251 total graduates) and began our 30th year. Late summer is always a very exciting time of year, as we’ve said goodbye to our graduates who are settled into new fellowships and clinical positions and have welcomed and oriented our intern class. Providing optimal care and our tradition of exemplary clinical education for our residents and students is our priority.  Our recent graduates embraced and benefited from our Department’s culture of teamwork and mentorship.  In the past 5 years we met the challenge to assist Drexel /Hahnemann EM trainees and gained RRC approval to expand to 13 residents per year; graduated Medical Education Fellows, met approval as a Level 3 Geriatric ED, incorporated DAX documentation and opened a new 10 bed admit/boarding area.

Our seniors often communicate with me a few weeks into new positions with comments such as: “A card is not enough to express my gratitude for everything you have provided me and our program. You have taught me so many pearls in the ED and thank you for trusting me to care for your patients, giving me confidence, and for helping shape me to become a professional, competent, compassionate attending, with attention to longevity through wellness. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Cooper University Health Care is vibrant and thriving in South Jersey. Our ED census is well over 80,000 patients, with almost 13,000 being children.  Over 25% of our patients require further inpatient evaluation, reflecting very high acuity. I have been in a leadership role at Cooper and our medical school (Cooper Medical School of Rowan University) for 40+ years and Emergency Medicine has the utmost respect of all departments and the Dean. In 1995 our residency was accredited, in 1997 we were the 54th academic department of Emergency Medicine established in the country, and in 2016 CMSRU graduated its first 4-year class. In 2004 we joined an elite group of departments of emergency medicine with NIH grant support, which continues to this day. I am actively involved in every strategic decision that impacts Emergency Medicine and meet regularly with the Co-presidents of Cooper University Health Care, and the Dean of CMSRU. In addition, my appointment on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of Chairs at Cooper has provided me the opportunity to represent all faculty and our mission. This means I have support to continually improve operations in the ED, our residency, fellowships, student programs, and clinical research. EM plays key roles at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), South Jersey's first four-year allopathic school.

Our graduates are extremely competitive in academic, fellowship, and community positions. The central theme of training at Cooper is our residents’ sense of ownership of the department from day one and our commitment to maintaining the balance of service and education. Expertise in all areas of EM with specific emphasis in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Ultrasound, EMS, interpreting EKGs, advanced approach to OUD, Geriatrics, systems-based practice, billing/coding, QI/QA education, and patient experience education makes our graduates very attractive. We have a unique focus training our residents administratively and teach how to negotiate finances post training. We provide the highest quality emergency care for our patients, while teaching the future clinicians and leaders of our specialty. This is a "can do" department and health care system, and you will not find a more supportive environment in which to train.

Our Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine provides state-of-the-art pediatric care and education in an adjacent, yet separate eight-bed pediatric ED. Ultrasound is utilized daily in our practice diagnostically and therapeutically, in the ED, PED, Trauma, and ICU and have our own cutting edge US fellowship. We are actively involved in the Camden community, including grant support for victims of violence, outpatient addiction services, EMS leadership, and local educational speaking engagements. We have developed three unique EM-run community Urgent Care Centers, which support Cooper’s overall mission. 

Visiting students rotating in our department invigorate our undergraduate teaching. A recent past student rotator contacted me and stated:

 “As a rotating student I had the opportunity to see firsthand how incredible the culture is in your department and how happy both faculty and residents are on a daily basis. Cooper aligns with many of my career goals, as resident and student mentorship and education are valued and prioritized. From the incredible sim sessions to dedicated student teaching shifts, to mini “chalk talks” held by the Chiefs, the dedication to teaching was truly unmatched. It struck me how much opportunity, support and empowerment you offered to female faculty, a program characteristic which cannot be understated. I’ve appreciated how incredibly special Cooper is!”

Your biggest challenge will be selecting the program that fits your individual career goals. I hope this additional information assists you in your decision. Our diverse faculty love emergency medicine at Cooper, and our residents are very special, integral members of our department. Perhaps you will have the opportunity to join us!

Michael Chansky, MD
Chair and Professor of Emergency Medicine
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

Thank you for looking into the Emergency Medicine Program at Cooper! I am excited to be the Program Director of such a dynamic program. As a graduate of the residency (Class of 2004), I am proud to remain part of it. It is a privilege to tell you about our exceptional training and I invite you to explore our website to learn more about us.

Over the past decade, I have witnessed extraordinary changes at Cooper: a new, state-of-the-art ED and clinical decision unit, a new critical care tower and operating rooms, a brand-new iTrack patient care area, the addition of world renowned faculty, our partnership with MD Anderson, and the start of our own four-year allopathic medical school, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, to name a few. These changes have allowed Cooper University Health Care to become a regional leader in the healthcare field. During the challenges in healthcare over the past few years, I have been so proud of the resiliency and dedication of our EM team. The EM Residency Program at Cooper has mirrored the growth, success, and development of the institution.

The three aspects of our program that I am most proud of are: the clinical experience, the educational program, and the people.

The Clinical Experience

The clinical experience centers on the busiest Level 1 Trauma Center in New Jersey. Cooper offers residents the opportunity to provide care in a very busy, high-acuity ED for patients who live in one of the nation’s poorest and most dangerous cities. The high proportion of sick and critically injured patients is an ideal environment to learn the art and science of emergency medicine. Patient diversity both culturally and economically, in addition to the varied patient pathology, are a few of the truly unique aspects of the clinical experience at Cooper.

The Educational Program

We have a robust curriculum (traditional, “flipped classroom”, and simulation) that covers the core EM content. Additionally, we focus on several unique aspects including our systems-based practice of EM (billing/coding, patient experience, etc.), our substance abuse curriculum, our EMS/disaster medicine involvement, our critical care education (with several EM/critical care faculty), our bedside ultrasound experience (with many U/S trained faculty), and our devotion to undergraduate and graduate education that is ingrained in all that we do.

The People

Cooper’s EM residency program is full of dynamic, high-energy, and friendly individuals with a wide range of academic interests all coupled with a strong sense of family. We have devoted faculty, many who are fellowship trained and leaders in their fields, all whom are supported by our incredible senior leadership. Finally, I believe the strongest aspect of our program and the “heartbeat” of the residency are the residents themselves. I have enjoyed getting to know each one of them individually. They are a fun, dynamic, diverse group of wonderful human beings.

We push our residents to become outstanding, well-rounded EM clinicians and help them develop an academic niche throughout their training. We also emphasize resident development from a personal, professional, and business perspective and are able to provide individual attention to help each resident reach these goals. If you are looking to work hard and grow personally alongside a tremendous group of people, Cooper EM may be the program for you.

Tara N. Cassidy-Smith, MD, FAAEM
Program Director

We are excited you are considering Cooper and cannot wait to give you just a glimpse into why we love it so much! Cooper is a supportive family-style environment, boasts an emphasis on teaching, and provides rigorous training in emergency medicine with both a high acuity and diverse patient population.

Located in Camden, NJ, our patient population is quite broad, drawing from both the inner city of Camden – where many patients have limited access to healthcare and are suffering from substance use, trauma, and homelessness – as well as the New Jersey suburbs. We see high acuity patients and are very lucky to have an abundance of procedural opportunities. From day one of intern year, our residents manage complex patients and learn to perform procedures such as intubations, central lines, and orthopedic reductions.

Camden is just 10 minutes across the river from Philadelphia, PA, so about two-thirds of our residents live in Philadelphia while the others live in the Jersey suburbs. In Philly, residents enjoy access to an abundance of parks, museums, restaurants and bars - where we frequently grab a drink after shift with our attendings and co-residents.  New Jersey has many family friendly small towns that can provide residents with more living space while still having access to amazing restaurants and activities.  Philly is also easily accessible via the PATCO train line.

Although the ED itself has more of a county feel than some academic centers, it still has the support of a wide variety of highly skilled 24-hour consultant services. Cooper University Hospital is a leader across multiple specialties in South Jersey, as exemplified by MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Cooper Heart Institute, Cooper Bone and Joint Institute, Cooper Neurological Institute, Center for Critical Care Services, Center for Urgent and Emergent Services, and the Center for Trauma Services, which draws in a wide variety of medically complex patients and abundant research opportunities. Cooper is South Jersey’s only Level I Trauma Center and a busy Level II Pediatric Trauma Center and the emergency department residents respond to trauma airways and spend time staffing the trauma bay. In Cooper’s pediatric emergency department, we care for infants and children under the guidance of fellowship-trained pediatric emergency physicians during both dedicated blocks of Pediatrics and longitudinal shifts across residency.

At Cooper we have a family-feel on shift; all EM residents and attendings sit together in an area we call “the bubble,” so we frequently discuss cases and collaborate with the whole group when there is a challenging presentation. There is a strong emphasis on teaching, and our faculty are nationally recognized as educators and boast expertise in critical care, EMS and disaster medicine, administration and law, ultrasound, toxicology, medical education, geriatrics, and research. Residents interested in teaching have many opportunities to engage with the medical students taking presentations on clinical shifts, running ultrasound and procedure labs, and designing SIM cases. We also have multiple collaborative workspaces for residents in our newly renovated EM departmental space and state-of-the-art simulation center at our medical school, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU).

Emergency medicine physicians have a strong presence in hospital leadership, and our emergency department has a strong standing within the hospital system. Our Department Chair Dr. Michael E. Chansky (whom we affectionately call “Boss") works frequently in the emergency department despite his numerous administrative responsibilities, including but not limited to his role on Cooper’s Board of Trustees. Cooper’s Co-President/CEO, Anthony “Mazz” Mazzarelli, is an emergency medicine-trained physician who still works clinically alongside us in the department and lectures during conferences.

While we work hard in the emergency department, we also enjoy our free time, and have a system in place to accommodate residents' schedule requests so they can attend life events and other important gatherings. We also frequently spend time outside the hospital with each other and with our attendings. Some of our favorite activities include going to Philadelphia sporting events (go Birds!), our annual residency retreat at the Jersey shore, Philadelphia rooftop nights, karaoke, Byrne’s annual game night, backyard barbecues, the department wide holiday party, dog park dates, and much more. With Camden’s close proximity to New York City, Washington DC, the Jersey Shore and the Pocono Mountains, there are endless ways to spend time off.

We understand how stressful interview season can be, and we are happy to answer more individualized questions. Please feel free to email any of us. We look forward to meeting you virtually along the interview trail and cannot wait to see which 13 of you will join our Cooper family next year!

Warmly,

Julie Calabrese, calabrese-julie@cooperhealth.edu

Dan Fullerton, fullerton-robert@cooperhealth.edu

Christine Hill, hill-christine@cooperhealth.edu