For Immediate Release
July 9, 2007
Contact: Laura Buffum
732-751-7537
lbuffum@meridianhealth.com

OCEAN MEDICAL CENTER RADIATION ONCOLOGIST RECEIVES PHYSICIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

Brick, NJ - Nathan Kaufman, M.D., radiation oncologist at Ocean Medical Center, Brick, has received the prestigious recognition of "physician of the year" from NJ Biz Magazine's Healthcare Hero Awards.

Dr. Kaufman is the director of Radiation Oncology for Ocean Medical Center and is also affiliated with Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, and Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank. He is responsible for bringing cutting edge technologies to Monmouth and Ocean Counties, such as The Cyberknife and intensity modulated radiation therapy, both tools which bring increased radiation precision. His research has lead to publication in more than 30 journals and books.

For Dr. Kaufman, though, being with the patients is the most satisfying job. "I feel blessed and fulfilled because I have the privilege of providing cures, relief of symptoms, and healing and hope to people everyday," he said.

He also noted that oncology is uplifting rather then depressing. "Beside our successes, we get to know people who are facing a great challenge and summoning the best in themselves," Dr. Kaufman explained.

Dr. Kaufman has been a member of the Meridian Health family for over five years now. Previously, he was the chairman of radiation oncology at Karmanas Cancer Institute in Michigan and was trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

"In only having him here these five years we have come to really understand how fortunate we, his patients, and families are," explained Barbara Rabinowitz, Ph.D., director of Oncology at Meridian Health.

"I met Dr. Kaufman several times while accompanying my mother to Radiation Therapy. I'm a consultant who visits many hospitals throughout the country teaching "Customer Satisfaction." I must tell you, I have never seen or felt such warmth and caring as I have at the [Ocean Medical Center] Outpatient Center. Dr. Kaufman and his team have accomplished what so many others are trying hard to duplicate," said Gail Boylan of Pensacola, Florida, a patient's daughter.

About Ocean Medical Center
Ocean Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, is a 281-bed non-profit community hospital located in Brick New Jersey, providing health care programs and services in all major medical disciplines, including maternity; oncology; orthopedics and rehabilitation; general, neurological, thoracic, and vascular surgery; cardiology; dialysis; and emergency and critical care services.

The Medical Center features Magnet award winning nurses and is a proud affiliate of University of Pennsylvania Cancer Network. Ocean Medical Center also operates the state's first Satellite Emergency Department in Point Pleasant, the Ocean Care Center. For more information, please call Meridian Health Line at 1-800-560-9990 or log on to our web site at www.meridianhealth.com.

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