Department of Communication & Public Affairs

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

 News Release

Date: December 13, 2007
Contact: Jennifer Forbes, Coordinator
732-235-6307, jenn.forbes@umdnj.edu

Carolyn Bekes, MD, Earns Prestigious
Courage to Lead Award

For Immediate Release

New Brunswick – Carolyn Bekes, MD, professor of medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is one of only three recipients nationally to receive the 2008 Courage to Lead Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

The prestigious annual award honors designated institutional officials (DIOs) and their institutions, that have created an exemplary environment for educational programs, facilitated medical residents' ethical, professional, and personal development, and ensured safe and appropriate care of patients. Achieving the Courage to Lead Award acknowledges the leadership and commitment of DIO’s who foster an excellent educational environment for resident education.

Dr. Bekes, of Cherry Hill, NJ, is board-certified in internal medicine, nephrology and critical care medicine. She has demonstrated leadership in critical care medicine at a national level. She served as a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Test and Policy Committee for Critical Care (the group which writes the critical care board examination); and has risen through the leadership of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (the national critical care professional organization), finally serving as president of the organization from February 2000 – February 2001. She has also served as president of the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the chair of the American College of Critical Care Medicine Board of Regents and chair of the Critical Care Education and Research Foundation.

Dr. Bekes joined the faculty at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 1977 and serves as the senior vice president for academic and medical affairs for the Cooper Health System. Cooper University Hospital is a principal teaching affiliate of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Cooper University Hospital sponsors 26 residency fellowship programs. The programs are fully accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and provide a stimulating academic environment, which is ideal for the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to achieve the highest levels of professional and personal accomplishment.

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