MMC Foundation hosts 42nd annual Crystal Ball Gala

Long Branch — Monmouth Medical Center Foundation hosted its 42nd Annual Crystal Ball Gala recently at The Robert J. Collins Arena at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. The Gala, which benefits hospital programs and services, honors leaders in medicine and the community and celebrates Monmouth Medical Center’s achievements and continued growth.

Bill Arnold, chief operating officer, Monmouth Medical Center, his wife, Nancy, and Frank J. Vozos, M.D., FACS, president and chief executive officer, Monmouth Medical Center, and his wife, Nancy.

Monmouth Medical Center’s 42nd annual Crystal Ball Gala Community Leadership Award recipients Judi Dawkins, Monmouth Medical Center Board of Trustees, and her husband, Brig. Gen. (Ret’d.) Pete Dawkins, Ph.D., of Rumson with Ann Unterberg, Chair of the Monmouth Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees and her husband, Tom Unterberg of Rumson.

From left, Glenn Miller, chief development officer for Barnabas Health, Lewis and Judith Eisenberg, Tara Kelly, vice president of development, Monmouth Medical Center Foundation, and the Dawkins.

“Each year this event gives us the opportunity to reflect on all that we have achieved,” says Frank J. Vozos, M.D., FACS, the hospital’s president and chief executive officer. “It takes teamwork and a tireless dedication to excellence to attain the achievements we celebrate each year at the Crystal Ball, an event that also allows us to pay tribute to those who share the commitment to provide our community with the finest health care possible.”

The 2014 Crystal Ball’s Physician Leadership Award was presented to Dr. Michael A. Goldfarb,  immediate Past Chairman and Program Director of the Department of Surgery at Monmouth Medical Center for the last 14 years. He is a Professor of Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine and immediate Past President of the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Surgeons.

Before coming to Monmouth, Dr. Goldfarb was Surgical Director of Wound Ballistics for the United States Army, where he developed Kevlar body armor and wrote the current standard for bullet proof.

Throughout his 40-year career at Monmouth, Dr. Goldfarb has made significant contributions to the hospital’s success — including leading the team that performed the first laparoscopic gall bladder removal in New Jersey in 1990. He implemented an original database to track surgical complications and outcomes, resulting in process and protocol changes.

These remedies, along with accomplishments of the other surgical departments, have helped Monmouth achieve the highest surgical survival rate in New Jersey for the past eight years. The research has been published and presented nationally and internationally.

Dr. Goldfarb has served as Medical Director of the Cranmer Ambulatory Surgery Center. He is founder of the Jacqueline M. Wilentz Comprehensive Breast Center and served as its Surgical Coordinator for many years. He also served on the Board of Trustees for 10 years.

The Community Leadership Award was presented to Judi Dawkins, a member of the Monmouth Medical Center Board of Trustees, and her husband, Brig. Gen. (Ret’d.) Pete Dawkins, Ph.D., of Rumson, for their continuing support of the hospital and other charitable activities in the Two Rivers area.

As Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 2000-2003, Judi helped launch the Redefining Health Care Capital Campaign, including overseeing $15 million in upgrades benefiting the Leon Hess Cancer Center and expansion of the Wilentz center. She is also a founding board member of the Women’s Council for The Cancer Center at Monmouth, where she serves on the Advisory Board.

The 1958 Heisman Trophy winner, Pete had a highly decorated 24-year career in the U.S. Army. He then entered the financial industry, where he held a number of leadership positions and was named among TIME’s “Top 50 Leaders in the U.S.” Among his many awards for public service are the National Institute of Social Sciences Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service to Humanity, the BENS Eisenhower Award for Distinguished National Service, and The National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Gold Medal Award.

Monmouth Medical Center Foundation was created to support Monmouth Medical Center, and its accomplishments are funded through contributions from individuals, corporations and other donors for state-of-the-art equipment, facility improvement and programs. To learn more about Monmouth Medical Center Foundation, visit www.monmouthfoundation.org.