Monmouth Medical Center acquires two works of art in honor of Michael A. Goldfarb, M.D., FACS

Representatives from Monmouth Medical Center and the George and Helen Segal Foundation recently gathered to dedicate two large pastels by artist George Segal, donated to the hospital by the Segal Foundation in honor of Michael A. Goldfarb, M.D., FACS, who served as chairman and program director of Monmouth’s Department of Surgery from 2000 to 2014.

Represented exclusively for more than 30 years by the Sidney Jansis Gallery in New York, Segal was an iconic American painter and sculptor who, along with Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol and others, became known as part of the “Pop Art” movement. He perfected the technique and created real life tableaux, using many close friends and family members as models. Segal’s distinctive style separated his work from “Pop Art” by staying closely related to personal experience and human values. Dr. Goldfarb and his wife Barbara met the Segals in 1983 on a river boat in Egypt. Barbara, and subsequently Dr. Goldfarb and their family, were models for George Segal from 1983 until his passing in 2000.

Created in 2000 after Segal’s passing, the George and Helen Segal Foundation was created with the purpose of showing Segal’s work around the world, awarding grants to artists, gifting Segal’s work to museums and galleries and providing an authoritative place to purchase the art of this world-renowned painter, sculptor and visionary.

The two large, donated pastel works, titled “Apples, Peaches & Bottle” and “Untitled Still Life (Sink & Sponges II),” and will be displayed in the Cranmer Ambulatory Center and the Department of Surgery at Monmouth Medical Center.
“My thoughts of helping patients to heal are interwoven with George’s art which represents the beauty of everyday life and the journey of healing,” said Dr. Goldfarb.

With a career at Monmouth Medical Center spanning more than 40 years, the pastels were dedicated in honor of Dr. Goldfarb and his accomplishments.
In addition to serving as chairman and program director of the Department of Surgery for 14 years, Dr. Goldfarb is a professor of Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine, a governor of the American College of Surgeons and a past president of the New Jersey Chapter of the American College of Surgeons.

“Dr. Goldfarb is well-read, constructively critical and challenging. He remains an active and meticulous surgeon, researcher, innovator and most importantly, friend,” said Joseph Jaeger, DrPH, chief academic officer at Monmouth Medical Center and associate vice president of research for Barnabas Health.

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.

Dr. Goldfarb has pioneered numerous groundbreaking initiatives during his time at Monmouth Medical Center, contributing to the hospital’s success – including performing the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy in New Jersey in 1990. Since 1997, he has implemented an original database to track all surgical complications and outcomes, resulting in process and protocol changes. 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.

“We can thank Michael for making us all objectively look at what we do,” said Gregory A. Greco, D.O, chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Monmouth Medical Center.  “Michael has been a pillar of excellence and an example for every resident that has been trained by him as well as every physician that has worked for him.”

Dr. Goldfarb earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and completed a general surgery residency at Beth Israel Medical Center. He has been recognized by Best Doctors in America, Guide to America’s Top Surgeons and Best Doctors in the New York Metro Area. Dr. Goldfarb is an editor of General Surgery News and his extensive research has been published in peer reviewed journals.

About Monmouth Medical Center

Located in Long Branch, N.J., Monmouth Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, is one of New Jersey’s largest teaching hospitals and has been an affiliate of Philadelphia’s Drexel University College of Medicine for more than 40 years. From its earliest days, Monmouth Medical Center has been a leader in surgical advancement and has introduced many technological firsts to the region, including robotic surgery and other minimally invasive techniques. U.S. News & World Report has recognized Monmouth as a regional leader in cancer, geriatrics, gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery. For more information on Monmouth Medical Center, visit www.barnabashealth.org/monmouth.