Community Corner

Two Union County Doctors Appear On ABC Series 'NY Med'

Submitted to University Hospital 

A student pilot arrives injured but alive after a plane crash killed his instructor. A bleeding man arrives in the ER after being hit in the head with a hammer. And a couple terrorized and separated during a violent home invasion come together in an emotional reunion in front of doctors.

These riveting real-life New Jersey stories at University Hospital in Newark emerge in the new season of the ABC acclaimed real-life hospital docu-drama, NY Med. The series focuses on University Hospital and on Manhattan’s New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

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Producers say the footage from University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center, tells the poignant stories behind the headlines, and provides an unprecedented view of the surgeons, physicians, nurses and EMT professionals saving and restoring lives.

“The health care professionals working in our trauma department are among the finest in the nation, and we are proud that their skill and dedication to the people of New Jersey will be showcased in this popular real-life medical documentary,” said James R. Gonzalez, MPH, FACHE, President & CEO of University Hospital.

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The cameras provide a close-up view of the trauma and emergency staff and the bond that can develop between the professionals and their patients, many of whom are being filmed at the worst times of their lives. The fast-paced series also provides an intimate glimpse of the personal sacrifices and amazing rewards that constitute the world of doctors and nurses. 

The producers honored patients’ privacy, and many patients readily agreed to share their stories. The hospital did not attempt to influence the editing or focus of the series, which was produced by ABC’s news division.

The medical professionals from the area featured in the series include:

  • Dr. David Livingston of Scotch Plains
  • Dr. Anne Mosenthal of New York
  • Dr. Ziad Sifri of Jersey City
  • Dr. Adam Fox of Jersey City
  • Dr. Tiffany Murano of New City, New York
  • Dr. Devashish Anjaria, of Scotch Plains

“We hope the public will have a greater insight into the care and healing that takes place in our trauma department,” said Dr. Anne Mosenthal, who serves as Chair of the Department of Surgery at University Hospital. “Everyday we treat the most challenging trauma injuries and the most serious illnesses throughout Northern New Jersey. It could be a patient in a car accident, or a victim of violence. Maybe someone with a heart attack, or a stroke. We are here for everyone who needs us.”

Other dramatic stories told on the series include:

· A 19-year-old man from South Brunswick who signed up to take his very first flight lesson ended up in a plane crash that killed his instructor. He is rushed to University Hospital and is immediately treated by the trauma team led by Dr. Ziad Sifri.  Scans reveal deep wounds to his arms and legs, but the young man is talking, and is able to tell the team the details of those horrifying moments and the feeling of the plane going down.  When Dr. Sifri goes to tell the patient’s dad what has happened, his dad is emotional but thankful that his son is still alive. After 28 days in the hospital, Dr. Sifri’s plane crash patient goes home.

· Trauma Surgeon Anne Mosenthal, a mother of two, connects with the mother of a gun shot victim. “When I started this job, I didn’t have kids, and after I’ve had two children I see it really differently…when I see a 17 year old who’s been shot, I think that could have been my kid.”  Her team puts a breathing tube in the man just in time.  They see the bullet clearly on the films — it’s in the man’s chin, sitting right on the jawbone. Dr. Mosenthal, who lives in New York, must tell the mother of her son’s grave injuries.

· Dr. Hugo Razo’s big heart is on full display as he cares for and consoles a young couple from East Orange who have been injured during a home invasion. The doctor treats the husband who tells him how two men approached him at gunpoint and beat him as he tried to protect his wife. In another section of the ER, Dr. Razo visits the patient’s wife as she tells him her husband fought and how she also tried to fight off the men, who were about to assault her. Dr. Razo tells her he is glad they see no brain injuries or organ damage in the husband and he gets them together for the first time after the attack. They smile when they see each other and the wife exclaims “You saved me!” and they kiss.  

"NY MED" premieres Thursday, June 26th at 10:00 PM/ET (10:00 pm -11:00 pm) on the ABC Television Network. Additional, high-res photos of “NY Med” are available via www.abcmedianet.com 

University Hospital is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. Located at University Heights in Newark, New Jersey, University Hospital is a principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and a regional resource for advanced services across many medical specialties. For more information, visit www.uhnj.org.


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