Summit and Woodland Park, NJ – Elliot D. Rosenstein, co-director of the Institute for Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases (IRAD) at Overlook Medical Center, was recognized by the Arthritis Foundation’s New Jersey chapter, with the foundation’s lifetime achievement award, the Champion of YES.
The award was presented during the Arthritis Foundation’s Evening of Honors, held on Oct. 10 at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park.
“This event is ultimately not about the honorees,” Rosenstein said in his acceptance speech. “It’s about the patients, and every day my patients remind me how resilient the human spirit can be, how adversity can be met and overcome and how my personal concerns pale in comparison to those of someone who must face each day accommodating to an emotionally and physically challenging illness.”
The praise of Dr. Rosenstein from many of those patients, some of whom were in the audience, was highlighted at the gala.
Cecelia Chartoff, expressed her gratitude through music. The professional harpist provided a background of gentle notes for attendees throughout the cocktail hour preceding the awards program.
“I am very thankful to Dr. Rosenstein for his dedication, knowledge and compassionate care which allowed me to fulfill my dream of having a career as a professional harpist,” Chartoff said. “Music is extremely important to me. As a Champion of Yes, Dr. Rosenstein has made it possible for me to ‘say yes’ to the thing that I love most!”
Rosenstein lauded the Arthritis Foundation, with which he has worked for decades: “None of us would be here tonight without the Arthritis Foundation and its tireless efforts on behalf of our patients, their families and health professionals dedicated to their care.”
Dr. Rosenstein was introduced at the event by another of his patients, Peggy Lotkowictz, community engagement director of the Arthritis Foundation.
“He is a humble man who amazes me with his prowess as an extraordinary clinician and diagnostician,” said Lotkowictz. “But it is his humanity which truly sets him apart. Working with patients, many of whom experience pain on a daily basis, Elliot guides them to a place where they can live their best life in spite of the pain and limitations of their disease.”
Other testimonials from Dr. Rosenstein’s patients were also highlighted at the event, including:
- “With your unconditional compassion, amazing listening skills and brilliant knowledge of rheumatic diseases, you give me HOPE every day. I do not feel alone. I am so grateful to you. Mazel Tov on your well-deserved honor”
- “Without Dr. Rosenstein’s dedication and expertise, my last 13 years of treatment would not have been so remarkably successful”
- “Dr. Rosenstein not only treats the disease; he treats the patient’s spirit as well”
Dr. Rosenstein thanked his family, many of whom were in the audience – his wife, Laura Kushner, DDS, and their children, Rachel Rosenstein MD, PhD; Peri Rosenstein, VMD; and Adam Rosenstein, soon-to-be MD.
Rosenstein also thanked the physicians, nurses and staff who operate IRAD, and his fellow co-director, Neil Kramer, MD, Rosenstein’s clinical partner for 35 years.
“Eight years ago we joined Overlook Medical Center and have had the pleasure of working with some of the brightest and most dedicated rheumatologists imaginable,” Rosenstein said. “We were welcomed by Overlook Medical Center and Atlantic Health by an administration that shared our vision of building the Institute for Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, a center that would provide superb patient care in an academic setting while doing cutting edge clinical research.”
Overlook’s (IRAD) is the only hospital-based facility of its kind in New Jersey, where doctors take a comprehensive approach to delivering concise and accurate diagnoses and treatment plans. As part of the Atlantic Medical Group physician network, IRAD was designed as a multidisciplinary center without walls, where several different subspecialists come together to meet the needs of patients.
After graduating from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science in biology (summa cum laude), Rosenstein received his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society. He completed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine, and fellowship in clinical & experimental rheumatology at New York University/Bellevue Medical Center. He is currently Professor of Medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and is on adjunct faculty at NYU and Rutgers Dental School.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Rheumatology and a Member of the American Federation for Medical Research, New York Academy of Sciences, Clinical Immunology Society and American Association of Immunologists.
He has published more than 60 scientific articles, monographs and chapters, including the pivotal observation connecting rheumatoid arthritis with the major pathogen in periodontal disease. His research interests include mechanisms of autoimmunity, treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases with novel therapeutic agents and approaches.
He has been cited in New York Magazine, Inside Jersey, New Jersey Monthly magazine and in Best Doctors in America.
He was the Founding President of the New Jersey Rheumatology Association. He had been on the Board of Directors of the Arthritis Foundation-New Jersey Chapter for a decade and remains involved in patient teaching and advocacy. He is also on the Medical Advisory Board of the Scleroderma Foundation—Delaware Valley Chapter and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Lupus Foundation of America-New Jersey Chapter.
When not engaged in clinical or scientific pursuits, he can be found tending the llamas and old horses on the family farm or volunteering his time as the musical advisor/vocal director at the Priscilla Beach Theatre in Plymouth, MA.
About the Arthritis Foundation
The Arthritis Foundation is boldly pursuing a cure for America's #1 cause of disability, while championing the fight against arthritis with life-changing resources, science, advocacy and community connections.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System - Powered by a workforce of 17,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, serving more than half of the state of New Jersey including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The system offers more than 400 sites of care, including seven award winning hospitals: Morristown Medical Center, Overlook Medical Center, Newton Medical Center, Chilton Medical Center Hackettstown Medical Center, Goryeb Children’s Hospital, and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute.
Offering a full continuum of care, the system includes Atlantic Medical Group, one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey with more than 1,000 physicians and providers, 12 urgent care centers, Atlantic Rehabilitation and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Recognized as one of the Best Places to Work by both Modern Healthcare and Fortune Magazine, Atlantic Health System attracts leaders in the field of health care, from CEO Brian Gragnolati, who is currently Chairman of the American Hospital Association, to the numerous team members who serve as leaders across a wide breadth of clinical associations and research entities. Atlantic Health System's Morristown Medical Center is named the number one hospital in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, and Castle Connelly.