Virtua News
Virtua Is First in Area to Offer Two Breast Cancer Advances | ||
 Pictured above: Dr. Lori Timmerman (left), breast surgical oncologist, and Dr. Prakash Mathew, microvascular plastic surgeon, perform the new procedures. | Two new surgical options for breast cancer can provide improved cosmetic outcomes, restored sensation, and easier recovery. The procedures are a new type of minimally invasive mastectomy and an innovative technique that has the potential to restore sensation. Virtua is the first to provide the new endoscopic mastectomy procedure in both the Philadelphia region and South Jersey. Additionally, Virtua is the first in South Jersey to offer the sensation-restoring procedure. Read in New Jersey Business Magazine and listen on KYW Newsradio. | |
In the Headlines
Regional First: Virtua Earns Comprehensive Obesity-Medicine AccreditationVirtua's Complete Weight Management Program is the first in the Philadelphia region to achieve accreditation for the full range of weight-loss options—including medications, surgical and non-surgical procedures, and extensive support services. Read more about this prestigious designation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program in BINJE.
Basketball Star Visits Virtua, Donates Children's Books
Notre Dame women's basketball star Hannah Hidalgo recently donated 150 children's books to kids and families supported by Virtua. She also signed mini basketballs to distribute to kids at Virtua facilities. Hannah delivered the items to Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, where she was born in 2005. Her charitable foundation, Hannah's Helping Hands, promotes literacy and other worthy causes. Read in the Catholic Star Herald.
Nurse Honored by Independence Blue Cross
Ian Montgomery, BSN, RN, who works on the medical-surgical unit at Virtua Marlton Hospital, is one of three nurses to receive the 2026 Celebrate Caring Sunshine Award from Independence Blue Cross (IBX). The recognition honors "extraordinary nurses whose leadership, dedication, and commitment to patient care make a meaningful difference across the region," according to IBX. Watch on 6 ABC.
Medical Student & Alumna Examine Dangers of Hair Relaxers
Mark Hanna, a third-year medical student at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, and 2025 graduate Dr. Rebecca Fliorent co-authored a letter published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. The pair discussed the dangers of hair relaxers and how dermatologists can talk to their patients about the topic. Such products, used primarily by Black women to straighten textured or curly hair, may increase a person's cancer risk or cause scarring alopecia. Read in Healio.
Virtua Leader Named a Top 12 Health Care CEO
A statewide business magazine has named Virtua's Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE, to its list of New Jersey's 12 best health care CEOs. "Pullin continues to lead Virtua as one of South Jersey's most community-focused systems," the publication reported. "Pullin's strategy centers on equity, prevention, and neighborhood-based care, keeping Virtua a leading voice on community health and innovation." Read in BINJE.