John F. Bonamo, MD, MS, FACOG, FACPE (left) and Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS
West Orange, NJ, May 3, 2021 – John F. Bonamo, MD, MS, FACOG, FACPE, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical and Quality Officer, RWJBarnabas Health, and Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, Senior Vice President of Oncology Services, RWJBarnabas Health and Director, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, were named to the 2021 Edward J. Ill, M.D., Excellence in Medicine Awards’ list of Outstanding Healthcare Executives presented by the EJI Excellence in Medicine Foundation. This esteemed recognition honors leaders across New Jersey for excellence in medicine and extraordinary achievements that significantly impact the health and well-being of citizens throughout the state. The virtual recognition ceremony will take place May 5, at 6pm.
Dr. Bonamo is a physician executive with a distinguished clinical background in obstetrics and gynecology, and a proven track record in hospital leadership. In 1981, after earning his M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completing his residency at Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), Dr. Bonamo joined the hospital’s medical staff. In 2000, he became Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at SBMC and in 2001 was appointed President and CEO. He was named Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer of RWJBarnabas Health in 2015. In this role, he leads the system’s journey as a high reliability organization, an initiative to secure top-tier clinical outcomes and deliver the highest quality care and safest experience for patients and the RWJBH workforce.
Dr. Libutti is a distinguished physician who has made significant contributions in the field of oncology. In his roles as Director of Rutgers Cancer Institute and Vice Chancellor for Cancer Programs at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, he is committed to enhancing the delivery of high-quality, state-of-the-art cancer care. Concurrently, Dr. Libutti serves as Senior Vice President of Oncology Services for RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH), where he is responsible for the oversight and management of oncology services. His dual posts strengthen the successful partnership between RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers University, ensuring the integration of the clinical and research missions of Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBH. Dr. Libutti has made great advances as the Director of Rutgers Cancer Institute, New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also spearheaded and is leading the New Jersey Statewide Cancer Programs Collaboration, a taskforce implemented in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic to address oncology-related issues and needs across New Jersey. As a surgical oncologist, Dr. Libutti is internationally renowned in endocrine surgery and the management of neuroendocrine tumors. Additionally, he is Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of the Nature Journal Cancer Gene Therapy.
“The Edward J. Ill, M.D., Excellence in Medicine Awards’ recognition of Dr. Bonamo and Dr. Libutti as Outstanding Healthcare Executives in the state is a well-deserved testament to their passion and dedication toward their respective fields within the RWJBarnabas Health System as well as the greater New Jersey community,” said Barry H. Ostrowsky, President and Chief Executive Officer of RWJBarnabas Health. “They are experts in their specialties and both continue to be invaluable to the success of our system.”
Dr. Bonamo holds a Master of Science in Health Care Management from Harvard’s School of Public Health and guest lectures in the Health Policy and Management Department. Since 2006, Dr. Bonamo has been a faculty member of the Beijing University International Management Program, teaching in the U.S. and China. He serves as visiting Professor in the University of Beijing master’s program for hospital management. Dr. Bonamo is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is a member of the New Jersey Obstetrical and Gynecological Society. He is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Libutti graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and earned his medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital and his fellowship at NCI. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, is Editor-in-Chief of the Nature Journal Cancer Gene Therapy and holds 11 U.S. patents. He is also a Professor of Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and an Affiliated Distinguished Professor in Genetics at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences.
More information on the Edward J. Ill, M.D., Excellence in Medicine Awards and summaries of Dr. Bonamo’s and Dr. Libutti’s award-winning submissions are available here.
ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with five million people. The system includes eleven acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, three acute care children’s hospitals and a leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital with a network of outpatient centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, multi-site imaging centers and an accountable care organization, and the Combined Medical Group of RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health, which includes nearly 3,000 employed physicians, nurses and other health care professionals,.
RWJBH is New Jersey’s largest private employer – with more than 35,000 employees, 9,000 physicians and 1,000 residents and interns – and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBH and Rutgers University have partnered to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBH with Rutgers’ education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health.
# # #