Newswise — Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center is proud to welcome Shahid R. Aziz, DMD, M.D., FACS, FRCSEd, as division director of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Aziz helped cut the ribbon and open the hospital’s new Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Center which will offer a full scope of inpatient and outpatient oral and maxillofacial surgical services for children and adults, with a specialty in facial trauma and reconstruction surgery, as well as orthognathic (jaw) surgery.
Dr. Aziz currently serves as president of the New Jersey Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and chair of the Section of Dentistry and Oral Health of the New York Academy of Medicine. He is also the co-founder and president of the NJ based non-profit Smile Bangladesh, which provides free surgery to children and adults with cleft lip and palate deformities in Bangladesh. Since starting Smile Bangladesh more than 16 years ago, Dr. Aziz has led a small team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses on 24 surgical missions and has treated more than 1,600 patients.
Dr. Aziz is the 2017 recipient of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) Humanitarian Award for his charitable work in Bangladesh and in global surgery. He has also authored or co-authored more than 50 peer reviewed journal articles and 22 book chapters. He is one of only six American-trained maxillofacial surgeons to be awarded a fellowship in the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Dr. Aziz earned his dental degree from Harvard University School of Dental Medicine and his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his general surgery and oral/maxillofacial surgery training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center.
“Dr. Aziz’s experience and training provides Hackensack University Medical Center with the expanded capability of offering highly specialized and expert reconstructive surgical treatment for children and adults who have experienced facial trauma or have defects to the head, neck, oral cavity and jaws,” said Mark Sparta, FACHE, president and chief hospital executive, Hackensack University Medical Center. “This is another example of our innovative approach to transform care and to improve the lives of our patients both functionally and aesthetically.”
“We are proud to welcome Dr. Aziz — a compassionate and accomplished oral and maxillofacial surgeon — as a member of our team and look forward to his contributions to patient care, education and research,” said Lisa Tank, MD, chief medical officer, Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center.
ABOUT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Hackensack University Medical Center, a 771-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital, is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in New Jersey. Founded in 1888 as Bergen County's first hospital, it was the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet®-recognized hospital for nursing excellence. The academic flagship of Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack University Medical Center's campus is home to facilities such as John Theurer Cancer Center, the Heart & Vascular Hospital, and the Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women’s and Children’s Pavilion. Recognized as being in the top 1% of hospitals in the nation and #2 in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report’s 2020-21 "Best Hospitals" Honor Roll, Hackensack University Medical Center also ranked as high-performing in cancer care, cardiology and heart surgery, 2
gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Hackensack University Medical Center’s comprehensive clinical research portfolio includes studies focused on precision medicine, translational medicine, immunotherapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.
Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.
Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
The network’s notable distinctions include having four of its hospitals are among the top hospitals in New Jersey for 2020-21, according to U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, the health system has more top-ranked hospitals than any system in New Jersey. Children’s Health is again ranked a top provider of pediatric health care in the United States and earned top 50 rankings in the annual U.S. News’ 2020-21 Best Children’s Hospitals report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019” list.
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated 3
state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions.
Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.
Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.
To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.
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