Atlantic Health System has announced the opening of the Atlantic Aortic Center at Morristown Medical Center, under the direction of cardiac surgeon Dr. Benjamin Stephen van Boxtel.
Atlantic officials said the Aortic Center will provide a comprehensive, innovative multidisciplinary approach to surgical and nonsurgical care for patients with diseases of the thoracic aorta, such as aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, aortic disorders associated with congential aortic valve disease, connective tissue disorders and other types of aortic pathology.
The center will be a nice addition to cardiac care at Morristown Medical Center, which was ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and in the Top 40 nationally for Cardiology and Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report.
The Atlantic Aortic Center’s multidisciplinary approach combines the expertise of world-class cardiac and vascular surgical teams with the knowledge of cardiologists and professionals in fields such as imaging, genetics, anesthesiology and critical care. Together with patients and their loved ones, the teams create a treatment plan that balances the risks and benefits of available treatments.
“The launch of the Atlantic Aortic Center provides another example of the advanced, subspecialized, evidence-based care that we can offer patients as one of the nation’s leading cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery programs,” Dr. Linda Gillam, medical director of the Cardiovascular Service Line for Atlantic Health, said. “Our patients can rest assured that Dr. van Boxtel’s team will provide the best care available.”
Van Boxtel, the surgical director at the center, said he’s grateful for the role.
“I am honored to help lead the Atlantic Aortic Center at Morristown Medical Center,” he said. “We have the most talented team, which provides the highest quality, most appropriate care.”
In addition to his Aortic Center appointment, van Boxtel serves as an attending cardiothoracic surgeon with Mid-Atlantic Surgical Associates – Morristown Medical Center, and is currently a cardiothoracic surgeon in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps.
Van Boxtel completed his training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in integrated thoracic surgery, where he trained in open surgical and endovascular techniques in the treatment of aortic disease, as well as advanced training in the surgical treatment of heart failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
In addition to his surgical training at Columbia, van Boxtel also served as a postdoctoral research fellow there, conducting clinical research in adult cardiac surgery including aortic surgery, heart failure, heart and lung transplantation. Van Boxtel’s medical degree is from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
