What is your position at Wilf Campus?
Executive Director of Stein Hospice
Describe a typical day in your position.
A good part of my day involves providing leadership for a wonderful staff — the “people on the front lines” — who are tending to the dying. I have some of the finest clinical staff in New Jersey. All of them understand that hospice is sacred work. Each of them understands that hospice is an individual journey for each patient and family; we help people find their way at life’s end.
I also enjoy giving a talk I developed on Jewish views of the afterlife. I do this once or twice a month to various community groups. I love this lecture and enjoy teaching people about a somewhat hidden area of Jewish belief.
How did you get started in this profession?
I graduated from the City University of New York and received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Brooklyn College and a Master of Social Work degree from Hunter College School of Social Work. I spent most of my professional life in medical education, teaching family physicians in residency training. For 17 years, I was the Associate Director at JFK Family Medicine Residency Program in Edison, New Jersey. I was a faculty member, training physicians in non-medical aspects of care. My faculty appointment was through UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine.
But, my dream job was to work in the Jewish community. So, I joined Stein Hospice as Executive Director in 2009. It is my privilege to take care of vulnerable terminally ill people. I see it as a special mitzvah that is unparalleled. I see my job as attracting talented staff and supporting them so they are able to do this difficult work with grace and love.
What do you like best about working within the Wilf Campus community?
Wilf provides the leadership and the context for a plethora of senior services. I enjoy being part of a campus that can help people at all points of the aging process.
What’s your favorite part of Campus?
I look forward to moving into a planned new building which will house the Wilf Campus corporate offices as well as a wing for Stein Hospice.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I am a big fan of reading and always have a book that I am intimately involved with. I enjoy watching films with my wife and spending time with my family. We have a small apartment in Manhattan where we stay on many weekends. We are so close to Lincoln Center that I like to joke that it’s my backyard.
What would you tell someone who is interested in a career at Wilf Campus; or someone who is seeking care for a loved one?
I would tell them that Wilf Campus is dedicated to a personal healthcare experience and that no one falls through the cracks. From top to bottom, everyone is a dedicated professional and the services offered here are unequaled. There is also fabulous leadership here on all levels, from the various Wilf Campus Boards of Trustees, to the senior staff and all of our employees. Wilf Campus is a compassionate community.