Annette Reboli

In May, more than 100 graduates earned their medical degrees from Cooper Medical School of Rowan University where Reboli is dean. The group was the seventh to be recognized by the school during the commencement ceremony—and its largest class of medical doctors to date.

The size of the class is important. According to the New Jersey Hospital Association, New Jersey has the third-highest percentage of active physicians over the age of 60 and is fifth lowest nationally for those under 40.

In the past, Reboli has been acknowledged by insiders as a key player in broadening Cooper Medical School’s name from one with just local recognition to a national leader. Locally, the institution is part of the “Eds and Meds” strategy that’s designed to revitalize the city. During the graduation ceremony, Reboli said the students collectively completed more than 17,000 hours of service over the past four years in the community.

The school is appealing to future docs through unique programs, like its accelerated 3+4 BS-MD initiative, which allows high school seniors the opportunity to complete their undergrad degree in three years at Rowan University before embarking on their medical education at CMSRU in the fourth year—and cuts the total degree process down from the standard eight to an overall seven-year-journey. Similarly, the PC3 track from the school offers a chance to pursue an MD at an accelerated pace for students looking to practice primary care or pediatric medicine with a direct path to those specific residency tracts at Cooper University Health Care.

“You have been transformed by current events in ways that may not be readily apparent, but will reveal themselves as you progress in your careers,” Reboli, an infectious disease expert herself, said during this year’s commencement. “The world has changed, and so have you. I expect that you will be better physicians and true healers because of this.”