Pre 2002 Press Releases

Nine Saint Barnabas Doctors Run in
New York City Marathon 2000

Livingston, NJ -- On November 5, 2000, nine physicians from Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, N.J., traded in their scrubs for running gear to enter the world-famous 26-mile New York City Marathon. For all but three of the doctors, this marathon was their first.

The runners included Robert Ciolino, M.D., an anesthesiologist; Stephen Crane, an obstetrician/gynecologist; Robert Dorian, M.D., an anesthesiologist and chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology; Dan Ferrante, D.O., an obstetrician/gynecologist; Stuart Geffner, M.D., a surgeon and director of transplant surgery for the Saint Barnabas Renal Transplant Centers; John Kassabian, M.D, a pulmonologist; Robert Mirsky, M.D., an ophthalmologist; Giovanni Ramundo, M.D., and Peter Reichard, M.D., both anesthesiologists. Eight of the doctors traveled to the event together in a limousine from Saint Barnabas the morning of the race.

The physicians range in age from 35 to 52, and trained individually, except for two anesthesiologists, Drs. Ramundo and Reichard, who run together. Goals varied, from a running time of less than four hours to “finishing in one piece.” Drs. Ferrante and Kassabian, both seasoned marathoners, have run four and five marathons respectively.  Dr. Mirsky also has previous marathon experience, although never in the New York City Marathon.  A third experienced runner, Richard Panush, M.D., chairman of the Department of Medicine, had hoped to join his colleagues but sent in his paperwork too late.

Dr. Dorian, head of a department with four doctors participating assured skeptics that running in the New York City Marathon was not a requirement to becoming an anesthesiologist at Saint Barnabas. All nine doctors completed the marathon in approximately four hours.

Saint Barnabas physicians have had a long and successful history with the Marathon, with runners representing the hospital for the past several years.

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