The annual White Mass in honor of physicians, nurses, and healthcare professionals will be held:
Sunday, October 2, 2011
1:00 PM
Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center (Chapel)
1600 Haddon Avenue
Camden, NJ 08103
At the Mass, the St. Luke Award for leadership in Catholic health in Southern New Jersey will be presented to Dr, Thomas A. Cavalieri, current dean of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), School of Osteopathic Medicine, and retired physician Dr. Richard K. Spence of Cherry Hill.
Dr. Cavalieri has been an advocate for older adults for more than 25 years. As an academic geriatrician and faculty member at UMDNJ, he has advanced the standard of care across the nation and served as founding director of The NJ Institute for Successful Aging.
Dr. Cavalieri has served in a leadership role for professional bodies at the national, state and local levels. He has been the chairman of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, president of the American College of Osteopathic Internists, chairman of the Committee on Interdisciplinary, Community Linkages, chairman of the New Jersey Commission on Aging, member of the Drug Utilization Review Board, member of the staff at Kennedy University Hospital and its Board of Trustees, and medical director of St. Mary’s Catholic Home in Cherry Hill.
He has been named a Top Doc in geriatrics by several publications and been the recipient of many professional honors and awards. His dedication to the church was recognized by Bishop James T. McHugh when he was awarded the Bishop’s Medal for service to the Diocese of Camden.
Dr. Cavalieri, under the direction of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, was instrumental in spearheading the South Jersey Catholic Medical Association in the Diocese of Camden. He served as its founding president and currently serves as Dean Liaison to the Student Christian Medical Association and the Student Catholic Medical Association at UMDNJ-SOM.
He and his wife, Donna, have four grown children and are members of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Cape May.
Dr. Spence has been a faculty member and chaired departments at several major institutions including Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, a part of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, in Camden, (1981-95), Staten Island University Hospital in New York (1995-99), Baptist Health Systems in Alabama (1999-2003), and St. Agnes Medical Center in Baltimore, (2003-05).
While in Alabama, he also served as director for the Alabama Center for Transfusion Alternatives. In 2005, he accepted the position of senior vice president for Clinical Affairs for Infonale. He joined Haemonetics, the Blood Management Company, as medical director in 2007 and recently retired from that position.
Dr. Spence devoted much of his clinical work to the advancement of blood management, surgical education and the treatment of venous disease. He is the author of more than 250 publications in these areas, has contributed chapters to several major surgical and transfusion textbooks, and had co-edited a book on transfusion medicine. He has been recognized both nationally and internationally for his work in these fields and is a sought-after speaker.
He is a past president of both the New Jersey and Delaware Valley regional vascular societies and of the national Association for Surgical Education. Dr. Spence is a past president of the Association for Surgical Education (ASE) and was the 2002 recipient of the associations Distinguished Educator of the Year award. He was the Founding President of both SABM, the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management (SAMB) and The Network for the advancement of Transfusion Alternatives (NATA).
Dr. Spence and his wife, Claire, reside in Cherry Hill and are the parents of five daughters and grandparents to seven grandchildren. They are members of St. Thomas More Parish, where he serves as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, visits the sick and homebound, supports pro-life activities, advocates for priestly vocations, and reaches out to youth and young adult members. Dr. Spence is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus and currently is the Deputy Grand Knight of Council 6173 in Cherry Hill.
In addition, Dr. Lester Ruppersberger, medical advisor to the Family Life Office of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will be the keynote speaker. The topic will be “Be Not Afraid: How to be Catholic in Healthcare.” He has been a presenter at numerous medical conferences and currently is a speaker for several pharmaceutical companies. He is a certified instructor in natural family planning (NFP) for the archdiocese. In that capacity, he promotes NFP not only through NFP couples’ classes but also to medical schools, to high schools, to several local universities, at various Life forums and through a monthly radio program on Holy Spirit Radio. He currently serves as president of the Respect Life Committee at St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish in Yardley, Pa.
The “White Mass” is traditionally celebrated in October around the feast of St. Luke, observed on October 18. St. Luke, the inspired author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, was a physician.
For more information, contact the Division of Health Services, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Camden at 856-342-4125 or e-mail katherine.boyer@camdendiocese.org.