CMSRU Charter Class celebrates 10 years since graduation with return to Camden
October 15
Ten years after graduating as the first class of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), members of the Class of 2016 returned to Camden this month to reconnect with classmates, reflect on their time at CMSRU and give back to the community that helped shape their medical school experience.
Twenty-six of the original 50 members of the Charter Class attended the 10-year reunion, which included gatherings in Philadelphia, a return to campus and a community service project in Camden.
The weekend began Friday with an opportunity for classmates to socialize in Philadelphia. On Saturday morning, alumni returned to CMSRU for a Dean's Breakfast, where they were welcomed by Dean Annette C. Reboli, MD, along with faculty and members of the school's leadership team.
Reboli shared updates on the school's accomplishments and future plans and reflected on the significance of the Charter Class. The students who entered CMSRU in 2012 took a chance on a new medical school, helping establish the culture and traditions that continue to shape the institution today.
Following breakfast, alumni walked to Cooper Sprouts Community Garden to participate in a community service project, continuing a tradition of service that the Charter Class helped establish.
“Where many reunions involve just getting together for a meal and celebrating, these alums have also chosen to do a clean up of the community garden just a few blocks from our school,” Reboli said.
For Brian McCauley, MD '16, returning to CMSRU offered a reminder of how deeply the school shaped his understanding of the physician's role in the community.
“Seeing everybody this weekend has been fantastic. And it's made me realize how special a place this was,” McCauley said. “It reminds me that as a physician, as a professional, we owe our communities to serve within them.”
McCauley, an interventional-structural cardiologist at Tower Health-Reading Hospital in Reading, Pa., said that commitment to community also influenced his choice of where to practice medicine.
“Part of the reason that I chose the hospital that I'm at now is that I'm part of the community. I see my patients in the grocery store, I see my patients at festivals and events. They are part of the tapestry of my life, and that's a lesson I learned here,” he said.
For Marci Fonari, MD '16, now an assistant professor of emergency medicine at CMSRU and pediatric emergency medicine physician at Cooper Norcross Univiversity Hospital, the garden brought back memories of returning to the same space as a medical student to work alongside Camden children, planting fruits and vegetables and teaching them about gardening.
“Now it's really come full circle. We're back 10 years later as graduates, and we can still give back. I think it says a lot that our class is continuing to do this,” Fonari said.
Fonari said the experience reflects the values CMSRU instilled in its students and their ongoing commitment to the communities where they live and work.
“CMSRU did its job. It instilled in us that this is who we want to be as physicians. We want to be part of the communities we work and live in and we want to continue to help everyone heal,” she said.
Fonari described the garden as another way to support that mission, providing healthy fruits and vegetables to patients and Camden residents.
The reunion continued Saturday evening with dinner at Positano Coast in Philadelphia, giving classmates another opportunity to celebrate a decade of shared experiences and accomplishments.
Ten years after graduation, the Charter Class remains connected not only by the experience of being CMSRU's first graduates, but also by the commitment to service that helped define their medical school years and continues to shape their work today.