Doctor wins national award for third time

NEWTON — For the third time in four years, Brian Newman, M.D., a Newton Memorial Hospital doctor, has received national recognition for his outstanding work in cancer care. Newman, a surgeon with the Medical Surgical Specialty Group, is one of only 55 cancer physician liaisons nationwide to receive the award out of 1,600 physician volunteers that spearhead the Commission on Cancer’s (CoC) initiatives. That number puts him in elite company as it represents approximately 3 percent of all Cancer Physician Liaisons in the United States. The Commission on Cancer’s 2008 Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Award recognizes physicians who go above and beyond expectations to improve and provide direction to their cancer care program. The commission also credited Newman for his “outstanding leadership and guidance” as a physician champion for the Newton Memorial Hospital cancer program. Among Newman’s many achievements, he has improved the quality of care delivered at Newton Memorial, contributed to the approval status of its cancer program, and demonstrated cancer control leadership in the community. Newman is a member of the Sussex County Cancer Coalition, the Medical Director for Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice and also helps build the curriculum at the Sussex County Community College Nursing Program. A member of the Newton Memorial Department of Surgery since 1989, Newman is a board certified general surgeon. Prior to joining the hospital, he spent his residency years at Portsmouth Naval Hospital.