Manuel Alvarez, M.D.
Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Hackensack University Medical Center
30 Prospect Avenue
Hackensack, NJ  07601
201-996-2439

            Welcome to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hackensack University Medical Center.  Our department includes more than 100 physicians skilled in providing high-quality, highly compassionate healthcare services for women of all ages.

            We know that women today are extremely busy with many responsibilities dividing their time. That is why one of our priorities is to provide women easy access for all of their healthcare needs at Hackensack University Medical Center’s beautiful new Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital.  Whether it is preventive, well women’s exams, prenatal care and childbirth services, infertility treatment, gynecologic surgical care, gynecologic cancer care or urogynecology for women with incontinence and other pelvic floor disorders, our medical team can provide a full-spectrum of care.

            Advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technologies enable our medical team to treat many gynecologic and obstetric problems with a minimally invasive approach.  Our maternal-fetal medicine specialists diagnose and treat women with complex, high-risk pregnancies while our highly specialized physicians in reproductive endocrinology offer advanced reproductive technologies that increase a couple’s chance of achieving a pregnancy. Additionally, our gynecologic oncology services and research are nationally recognized.

            Last year 4,500 babies were born in Hackensack University Medical Center.  This year with the opening of The Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital, we expect that number to grow.  In fact, building this exceptional facility was the natural evolution as the demand for our Ob/Gyn services continues to grow every year.  This growth is exemplified by our maternal-fetal medicine perinatal diagnostic unit, which last year recorded almost 12,000 patient visits.

            The laparoscope, as well as other minimally invasive technologies, has revolutionized the practice of gynecology and no where is that more evident than in Hackensack University Medical Center. Using this exceptional technology, we have been able to transform many gynecologic procedures from traditional surgery that required days of hospitalization and weeks of recovery to minimally invasive procedures that can be performed on an outpatient basis and take only days of recuperation.  These minimally invasive technologies can be used to diagnose and treat a whole host of gynecologic problems including endometriosis, fibroids, as well as some gynecologic cancers.

            We are particularly proud of the fact that we have expanded our minimally invasive technologies into our obstetrical arena.  Dr. Abdulla Al-Khan of our Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine performed the state of New Jersey’s first laparoscopic cerclage, a procedure used to stitch the cervix closed in women who have previously suffered miscarriages due to a premature opening of the cervix.

            Hackensack University Medical Center has been designated as a training site for the use of the daVinci Robotic Surgical System.  In 2005 the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has been in the process of training our most accomplished minimally invasive surgeons in the use of the daVinci Robotic Surgical platform.  Our department will continue to explore the application of the this advanced telerobotic technology in performing a variety of gynecologic surgeries. 

            In an effort to continue to evaluate and upgrade our patient care services, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology participates in Hackensack University Medical Center’s grant in  “Pursuing Perfection: Raising the Bar for Healthcare Performance.”  This grant program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement challenges hospitals around the nation to improve the quality of the healthcare by implementing redesign patient care processes for many medical conditions.   Our department’s participation in this “Pursuing Perfection” grant aims to reduce perinatal injury and improve perinatal outcome thereby enhancing our ability to safely bring healthy babies into this world.

            I encourage you to read through our Web site for more information about our comprehensive services offered at The Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital.  Thank you for your interest in our institution and we are committed to stand ready to provide your healthcare needs in the future.

Manuel Alvarez, M.D., chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology