Bertagnolli is the fifth staff doctor at the Marlton-based not-for-profit.
John Bertagnolli Jr., DO, of Mt. Laurel, has joined Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice as a hospice physician.
He is the fifth staff doctor at the Marlton-based not-for-profit, whose 329 employees provide a range of services for people with serious illnesses and their families.
As a hospice physician, Bertagnolli will oversee patients’ care near the end of life, and work with their personal doctors to provide palliative services − including pain relief and social, emotional, and spiritual support.
“Dr. Bertagnolli has more than 30 years of medical experience, including eight in palliative care,” said Samaritan COO Marjorie Ivins, MS, BSN, RN. “He’s a compassionate and giving doctor who brings a wealth of knowledge to his new position.”
Bertagnolli will continue in his role as an associate professor of family medicine at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, which he has held since 1998. Samaritan says Bertagnolli looks forward to bringing his students to visits with Samaritan patients, “so they can learn first-hand about palliative and hospice care.”
“Samaritan is a good fit for me,” Bertagnolli said. “I’ve known them for a long time; I’ve even trained some of their physicians. The staff is compassionate and works well together as a team, which is so important for the care of patients and families.”
Board-certified in hospice and palliative medicine, as well as family practice, Bertagnolli is affiliated with both the Virtua and Kennedy health systems. He is also an ordained deacon for the Catholic Church and has volunteered on numerous medical missions.
A graduate of Rutgers University with a B.A. in chemistry, Bertagnolli received his doctorate of osteopathy from the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey — School of Osteopathic Medicine (now RowanSOM). He completed a post-graduate program at Harvard Medical School on palliative care.
Samaritan serves people in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties who are coping with the stresses of aging, serious illness or grief in their homes, assisted-living, or nursing home communities and through two inpatient hospice centers: The Samaritan Center at Mt. Holly and The Samaritan Center at Voorhees.
