| Anesthesiologists |
Richard F. Gargiulo, MD
Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Chief, Department of Anesthesia
Medical Director Memorial ASC
 Dr. Gargiulo was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to Central New Jersey as a teenager. After graduating Manalapan High School, as Valedictorian, he attended the University of Pennsylvania. In 1979 he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Penn and matriculated at UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School. Dr. Gargiulo continued his medical education at the New York University Hospital/Bellevue Medical Center complex in Manhattan, specializing in Anesthesiology. He began practice with Burlington Anesthesia Associates in July of 1986 and has been there continuously since then. Over the past 20 years Dr. Gargiulo has started BAA's Pain Clinic, served as the QA Officer and was Medical Director of the PACU (Recovery Room). He has served on Virtua Memorial's Executive Committee and on the Virtua Foundation Board of Trustees. He currently resides in Medford with his wife and three children. |
Leah Baron, MD
Chair, Department of Anesthesia
 Born and raised in Riga, Latvia, Doctor Leah Baron received her medical degree from Medical School of Riga. She completed her internship and residency in Anesthesia at Montefiore Medical Center in New York and St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Boston. She then completed fellowship in Cardio-thoracic anesthesia at St. Elizabeth's hospital. After three years on staff at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, in 1988, Dr. Baron moved to South Jersey and joined Burlington Anesthesia Associates. Since then she has been actively involved in clinical and administrative aspects of the group, serving as a vice president of BAA until 2006, Director of Out-Patient anesthesia anesthesia liaison to PACU and SDS, anesthesia liaison to PAT, member of various hospital committees. Dr. Baron lives in Medford with her husband and 3 daughters. |
Howard Mendel, MD
Chief Financial Officer
 Dr. Mendel received his M.D. from S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook in 1987. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 1991 with a concentration in pediatric anesthesia. He became board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in 1992. Dr. Mendel was Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Thomas Jefferson University from 1991-96, where he was a pediatric anesthesiologist and directed the pediatric MRI and SPECT programs. He was Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Allegheny University Hospitals-MCP Division from 1996-97. Dr. Mendel joined Burlington Anesthesia Associates in 1997, where he is currently Chief Financial Officer. He performs various duties for the Department of Anesthesia at Virtua Memorial Hospital including Chief Compliance Officer and Co-Director of Pediatric Anesthesia services. Dr. Mendel has been a member of the Virtua Physician Council since 2006. He was chairman of the Credentials Committee at Virtua Memorial Hospital from January 2006 until December 2007. |
Robert Y. Gumnit, MD
At Large Management Committee Member
Director of Clinical Education
 Dr Gumnit was awarded a BA with honors from Temple University. Dr Robert Gumnit graduated from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Following graduation he served his internship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Gumnit continued his postgraduate education with a fellowship in Cardiac Anesthesiology also at Jefferson. He is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Gumnit later served as an editor of the American Board of Anesthesiology examination. Dr. Gumnit has had extensive experience in anesthesia for heart surgery and has a special interest in caring for surgical patients with complicated cardiovascular disorders. Prior to joining Burlington Anesthesia Associates, Dr. Gumnit was Associate Director of the Department of Anesthesiology at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Gumnit has held faculty appointments at Jefferson Medical College as well as The School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.
Since joining Burlington Anesthesia Associates Dr. Gumnit has served as the director of Obstetric Anesthesia at Virtua Memorial Hospital and served on the Women's Health Board of the Virtua Health System. He is also a former Vice President of Burlington Anesthesia Associates. Dr. Gumnit also is the editor of Burlington Anesthesia Review, a quarterly publication, which abstracts and reviews publications from 200 peer-reviewed publications in anesthesiology as well as related medical and surgical specialties. Presently Dr. Gumnit is the director of Burlington Anesthesia's continuing medical education program. This program is designed to keep the anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists as current as possible through formal presentations and discussions. Through this group learning experience Burlington Anesthesia Associates strives to constantly expand knowledge and skills to achieve the best standards of care based on the ever evolving medical evidence. Dr Gumnit currently serves on the management committee of Burlington Anesthesia Associates and is also the chairman of the physician performance appraisal committee.
In the public sector, Dr Gumnit has participated on many civic and charitable organization boards. His areas of public service have been in services for the elderly, development of educational programs and facilities for children, and well services for those in need at the local, national, and international levels. Dr. Gumnit resides locally with his wife. They have two adult daughters pursuing professional careers in New York City. |
Linda Fagan, DO
Director of Obstetric Anesthesia
 Dr. Linda R. Fagan is a former emergency department nurse. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from LaSalle University in 1987. After graduating from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993, she completed a one-year internship at Delaware Valley Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa. Dr. Fagan then completed her residency in Anesthesiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa. Upon completion of her residency, she practiced as a clinical associate at TJUH. Dr. Fagan joined Burlington Anesthesia Associates in 1998. She was born, raised and resides in Philadelphia with her husband Jim and their two children, Jimmy and Katie. She currently serves as liaison to Obstetrics and PACU at Virtua Memorial Hospital of Burlington County. In her spare time she enjoys traveling and relaxing at the Jersey Shore. |
Al Ferrari, MD
 Dr. Al Ferrari graduated from Northwestern University Medical School in 1977. He did his anesthesia residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and became board certified in anesthesia in 1982. He served 4 years in the United States Army Medical Corps and he was honorably discharged in 1984. At that time he returned to New Jersey and currently resides in West Berlin. He has been at Virtua Memorial Hospital since 1985 where he served as Assistant Chief of the Department of Anesthesia from 1987 through 2007. He also served as Medical Director of the Operating Room for 15 years. He is married (Ginny) with 2 children (Andria and Tom). He has been active in youth sports serving as coach of his daughter's softball team and his son's soccer team. He was also active in the local Boy Scout troop serving as an assistant scout master for 8 years. He has also been very active in the Virtua Health Foundation serving as its Chairman from 2005-2007 and currently since 2009. |
Praveen Gollapudi, MD
Director Pre-Admission Testing Clinic
Medical Director Millennium Surgery Center
 Praveen Gollapudi was raised in San Diego, California. He attended high school at Mt. Carmel High School and attended the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) for his undergraduate education. While at UCSD, he double majored in Economics and Biology/Cell Biology and minored in Latin. He graduated Magna Cum Laude. After college, he relocated to New York City to attend medical school at New York University, where he received his Doctorate of Medicine in 1999. Upon completing medical school, he did an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at New York University. He became board certified in Internal Medicine in 2002. From 2002 to 2004, he worked for Southern California Permanent Medical Group in Los Angeles as an Internist and Hospitalist. Desiring additional training, he engaged in a second residency in Anesthesiology at New York University. Dr. Gollapudi joined Burlington Anesthesia Associates in July 2007 and quickly established himself as a leader. He currently serves on the Virtua Memorial Credentials Committee and is the Director of the Student CRNA education program. |
Joshua Schwartz, MD
 Dr. Schwartz is a Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, President's Scholar 1979 graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he majored in Economics. He attended medical school at The Medical College of Pennsylvania and earned Alpha Omega Alpha honors in his junior year of medical school. After completing his internship in internal medicine at The Graduate Hospital, he completed his residency in anesthesiology at The Hospital of The University Of Pennsylvania.
Upon completion of his residency in 1986, Dr. Schwartz joined Burlington Anesthesia Associates. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Schwartz currently serves as Vice President of The Burlington County Medical Society, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Burlington County Medical Society and is the Assistant Medical Director of The Virtua Ambulatory Surgery Center. His special interests are outpatient and office based anesthesia. He is married and the father of three children. |
Mark Tatz, MD
 Dr. Tatz is a founding member of Burlington Anesthesia Associates. He grew up in Fair Lawn, NJ and attended Rutgers College, graduating with a BS degree in 1972. He received his MD degree from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, graduating with honors. A clinical "Fifth Pathway" and surgical internship took place at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ. His anesthesia training occurred at Long Island Jewish Hillside Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Tatz came to Virtua Memorial Hospital in 1982 and has enjoyed practicing at this institution ever since. |
Robin Thornton, MD
Chief Quality Assurance Officer
 Dr. Thornton was born and raised in New York City. After attending Hunter College High School in New York City, she went on to earn her B.S. in Psychobiology from Oberlin College in 1981. She went to Morehouse School of Medicine and ranked in the top third of her class.
Dr. Thornton completed a transitional internship with combined Internal Medicine and Surgery at St. Vincent's Medical Center in New York City. In 1988 she completed her anesthesia residency at New York University Medical Center. She obtained a fellowship in neuroanesthesia. She became a Diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology in 1990.
Dr. Thornton has had a clinical anesthesiology practice since 1989 with Burlington Anesthesia Associates, P.A. Current responsibilities include Quality Assessment Officer for the department of anesthesiology since 1991. |