Ultimate Surprise For Longtime Cooper Hospital Trauma Surgeon
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - Cooper University Hospital honored one of their surgeons -- who has been with the Trauma Center for decades -- on Monday, and he never saw it coming.
The day started like any other for Dr. Steven Ross -- now Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery among other roles.
"I was doing my usual work all day," he says, "taking care of patients, and my boss told me he needed me to come down to the trauma area."
Waiting for him there were his family, friends, colleagues old and current, even former patients who say Dr. Ross saved their lives.
"Everybody was there to unveil the name plaque and it was a bit of a surprise," admits Dr. Ross.
The hospital renamed its Trauma Admitting Area in honor of the renowned doctor, his name etched on a plaque there.
"When you think of Cooper Trauma you think of Dr. Steven Ross," says Cooper Foundation President and CEO Susan Bass Levin. "We're very proud of him, the work he has done, the lives he has saved, the people he has taught."
She calls Dr. Ross a "Cooper icon:"
"He is an amazing physician, a really great doctor who has made Cooper Trauma the best in the region. He always puts the patient and their families first."
Something Dr. Ross says he will continue to do:
"It's a nice thing to have recognition that I put my career in here taking care of the patients in trauma. I'm gonna keep taking care of the patients and keep doing the same thing."
As part of the surprise, The Cooper Foundation raised money for new, portable X-ray machines to provide faster, more efficient patient care.