Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation Welcomes New Executive Director to Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

Newswise — Edison, NJ – December 22, 2022 – Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation is proud to announce that Sheila Wolfinger has been appointed executive director at Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, where she will lead integral fundraising efforts for Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

“Sheila brings an impressive wealth of knowledge and significant fundraising experience to this role,” said Joyce P. Hendricks, president and chief development officer, Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation. “There are many areas within Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine that can benefit from donor support, including endowed chairs and scholarships for medical students. I look forward to all that Sheila will accomplish to help advance medical education in collaboration with our dedicated faculty, medical students and philanthropic partners.”

Before joining Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, Wolfinger was executive director for principal gifts and strategic imperatives at Seton Hall University. In her role, she created, led and implemented the Principal Gifts program campus-wide; oversaw a personal portfolio of principal gift prospects with a capacity of more than $1 million; collaborated in the development of principal gift strategies to continually identify, cultivate, solicit and provide stewardship to donors; and worked closely with university leadership and academic partners to coordinate strategic development and fundraising activities that support interdisciplinary centers and programs, thereby emphasizing campaign imperatives. Prior to that, Wolfinger also held development roles at Montefiore Medical Center, Changing our World, Inc. and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. 

Wolfinger received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Temple University and is currently pursuing her Master’s of Public Administration in Non-Profit Management at Seton Hall University. 

“I am so pleased to welcome Sheila to our School community,” said Jeffrey Boscamp, M.D., dean, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “The School of Medicine faculty and team look forward to working closely with her to support our mission: providing the best, most patient-and community-centered medical education to our students. This will enhance the future of health care in New Jersey, and beyond.”

Wolfinger will work closely with Dr. Boscamp, as well as other School of Medicine leadership and the board of trustees, to lead vital fundraising initiatives for the school and its programs. 

“I am delighted to join Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation and lead important fundraising initiatives at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine,” said Wolfinger. “I strongly believe in the School of Medicine, its forward-thinking mission and its dynamic leadership, and I am thrilled to be a part of the team.”

To learn how you can make a gift to Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, please email [email protected] or visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org/Give.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH FOUNDATION

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3), is the philanthropic division of Hackensack Meridian Health, a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The foundation oversees fundraising for the network’s three academic medical centers, two children’s hospitals and seven community-based medical center foundations, as well as key initiatives, programs and services offered by Hackensack Meridian Health, including nursing support, behavioral health, children’s health, Hackensack Meridian Health’s Center for Discovery & Innovation and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.  

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation has been designated as both a High Performer Overall and Healthcare System High Performer by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) within their 2022 Report on Giving. 

Visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org/Donate for more information.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Hackensack Meridian Health assumed its independent operation in July 2020. The school’s vision is that each person in New Jersey, and in the United States, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, will enjoy the highest levels of wellness in an economically and behaviorally sustainable fashion. The School’s unique curriculum focuses on linking the basic science with clinical relevance, through an integrated curriculum in a team-oriented, collaborative environment. The school prides itself on outreach, through programs like the Human Dimension, which is active in communities across New Jersey. 

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The network has 18 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations, which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers, physician practice locations, and a fitness and wellness center. With more than 35,000 team members and 7,000 physicians, Hackensack Meridian Health is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy and committed to the health and well-being of communities throughout New Jersey. 

The network’s notable distinctions include having more U.S. News-ranked hospitals than any other health system in New Jersey, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, 2022-23. Hackensack University Medical Center is nationally-ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four specialties, more than any other hospital in New Jersey. Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, are ranked #1 in the state and top 20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospital Report. Additionally, their combined nephrology program ranks in the top 50 in the United States. To learn more, visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.