Back when Melvin Schursky, M.D., was completing a five-year General Surgery residency at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, one of his favorite lecturers and mentors was Dr. Aaron Chevinsky, M.D., FACS – or “Chevy”, as his students affectionately called him.
This fall, the two surgeons reunited in an operating room more than 15 years later, after their careers coincidentally brought them back together.
“It was a bit nostalgic, having him there,” says Dr. Schursky, a partner with Riverside Surgical Specialists–Gloucester and Chief Medical Officer at RWRH. “I did feel a little nervous at first, I think because I wanted to impress him again. But quickly it felt natural, and it was lot of fun.”
Dr. Chevinsky, a Surgical Oncologist, recently joined Riverside Health System (RHS) as Director of Oncology. Dr. Schursky had arrived in 2009 following a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Schursky was grateful to assist Dr. Chevinsky on multiple cases as a doctor in training, especially as Chief Resident in 2008. “He really cared about the residents,” Dr. Schursky recalls. “He took time to stop what he was doing and just teach us. I owe him a lot.”
This time around, Dr. Chevinsky, Director of Oncology and Oncology Service Line Chief for RHS, scrubbed in to observe one of Dr. Schursky’s cases.
“Working with Dr. Schursky brought back fond memories of when he was a resident,” Dr. Chevinsky relates. “I could not be prouder of the surgeon and leader he has become. I look forward to working with him in the future as we continue to build our cancer program.”
“It’s a wonderful surprise to have him at Riverside as a colleague,” Dr. Schursky says. “I’m thankful that our paths brought us together again.”