New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians
and Surgeons Honors Dr. Antonios Tsompanidis
Every year in conjunction with the Atlantic Region Osteopathic Conference,
the New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians and
Surgeons (NJAOPS) honors a colleague who has displayed extraordinary
service to his or her community. This year, the NJAOPS leadership
awarded the distinction of Physician of the Year to Antonios Tsompanidis,
D.O. FACOFP.
Dr. Tsompanidis graduated from the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM)
in 1994. He completed his Family Medicine Residency at UMDNJ-SOM
in Stratford in 1997 where he was Chief Resident. He got the nickname
"Dr. T." during his training at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center. He has
been in private practice since graduation and a volunteer faculty member
for the Christ Hospital Family Medicine Residency program and UMDNJ
SOM since 2000.
In 2009, he became an assistant professor of Family Medicine at
UMDNJ-SOM, now Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
(RowanSOM), as well as the director of Medical Education and the program
director for the Family Medicine Residency at Christ Hospital. In
2016, Dr. Tsompanidis became the system director of Medical Education
for Christ Hospital and Bayonne Medical Center as well as the program
director for the Transitional Year program at Bayonne. In 2018, he be-
Center, overseeing nearly 90 residents and fellows as well as nearly 60
medical students from RowanSOM. His Family Medicine Residency Program
has maintained a 100 percent board pass rate since he became the
program director.
Dr. Tsompanidis served on the Executive Board of the NJ Association
of Osteopathic Physicians (NJAOPS) as its president in 2011-12 and is the
current speaker of the NJAOPS House. He is a board member of the NJ
Osteopathic Education Foundation and is the current President of the NJ
Chapter of American College of Family Physicians (ACOFP) as well as the
past president of the Monmouth County Osteopathic Medical Society. He
is the current vice speaker for the ACOFP Congress of Delegates.
Tajma Kotoric, executive director of NJAOPS, commented, "We
are especially proud to announce this award, as Dr. Tsompanidis has
remained an integral part of the NJAOPS family for many years. His
contributions are immeasurable, as he has led as past president and current
speaker of the House of Delegates. But beyond his leadership roles,
he continues to bring our organization together with his engagement,
personality and obvious love for his role in osteopathic healthcare in
New Jersey."
Dr. Tsompanidis has been a lecturer at the Atlantic Regional Osteopathic
Convention (AROC) since medical school and continues to lecture
and assist in the Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) workshop.
In addition, he continues to be the AROC opening session moderator. He
lectures nationally at both ACOFP and American College of Osteopathic
Internists conferences on various topics including medical ethics and
OMT and is an author on several medical publications. In addition, he has
been the recipient of several medical and service awards including the
rank of Eagle Scout, Outstanding Achievement awards for OMT and Family
Medicine, the Alan Gartzman D.O. Memorial Award, induction into the
American Osteopathic Association Mentor Hall of Fame, NJAOPS Service
20 JUNE 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
awards, UMDNJ-SOM Dean’s Appreciation Award, the rank of Fellow in
the ACOFP and most recently a Teaching Dedication Award from Rowan-
SOM. Dr. Tsompanidis is the current chair of the ACOFP Constitution and
Bylaws/Policy and Organizational Review Committee, vice chair of the
ACOFP Resolutions Review Committee, and was the former chair of the
ACOFP Ethics Committee. He is an assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 331
in Holmdel and was a Den leader with Pack 331. Annually, he takes on the
role of Scoutmaster for Troop 331 for their summer week at Forestburg
Scout Reservation.
During COVID-19, he remained on the frontline as his private practice
with his wife never closed, providing care to their patients with in-person
visits, telehealth, house calls and COVID-19 testing as well as treating
those with the virus. While not at the practice, Dr. Tsompanidis continued
to support his frontline residents at Christ Hospital and Bayonne Medical
Center with donations and personal purchases of critically needed personal
protection equipment. His presence at the hospitals allowed him to
make critical decisions with administration to create COVID-19 resident
teams. Being a hands-on leader, he met with his residents and faculty
nearly every day at both hospitals to ensure that they were adequately
supplied with PPE and to monitor the situation and adjust coverage accordingly.
In his free time before COVID-19, he and his wife, DinaMarie Perrino,
D.O. (UMDNJ-SOM ’94), enjoy traveling, participating in Scouting
with their sons, Antonios and Stephanos, as well as attending the many
baseball games and music concerts their sons are involved in both in and
outside of school. The doctors maintain their private practice in Hazlet
which was established in 1999 and serves as a rotation site for medical
students and residents.
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