Hackensack Meridian Health Co-Director of Pediatric Urology Richard Schlussel, M.D., Receives Lifetime of Service Award from Healing the Children New Jersey

Distinguished pediatric urologist has led ten volunteer surgery missions across the globe

While Hackensack Meridian Health Co-Director of Pediatric Urology Richard Schlussel, M.D., has moderated national conferences, serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Urology and Urology, and is recognized nationally in the field of pediatric urology, it’s who and how he chooses to serve that truly sets him apart as a pediatric urologist and medical leader.

He has led volunteer surgery mission trips with Healing the Children New Jersey to operate on children in countries where specialized urological expertise is not readily available. As “trip chief,” he organizes groups of 30 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and lay administrative staff, and oversees the patient selection process and procedure scheduling.

He’s run ten surgical missions to date to far corners of the world, including Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Armenia, Kenya, Ghana and China, and recently received the Lifetime of Service Award from Healing the Children New Jersey, recognizing his global contributions.

Over decades of bedside practice, he said he’s learned to front-load good news when he can in family interactions. He also understands the importance of assuring families that while issues they are facing may seem scary at the time, the team has successfully addressed similar cases, and their child likely has a healthy, long future ahead.

Dr. Schlussel prioritizes such empathic approaches as he teaches pediatric robotic surgery techniques and multispecialty care approaches to medical students and residents under his wing. Urology residents regularly rotate through his OR and he frequently lectures at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. He also instituted a monthly subspecialty conference at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital with Urology, Nephrology and Radiology that demonstrates how to manage issues in a collaborative way to medical residents.

Dr. Schlussel completed residencies in surgery at Montefiore Medical Center and urology at Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Urology at Boston Children’s Hospital. When not on rotation, he enjoys running, tennis and golf and being in nature with his family.

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