Registered Nurse - Orthopedics

October 12, 2026 Valley Health System is pleased to welcome Wendy Burkholder as Vice President of operations for Ambulatory Care Services at Valley Health System. In her new role, Burkholder will oversee operations for Valley Medical Group and the Access and Navigation Center and play a key role in advancing Valley's ambulatory strategy by strengthening operational integration across service lines, enhancing patient access, and supporting continued growth throughout Valley's ambulatory network. She brings to Valley extensive experience in healthcare transformation, physician alignment, and access center optimization. "I am honored to join Valley Health System, an organization noted for exceptional patient care, service to the community, and medical innovation across its service lines," said Burkholder. "We are excited to welcome Wendy to the Valley team," said Will Neate, Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Care Services for Valley Health System. "Under her leadership, we look forward to expanding Valley's excellent reputation for providing access to quality care and exceptional physicians." Most recently, Burkholder served as Vice President of Ambulatory Services at University Hospital-Rutgers, where she led enterprise-wide ambulatory operations, access transformation, centralized scheduling, digital health initiatives, and performance improvement efforts. Prior to that, she held executive leadership roles at The Queen's Health System, District Medical Group/Valleywise Health, and John Peter Smith Health Network, overseeing large-scale ambulatory enterprises, physician networks, and strategic growth initiatives. Burkholder received a Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Her leadership philosophy centers on servant leadership, operational excellence, physician partnership, and creating cultures where teams can thrive while delivering exceptional patient-centered care.

NJ health systems roll out new medical technology. Atlantic Health, Englewood Health and Valley Health share with NJBIZ some of their latest launches The basics: * Atlantic Health adds new cancer, rheumatoid arthritis treatments * Englewood Health performs its first transcatheter mitral valve replacement * Valley Hospital launches new Gamma Knife technology for brain tumors * Valley Medical Group adds focused shockwave therapy for pain relief Atlantic Health, Englewood Health and Valley Health System recently shared with NJBIZ some of their latest medical technology launches. Atlantic Health | cancer treatment. The Statesir Cancer Center at Atlantic Health CentraState Medical Center in Freehold has added the TrueBeam photon therapy system to expand radiation oncology treatment options for patients in Monmouth County. Using high-energy X-rays, the system delivers targeted radiation to destroy cancer cells while also helping preserve healthy tissue, the provider explained. The TrueBeam system comes from Siemens Healthineers company Varian. It can treat brain and body tumors associated with breast, lung, prostate, head and neck, pelvic, spinal and abdominal cancers. "The TrueBeam platform enables enhanced imaging and faster, individualized treatment delivery, which helps clinicians to target tumors with greater precision - sparing healthy tissue - while improving patient comfort and convenience," Dr. Alexander Itskovich, medical director of the Statesir Cancer Center, said in the Sept. 14 announcement. Atlantic Health | rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Also in September, Atlantic Health announced that Overlook Medical Center in Summit was the first hospital in New Jersey to use the SetPoint System earlier this year. The new device employs neuromodulation to treat rheumatoid arthritis. RA is an autoimmune disease that can lead to joint pain, swelling and damage. The SetPoint System from SetPoint Medical is a small, implanted device that stimulates the vagus nerve, thus activating the body's innate anti-inflammatory pathways, Atlantic Health explained in the Sept. 28 announcement. Dr. Ronald Benitez, a neurosurgeon and Atlantic Health's medical director of endovascular neurosurgery, implanted the first device in February. According to SetPoint Medical, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City also now employs the device. "SetPoint is an excellent example of how neuromodulation can unlock the ability to heal and restore patients simply by stimulating important nerves in the body," Benitez said. "It's also a game-changer for patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis." Englewood Health | severe mitral valve disease treatment. Englewood Hospital's heart team recently performed its first transcatheter mitral valve replacement. According to Englewood Health's Oct. 6 announcement, it's the first hospital in Bergen County to offer the minimally invasive procedure. "TMVR opens a new door for patients with severe mitral valve disease," said Dr. Ramin Hastings, medical director of the Structural Heart and Valve Program at Englewood Hospital. The team used the SAPIEN M3 transcatheter mitral valve replacement system from Edwards Lifesciences. The new procedure allows physicians to replace the mitral valve using a catheter inserted through a vein in the leg, without open-heart surgery. The mitral valve helps control blood flow through the heart, Englewood explained. The new tech can help patients suffering from conditions such as mitral regurgitation, where the valve does not close completely and allows blood to leak backward. Valley Health System | brain tumor treatments. On Sept. 28, The Valley Hospital in Paramus announced its new Elekta Esprit, a state-of-the-art Leksell Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery system. The technology is used for the noninvasive treatment of tumors as well as other conditions in the brain and skull, according to Valley Health. The health system also noted that, according to the manufacturer, Valley is the first health system in New Jersey to acquire the Esprit. The device replaces the Elekta Icon at Valley's Gamma Knife Center. Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an alternative to open brain surgery and does not involve incisions. It is typically performed as an outpatient procedure, with most patients able to go home the same day. Dr. Rupa Juthani, neurosurgeon, and Dr. Chad DeYoung, radiation oncologist, serve as co-medical directors of The Valley Gamma Knife Center. Juthani said, "The Esprit gives us an exceptional level of control and consistency, which is essential when treating lesions located close to critical areas responsible for movement, speech, or vision." DeYoung added that, for patients, the technology means fewer risks, shorter recovery times and the ability to return to daily life sooner than with other treatments. 'Smart' choices. In September 2025, Newsweek named two New Jersey healthcare providers to its list of World's Best Smart Hospitals for 2026 (the 2027 list has yet to be released as of this publication). Find out here. Valley Medical Group | pain relief. Additionally, Valley Health announced Sept. 30 that the Valley Medical Group's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation team now offers focused shockwave therapy as part of outpatient sports medicine services. The noninvasive treatment provides pain relief from musculoskeletal and orthopedic conditions and can also replace the need for pain medication, Valley said. The therapy is performed with a handheld device to deliver pressure waves to tissues beneath the skin. The goal is to reduce pain and support tissue repair and regeneration. Dr. Jack Annunziato is medical director of ambulatory physical medicine and rehabilitation services for Valley Medical Group. He and his team perform the therapy at VMG - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, located at 223 N. Van Dien Ave. in Ridgewood. About the reporter Dawn Furnas is a digital operations specialist for NJBIZ and fellow BridgeTower Media brands. She manages all digital communications and functions for NJBIZ and also serves as a content creator. Bringing more than 20 years' experience in digital media and print publications, Dawn joined the company in January 2017 as assistant managing editor for Furniture Today and has also worked on BridgeTower's events and social media teams. Dawn can be reached at [email protected]