Heather Kagan, MD

Departments

Cooper University Health Care Titles

  • Hospitalist

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Titles

  • Assistant Professor of Medicine

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine - General)

Professional Type

Cooper University Physician

NPI

1720576580

About Me

I am an internal medicine physician (an "internist") who takes care of patients who are hospitalized. This is also known as a "hospitalist." I work at both Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ, and Inspira Health in Vineland, NJ. I pride myself in taking a comprehensive and holistic approach to diagnose and treat the underlying cause of my patients' symptoms. I serve as the "quarterback" of a patient's hospital team and closely collaborate with specialists and surgeons in caring for my patients. I care deeply about my patients and providing excellent care. I strive every day to provide care that I would want provided to myself or a family member. I also teach and supervise student physicians and resident physicians in training. 

Outside of my inpatient work, I am interested in the intersection of the arts/humanities and medicine and their ability to transform and improve health care. In addition to being a physician, I am a writer, medical journalist, and artist. I have special training in using visual art and art museum-based activities to facilitate meaningful discussions and reflection, build community, promote wellness and self-care, develop health care learners' professional identities, and enhance interprofessional collaboration, patient experience, and patient care. I have directed multiple courses for medical learners that incorporate the arts and believe in its untapped power to alleviate burnout, strengthen communication, and deepen the patient-physician connection.

Office Locations

Camden, Vineland
Hospital Medicine

One Cooper Plaza
(for GPS use 246 S 6th St)
Camden , NJ 08103
Maps & Directions

Inspira Medical Center - Vineland

1505 West Sherman Avenue
Vineland , NJ 08360
Maps & Directions

Education & Training

Medical SchoolTemple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
ResidencyInternal Medicine - Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD

Awards and Honors

  • Excellence in Inpatient Care Award – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2022
  • MVP Award – Annual ABC News award for outstanding journalism. Awarded to the Medical Unit for reporting during coronavirus pandemic, 2020
  • Barker Kern Award, Honorable Mention - Johns Hopkins Hospital Division of General Internal Medicine, 2020
  • Jerry Zaslow Memorial Award - Temple Medical School, 2020
  • Thomas M. Durant Prize in Internal Medicine - Temple Medical School award for who best exemplifies the ideal physician, 2018
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
  • Gold Humanism Honor Society

Publications

Aluri J, Ker J, Marr B, Kagan H, Stouffer K, Yenawine P, Kelly-Hedrick M, Chisolm MS. The role of arts-based curricula in professional identity formation: results of a qualitative analysis of learner's written reflections. Med Educ Online. 2023 Dec;28(1):2145105. doi: 10.1080/10872981.2022.2145105. PMID: 36373894; PMCID: PMC9668275.

Kagan HJ, Kelly-Hedrick M, Benskin E, Wolffe S, Suchanek M, Chisolm MS. Understanding the role of the art museum in teaching clinical-level medical students. Med Educ Online. 2022 Dec;27(1):2010513. doi: 10.1080/10872981.2021.2010513. PMID: 34866552; PMCID: PMC8648011.

Stouffer K, Kagan HJ, Kelly-Hedrick M, See J, Benskin E, Wolffe S, Yenawine P, Chisolm MS. The Role of Online Arts and Humanities in Medical Student Education: Mixed Methods Study of Feasibility and Perceived Impact of a 1-Week Online Course. JMIR Med Educ. 2021 Sep 22;7(3):e27923. doi: 10.2196/27923. PMID: 34550086; PMCID: PMC8495565.

Kelly-Hedrick M, Stouffer K, Kagan HJ, Yenawine P, Benskin E, Wolffe S, Chisolm M. The Online Art Museum. MedEdPublish (2016). 2021 Sep 3;9:179. doi: 10.15694/mep.2020.000179.2. PMID: 38073785; PMCID: PMC10702638.

Kagan HJ, Belekdanian VD, Chen J, Backeris P, Hammoudi N, Turnbull IC, Costa KD, Hajjar RJ. Coronary capillary blood flow in a rat model of congestive heart failure. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2018 Mar 1;124(3):632-640. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00741.2017. Epub 2017 Oct 19. PMID: 29051335; PMCID: PMC5899272.