Letter To The Editor: Honoring Dr. Ken Rubin

Hoboken NJ

25 February, 2022

12:38 PM

Description

Press release from Dennis Sevano: Feb. 25, 2022 You can look back at some years and identify them with a drink you like. One year might be a champagne year, and another might be likened to a good scotch with a beer chaser. The only drink that aptly describes the last few years I've had is the liquid you have to choke down the night before a colonoscopy. I've never met anyone that likes getting a colonoscopy. It's up there with root canal surgery and waiting in line at the DMV. It helps if you have a doctor who can comfort you through the gastrointestinal venture, and in that regard Hoboken is lucky. We have a doctor, born and bred here, who has kept us (and our colons) healthy and safe for the last forty years. That gentleman is Dr. Ken Rubin. When I met Ken Rubin in 1965, when he was only 15, I never imagined that he would one day be my doctor. Here is the story of how it evolved. It was through Hudson and Bergen counties' word of mouth that I arrived at Dr. Ken Rubin's office. After we got past the long warehouse of Mile Square City history, he walked me through the two-day events with reassuring confidence and calming professionalism, allaying any anxieties. Dr. Rubin was a graduate of Brandt, and Hoboken High School ('67) which had the sports distinction of having exceptional football, junior varsity basketball, and baseball teams (County champs), along with a number of academic scholars in attendance. A graduate of Rutgers University, Dr. Rubin earned his medical degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. Following his first year of medical school, he was recognized as the top student in basic sciences. At his graduation in 1975, he secured the award for the highest performance in internal medicine. Dr. Rubin's post graduate medical training included three years at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a two year fellowship in gastroenterology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. An author of numerous scientific articles and chapters, Dr. Rubin has been an invited speaker at medical rounds at various institutions in New York and New Jersey. He is the chief of Gastroenterology at Englewood Hospital and was the President of the medical staff for a number of years. Ken Rubin was brought up on First Street in the back of Weiner's Dress Shop, which was run by his mother, grandfather, and uncle. He frequently played catch with Marty, who ran the gas station on Adams Street. Dr. Rubin's father was a Hoboken fireman and moved uptown to 8th and Bloomfield Street, which still evokes memories of the smell of coffee from the nearby Maxwell House. Without much grass in the Mile Square City, Ken indulged in stickball, slapball and off the stoop. His fond memories include not only the stores and factories, but also his second place finish in a large contest called "What is great about Hoboken?" Ken's public speaking skills were encouraged and extended by a hidden gem in the humanities department of Hoboken High, Peter Smith. This was followed by the math magicians, the late Ms. Tyrell and Mr. Rodriquez, whose styles were both entertaining and educational. Dr. Rubin recalls that he bounced into Mr. Glatt's modern art course, which to his surprise was a more than a delightful experience. He was also influenced by the late John Ciriello, the high school's physical education teacher and swim coach. Ken made the varsity squad and was introduced to golf at an early age by Ciriello. His love for the links can be attributed to him. Dr. Rubin had had many patients in the tri-state area, and they would all agree that, "While medicines cure diseases, only doctors can cure patients." Dr. Ken Rubin, a master of the medical field, certainly represents that example. This press release was produced by Dennis Sevano. The views expressed here are the author's own.