Anna Angele Haroutunian, MD

Anna Angele Haroutunian, MD, a pediatric physician, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023 at St. Barnabas Hospital surrounded by her family. She had been a long-time resident of Clifton and more recently resided at Crane’s Mill in West Caldwell.

She was born in New York City of Armenian heritage. She attended Clifton Public Schools and was the Salutatorian of her high school class. The Salutatorian speech she gave at the age of 17 was remarkable as she spoke eloquently about the value of time and how important it is to strive to use the precious time we are given in a meaningful and positive manner. She followed this path and led a most meaningful and positive life devoted to the care and treatment of sick, abused and injured children.

Dr. Haroutunian earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College, Columbia University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from New York University School of Medicine in 1959. She was one of a small number of pioneering women attending medical schools at that time.

During her long and illustrious medical career, some of the positions she held were: Director of Children’s Ambulatory Care, Children’s Emergency Room and Clinics, Director of Ambulatory Subspecialty Services, Director of the Lead Program- all at Children’s Hospital- United Hospitals Medical Center, Newark; Director of the Child Abuse and Maltreatment Protection Division of Children’s Hospital - Newark Beth Israel and later at University Hospital, Newark; and Director of the PKU (a serious genetic disorder) Program of Northern and Central Jersey, at Children’s Hospital and later University Hospital, Newark.

She served as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at UMDNJ Medical School and as a Senior Attending at University Hospital, Newark-Department of Pediatrics.

Due to her expertise in child sexual abuse detection and management, she testified as an expert witness for the prosecution in more than 100 criminal cases involving sexual abuse and assault of children. She lectured extensively and conducted workshops on child sexual abuse and its detection and management. She initiated programs to provide physical and psychological support services to abused children. She was honored in 1998 by the New Jersey Child Assault Prevention Project (CAP) for her work in child abuse prevention.

She loved children, especially babies, and immensely enjoyed her work. She was a compassionate and humble physician who was on a mission to protect and treat children and scores of her patients grew to be healthy adults due to her care.

Dr. Haroutunian was a renaissance woman. She enjoyed poetry, literature, history, classical music, ballet, opera, and art. She was an accomplished pianist and musician who sang in choirs since college with a lovely soprano voice. When she was nearly 80, she qualified to be a member of The Masterwork Chorus and sang in the chorus in a performance of Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall. She was a descendant of survivors of the Armenian Genocide which took place in Ottoman Turkey from 1915-1923. She was a life member of the Center of Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education at Brookdale Community College (CHHANGE) in Lincroft, NJ. The history of her family’s Armenian Genocide experience is included in an exhibit at CHHANGE.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Arsen Zartarian, Esq. and Michelle Dahl; two grandchildren, Willow and Wesley Zartarian; her sister and brother-in-law, Adrienne and Richard McOmber; and two nephews, Armen (wife-Nathalie) and Christian McOmber.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 16 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home, 145 E. Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, NJ 07039. A funeral mass will be held on Monday, April 17, 2023 at 10:00 am at St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church, 200 W. Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, NJ 07039.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church of Livingston.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.quinnhoppingfuneral.com for the Haroutunian family.