Ocean Surgical Pavilion Physician Honored for Work with Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation New Jersey Chapter recently honored Penny S. Turtel, MD, FACG, FACP, at the nonprofit’s BANDed Together Event on June 6 in Long Branch, New Jersey.

Dr. Turtel, along with Allied Digestive Health (ADH), received the 2025 Community Impact Award. This award honors individuals and groups dedicated to improving gastrointestinal care, especially focusing on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Dr. Turtel is an AMSURG physician partner at Ocean Surgical Pavilion in Oakhurst, New Jersey. Accepting on behalf of ADH, she thanked the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation chapter for the honor.

“Their mission is crucial to not only the local communities in New Jersey and New York but also to families across the country. Working with them has allowed us to further support their cause beyond the research and education done by our providers,” she said in a New Jersey Culture Times article. “To know that they value our dedication to finding a cure as much as we value theirs is not something we take lightly, and it is with great pride that we accept this award. This is just one step in the journey of our support for the foundation, our patients and their families to one day find a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.”

Dr. Turtel serves on the New Jersey chapter’s board of directors and the Medical Education Committee. She has been a passionate advocate for patients, actively supports educational programs and plays a key role in leading the chapter’s fundraising efforts, according to the article.

AnnaMaria Mindish, Regional Executive Director, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, New Jersey Chapter, praised the work of Dr. Turtel and ADH.

“The New Jersey Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is thrilled to honor Allied Digestive Health and Dr. Penny Turtel for their incredible efforts in driving support to the mission,” Mindish said in the article.

Mindish noted that Dr. Turtel founded New Jersey BANDed Together a decade ago with Lori Dunbar, one of her patients. Since then, the organization has raised nearly $500,000.

“We would not have achieved this success without Dr. Turtel and Allied Digestive Health’s influence within the IBD Community,” Mindish said in the article. “We are beyond grateful to have their partnership as we continue to increase awareness about inflammatory bowel disease in New Jersey and raise critical funds to ensure that research to find a cure is not put on hold.”

A Fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the American College of Gastroenterology, Dr. Turtel has published in the fields of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Nutrition and Small Bowel Diseases.