Dr. Anna Marion Pecora M.D. Obituary (1928 - 2017)

Dr. Anna Marion Pecora, M.D. of West Caldwell and Morris Township, died on November 3, 2017. A private interment was held in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Caldwell. A Memorial Mass will be offered at Notre Dame Church, 359 Central Ave., North Caldwell on Monday, May 28, 2018 (Memorial Day) at 10:00 am. In addition to consulting to the New Jersey State Health Department and maintaining a private practice in Pediatrics in Newark, Dr. Pecora was the founding Director of the Maternal Infant Care Project (MIC), a federally-funded initiative dedicated to providing healthcare to pregnant adolescents and their infants and supporting clinical care in Obstetrics and Newark's major hospitals. Under her leadership, MIC grew to encompass a consortium of programs across northern New Jersey. In addition to lifelong dedication to maternal and child healthcare, Dr. Pecora worked at the pharmaceutical companies, Berlex and Ciba-Geigy where she stewarded research at the forefront of women's medicine, supervising clinical studies for hormone replacement therapy, transdermal hormone treatment of menopause and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Dr. Pecora published research on these topics and lectured internationally. She received an "Outstanding American Award" from the New York Italo-American Association in 1971 and was recognized several times by "Who's Who in America." An alumna of St. Elizabeth's College and a devoted fan of opera, in retirement Dr. Pecora volunteered teaching Catechism and coordinating operatic productions in Morris Township before relocating to the Crane's Mill retirement community in West Caldwell. Dr. Pecora was predeceased by her brothers, Cono Pecora, M.D., Joseph S. Pecora, Esq. and his wife Maryanne and her sister, Shirley Pecora Schnurr. She is survived by her devoted nieces and nephews, Matthew and Deborah Schnurr, M.D., Adria, Joseph and Anthony Pecora, and Lisa Peck and sister-in-law, Barbara Pecora.