DEAN'S NEWSLETTER W IN T ER 2 019
Research Reaches Record Heights With faculty members bringing in a record $47 million in NIH grant awards and over $80 million in total research grants and contracts in 2018, the NJMS Research Office has responded by expanding operations and increasing its support staff to eight. “This past year, we’ve had over a 10 percent increase in NIH grants funds awarded compared to 2017,” says Deborah A. Lazzarino, assistant dean for research. “This is significant – we generally hold steady – and it’s been in all signature Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences research and complementary research programs -- neurobiology, cancer, immunology and infectious diseases, and clinical research.” The spike in the funding stems from the hiring of additional NIH-funded faculty members as well as the success of current faculty in getting large multi-investigator grants, which is expected to be an increasingly large contributor to the research portfolio over the next several years. “NJMS has built research core facilities for our research faculty programs,” she says. “In the past year, we have grown our cores and have developed new core services, including a germ-free animal facility.” These moves, she says, as well as investments by the chancellor and dean combined with NIH awards for new cutting-edge equipment, including imaging systems, protein analysis and a genome sequencing system, have allowed the school to “attain the highest level of excellence in our research.”
Message from the Dean Looking back, 2018 brought remarkable highpoints for me. In early November, RBHS Chancellor Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH, asked me to assume the additional role of interim Dean of RWJMS upon the departure of its current Dean Sherine E. Gabriel, MD, MSc, in January. Also, 2018 marked my 50th year at NJMS, where I trained as a student and came into my own as a physician, educator, researcher, and administrator. We’ve accomplished so much while holding firm to our values, particularly to those that celebrate personal respect for others and diversity. This year, I’m thrilled about the Accelerated Three-year Primary Care MD Program. Starting this summer, enrolled students can earn MD degrees in primary care within three years and will receive conditional acceptance into Rutgers-sponsored residency programs in internal medicine, combined internal medicine/pediatrics, and pediatrics.
Creating a ‘Vibrant Atmosphere’ in MSB This past fall, the public spaces of the NJMS Medical Science Building underwent a facelift with the installation of new furniture, quickly making them go-to spots among staff and students alike. Located on B and C levels of the MSB, the more than 100 furniture pieces include banquettes, bar-height tables, tandem seating, and study carousels in bold color schemes of red and gray; red and copper; as well as red and black. En masse, the pieces encourage a sense of community while offering students, faculty, staff, and visitors more places to meet, study, or simply grab a bite to eat, says NJMS’s interim Director of Facilities, Pamela Edwards. “As an administration, we believe that students and staff are important and we want to continue to provide them with the best.” In place since October, the newly furnished areas will eventually be outfitted with USB ports and additional electrical outlets, adds Edwards. In an email to Edwards, one enthusiast wrote, “the new furniture is amazing. These new installations make the building student-friendly, encourage community, and create a vibrant atmosphere.” “I’ve gotten emails not only from NJMS family, but from students in others schools, and from our friends at University Hospital. Everybody has the same reaction. They love the way it makes the building look now,” says Edwards.
Of course, we remain devoted to innovative medical care and research. Toward that end, we’ve pushed forward in our efforts to help develop Rutgers Health into New Jersey’s largest academic health system. Furthermore, with areas of research excellence spanning infectious disease, immunology, and cancer/oncology, among others, our research programs remain wellrespected, garnering hefty sums in coveted funding from federal, state, local, and private sources. NJMS is an esteemed leader in medical education, healthcare, and research because of your dedication. For that, I extend to you my heartfelt thank you. Happy New Year. In Health,
Robert L. Johnson, MD, FAAP ‘72 The Sharon and Joseph L. Muscarelle Endowed Dean Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Understanding the RWJBarnabas and Rutgers Health Agreement Prioritizing Professional Development A new Office of Accreditation, Professional Development and Wellness is coming to the Medical Science Building. This dedicated office space, on the main corridor of C level, “will offer enhanced accessibility and visibility of services for our faculty, medical students and residents,” says Executive Vice Dean, Dr. Maria Soto-Greene, who is the driving force behind the project. At NJMS, Soto-Greene explains, professional development encompasses a holistic approach. “As physicians, we’re always focused on the well-being of others. It is also important to think about our own well-being. We want to address professional development while achieving personal and professional fulfillment. We’re working to create an overall culture of wellness, one that will help the members of our community - physicians and scientists alike - develop the personal resilience needed to support their own well-being.” Of course, NJMS already has professional development opportunities. This new space, however, “provides a coordinated, cohesive resource,” Soto-Greene says in which mentorship is a major driver of advancement. “And, from an accreditation point of view, it demonstrates that NJMS has an ongoing commitment to excellence, always working to be the very best by continuing to build strong teams.”
Under the new world-class academic health system it is operating with RWJBarnabas Health, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences is slated to receive more than $1 billion over 20 years to expand its research and education missions. Justin Sambol, MD, NJMS senior associate dean for clinical affairs, and vice president of Rutgers Health Group, says that the “transformational partnership will elevate the school’s stature among academic research institutions in the country.” The alliance of over 2,500 practitioners, including 1,000 Rutgers-employed physicians, dentists, psychologists, nurses, pharmacists and other health-care professionals, will result in one of the larger medical groups in the United States. The plan will be implemented in phases, with integration of NJMS by 2020 in partnership with RWJBarnabas Health, the most comprehensive health-care system in New Jersey. “We are excited to be working with Rutgers NJMS because it gives us access to cutting-edge research and the opportunity to train the next generation of health-care professionals,” says Andy Anderson, MD, CEO of the RWJBarnabas-Rutgers Health Medical Group. The alliance, which combines RWJBarnabas Health’s clinical capability with the medical school’s research and education expertise, “will provide comprehensive, easily accessible care to the people of New Jersey,” adds Anderson. Sambol is looking forward to faculty input and involvement, which he says is “essential for the success of this ground-breaking program that will elevate both organizations.”
Connected Classrooms, Technically Speaking
Representing Leadership and Change in Medicine
Visitors to the Medical Science Building at NJMS have probably noticed the new furniture and freshly painted walls. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Major makeovers are underway in classrooms, where there’s an ongoing project to provide NJMS students with the latest technology for collaborative and distance learning.
An NJMS student leader is taking center stage as the chair of the Northeast Organization of Student Representatives for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
“The process started about a year ago,” says Jim Boyce, director of the IT department. “We introduced a few things last fall, but now all of this new technology is coming in like a big wave.” Audrey McNeil, IT manager, spearheaded the project. “We’ve installed seventy-five-inch monitors in the majority of our classrooms,” she says. “They’re equipped with Solstice, a software program that allows anyone to walk into a classroom, connect their mobile device to the monitor, and display their content on the screen.” Some of the larger classrooms have been equipped with a PC connected to the monitor and to a camera for video-conferencing. “This will be particularly helpful to support distance learning between campuses,” Boyce adds. The most immersive classrooms have Cisco video-conferencing units that include a feature called speaker tracking . “If you’re having a meeting, then the camera would begin on the presenter,” McNeil explains. “But when someone else speaks up, the camera will move and zoom in on that person. When we do grand rounds, we’ll be able to connect with our affiliate hospitals and really include our residents in the discussion.”
Marc Henry Estriplet, a 2020 NJMS Doctor of Medicine candidate, started his term in November 2018. “It’s a signal to the medical education community that Rutgers NJMS takes leadership — and its role in producing the next leaders — very seriously,” he said. “The Northeast has one of the country’s largest densities of medical students and schools. Any change we want to see starts with us.” His generation hopes the industry will prioritize physical and mental wellness more. “We had a big national talk and one student brought up the antiquated view: ‘If you’re going into a very taxing profession, you have to give up spending time with your family.’ “Another respectfully disagreed. ‘That’s the old way of thinking! It’s OK for the neurosurgeon to go to their kid’s baseball game.’ The entire room erupted into applause. It was beautiful.” Estriplet’s duties include representing the Northeast in discussions about the future of medicine, plus captaining meetings and projects. He grew up in the region, first in the underserved community of Irvington and then moving to an affluent suburb. “I want to close the gap between those two areas,” he said. “Creating opportunities for people where I come from is a life goal.”
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