• [1] SN participates in a national pilot program to prepare individuals to become clinical nurse leaders. The MSN in Clinical Leadership is a collaborative initiative offering clinical practice settings that include UMDNJ–University Hospital.
• The Center for School and Community Health Education at SPH offers its annual Environmental Health Sciences Summer Institute for Educators. The free workshops educate teachers on public health topics such as toxicology, safe work environments for teenagers and infectious disease.
• [2] UMDNJ Libraries launch a web site (www.umdnj.edu/librweb/speccoll/njhs), providing access to published medical reports and NJ health statistics from 1877 to 2000. The new site is the first complete electronic compendium of all documented annual reports and state health statistics available online.
• Researchers at NJMS receive a five-year, $8.1 million research center grant from the NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences to investigate multiple organ failure, the most common cause of death in the intensive care unit. Edwin A. Deitch, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, is the principal investigator.
• Clínica Latina, a comprehensive facility that provides culturally sensitive mental health services for the Hispanic community, opens in New Brunswick and Newark.
• [3] Researchers at CINJ and RWJMS work with IBM Corporation on Help Defeat Cancer, a project aimed at advancing cancer research using the power of the World Community Grid.
• Anita V. Spivey, Esq., an attorney with experience in corporate finance, securities law, environmental and energy matters, and public affairs, joins the Board of Trustees.
• The Foundation of UMDNJ receives a $100,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation to renew Prudential’s support of the Newark Brownfields Minority Worker Training Program administered by SPH. The program teaches underemployed or unemployed members of minority groups from the Newark area the skills to secure jobs in the environmental clean-up and construction industries.
• More than 100 medical students at NJMS help renovate three local community centers as part of “CARES Day 2006,” an annual event now in its third year.
• UBHC launches a confidential 24-hour helpline for National Education Association teachers and school personnel facing personal or professional challenges in hurricane devastated areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.
• The Presidential Search Committee, comprising faculty, trustees and distinguished third party members and chaired by Trustee Harold Shapiro, PhD, begins identifying and interviewing candidates for University president.
• [4] Jon S. Corzine visits UMDNJ for a series of Town Hall meetings. The Governor answers questions on everything from charity care to NJ’s budget constraints.
• [5] UMDNJ’s three medical schools welcome the Class of 2010 at annual White Coat ceremonies on the New Brunswick, Stratford and Newark campuses.

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• [1] NJMS opens its six-week Arts Festival featuring the works of faculty, staff, students, and friends. More than 100 entries are displayed.
• [2] The 22nd Annual University Day program is held in Stratford. Leah Ziskin, MD, former deputy commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services, receives the University Medal for Distinguished Leadership. New members of the Stuart D. Cook, MD, Master Educators’ Guild are inducted.
• SN receives two grants totaling nearly $1.8 million to support the growth of its Accelerated Second-Degree BSN/MSN program and its new Doctor of Nursing Practice program. The grants are awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.
• Nearly 200 South Jersey residents attend a public health forum on “Avian Flu–Pandemic Preparedness” at SOM. Experts from UMDNJ and Kennedy Memorial Hospitals discuss the avian flu virus, current status of public health and hospital preparedness, and other topics.
• The New Brunswick Community Interpreter Project completes a Spanish language translation of the Eric B. Chandler Health Center’s web site, improving access to healthcare for Spanish-speaking patients.
• SHRP marks its 30th annniversary with a celebration on the Scotch Plains campus. Service awards are given to those employed for 10 or more years.
• Representatives from three Chinese provinces visit CARES (Child Abuse Research, Education and Service) at SOM in preparation for their country’s first formal child protection system. CARES is one of two sites in the U.S. chosen as a model program to help children recover from abuse and neglect.
• The New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness at SPH receives more than $1 million from the CDC for the third year in a row. The award allows the Center to continue the critical work of providing training and leadership for public health emergencies.
• [3] Gloria McNeal, PhD, APRN, associate professor and assistant SN dean, is selected as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the highest honor bestowed upon nurse leaders.
• [4] The American Academy of Family Physicians names Steven J. Levin, MD, associate professor at RWJMS, as the 2007 Family Physician of the Year. He is recognized for his ongoing contributions to medical care for underserved men, women, and children.
• As part of the annual grants program of the Foundation of UMDNJ, University faculty members receive a total of $1 million to fund 45 UMDNJ programs. Awards range from $7,000 to $35,000 each and are matched by other sources.
• The staff at Broadway House for Continuing Care in Newark is named as the Best Long Term Care Team 2006 by Advance, one of the nation’s top publishers of healthcare magazines.
• A new Office of Emergency Management and Occupational Health and Safety is created to ensure safety in and around the UMDNJ workplace.

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• Three hundred young people attend National Make a Difference Day on the University’s Piscataway campus. Activities allow participants to become student doctors for a day while interacting with current medical students from RWJMS and dental students from NJDS.
• Barbara Brodsky, PhD, professor of biochemistry at RWJMS, is selected by the Research and Development Council of New Jersey as a 2006 recipient of the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award. Her invention involves a new method of transforming collagen into biomaterials like artificial skin, bone substitutes, nerve regeneration tubes, artificial blood vessels, and hemostatic wound dressings.
• Educators, researchers, and clinicians gather at SOM to discuss “Advances and Challenges in Aging,” a research symposium featuring New Jersey’s most renowned investigators in the field of aging.
• Three University publications—the annual report, UMDNJ Magazine, and UMDNJ Research—receive the highest honors, MarCom platinum awards, from the Marketing and Communications Professionals Association.
• Metabolic Pulse: Diabetes Education for Healthcare Providers (www.MetabolicPulse.com), developed by the University’s Center for Continuing and Outreach Education, wins the 10th annual Healthcare Standard of Excellence and the Medical Standard of Excellence awards from the Web Marketing Association.
  December
• [1] Carol Newlon, PhD, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at NJMS, is named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Only about 400 scientists worldwide receive the AAAS Fellow designation each year.
• The official ceremony marking the groundbreaking of NJMS’s 13,000-square-foot regional biocontainment laboratory (RBL) is held. The RBL, which will open in June 2008, is an addition to the International Center for Public Health facility.
• The Avon Foundation awards $250,000 raised by its Walk for Breast Cancer event to assist underserved women at the NJMS-University Hospital Cancer Center. Avon’s contribution funds two “patient navigator” positions to assist women with breast cancer who have economic, cultural, or language barriers to quality healthcare.
• The Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM) celebrates its 20th anniversary. The 18-member CABM faculty has earned 30 patents and grants totaling $240 million.

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• [1] The Office of Community Outreach at CINJ awards $80,000 to support cancer research and education at four NJ based organizations. The American Italian Cancer Foundation, CancerCare of New Jersey, The Praising Healthy Ministry of Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital will each receive $20,000.
• UBHC and the Mental Health Association of Essex County develop the Jail Diversion Program. The program will identify adults for referral to behavioral healthcare facilities as opposed to incarceration.
• The Public Health Research Institute (PHRI) becomes part of NJMS. This will increase NIH funding and boost national ranking for the medical school.
• The Board of Trustees approves a new reporting policy for ethical and legal concerns. The Board’s action codifies and expands existing guidelines for accepting complaints and protecting “whistleblowers.”
• SPH opens The Tobacco Dependence Clinic on the Newark campus. Tobacco treatment specialists will assist clients with personal plans to quit smoking.
• [2] SN graduates the first class of nurse anesthetists, nurses who take care of a patient’s anesthesia needs before, during and after surgery or the delivery of a baby, from its Newark program.
• [3] Susan Salmond, EdD, RN, is named interim dean of SN. An associate professor and vice dean for academic affairs, Salmond spearheaded the development of New Jersey’s first Master of Science in Nursing program in Clinical Leadership and the state’s first Doctor of Nursing Practice program, both launched in 2006.
• The NJ Governor’s Council on Autism awards $2.7 million to nine New-Jersey based researchers for basic science and clinical trials investigating the genetic and environmental causes and cures of autism. Seven of the researchers are UMDNJ faculty members.
• [4] Kathleen W. Scotto, PhD, former Interim Vice President for Research, is appointed to newly combined roles of Vice President for Research and Interim Dean of GSBS.
• SOM offers a new mini-medical school program, an eight week in-depth course with topics including infectious diseases, biological nanotechnology and anti-depressant medication, specifically designed for high school and college students and members of the surrounding community.
• The UMDNJ Board of Trustees welcomes two new members: Kevin M. Barry, MD, MBA, an anesthesiologist and alumnus of NJMS, and Milton R. Hollar-Gregory, Esq., an attorney and business law professor at City University of New York.
  

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• [1] Tim Reynolds and his family donate a second $1 million to the Spinal Cord Injury Laboratory at NJMS. The donations will finance research at NJMS on spinal cord injuries. A patient of NJMS neurosurgeon Robert Heary, MD, Reynolds was paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident.
• NIH funds a $1.4 million study at NJMS to investigate a possible treatment for fibromyalgia using an implanted medical device, the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS).
• The Board of Trustees approves new purchasing policies, to ensure that the process is fair, transparent, and provides the University community with quality goods and services at the best possible value while in compliance with all state requirements.
• [2] More than 300 new physicians go off to hospitals nationwide. This year’s annual Match Day program linked 99 percent of the graduates from RWJMS and NJMS to residency programs.
• Kevin M. Covert, Esq., Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Human Resources at Honeywell International Inc., is sworn in as a new member of the Board of Trustees.
• The Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities hosts a conference on obesity sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. Guest speakers Arthur Agatston, MD, author of The South Beach Diet, Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, MD, JD, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, and Reed Tuckson, MD, of UnitedHealth Group lead panel discussions.
• [3] US News & World Report’s 2008 list of America’s top graduate schools places RWJMS and SOM among the best medical schools. Each year, the magazine surveys all the US medical schools and ranks them in 10 categories. SHRP’s physician assistant program is also named as one of the country’s best.
• High school students attend a Teen Forum hosted by NJMS’ Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. Panel discussions, a keynote address, workshops, videos and a theatrical presentation focused on increasing awareness of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
• UMDNJ’s Economic Impact Report 2006–2007 highlights the University’s economic contributions, healthcare accomplishments, workforce development, and research advances. Among the facts and statistics: UMDNJ, with more than 15,000 employees, is the sixth largest employer in NJ; the University attracts more than $9 million of economic activity for every $1 million of state investments; and research grants have increased 39 percent in the past five years.
• Susan W. Salmond, EdD, RN, interim SN dean, receives the 2007 C.A.R.E. Award for Excellence in Education. This is the highest honor bestowed by the New Jersey State Nurses Association.
• The University holds its first Ethics Day Program, broadcast live from Newark to each campus. Randy Cohen, author of a weekly ethics column for The New York Times Magazine, is the featured speaker.
• James Broach, PhD, professor of molecular biology and associate director of the Lewis–Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, becomes a member of the Board of Trustees.

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• Lester Aron, Esq. is appointed senior vice president and general counsel. An attorney for more than 25 years, Aron has extensive experience in the area of university governance and affairs and has represented NJ public school districts and university boards on a wide range of issues.
• The prestigious Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine awards are presented to Robert L. Trelstad, MD, RWJMS professor of pathology, Patricia Whitley-Williams, MD, RWJMS professor of pediatrics and chief of the Division of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Audrey R. Gotsch, DrPH, MPH, CHES, professor and SPH dean; and Betty Gallo, director of Public Outreach and Government Relations at the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at CINJ. These awards are given to physicians and leaders whose dedication to education, research and public service has a significant impact on healthcare in New Jersey.
• [1] The University holds its 35th Annual Commencement Ceremony at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel. This year’s class is the largest in UMDNJ history with 1,479 health professionals receiving diplomas.
• [2] SPH and GSBS announce a program to allow students to earn a dual master’s degree in Biomedical Science and Public Health in less time than it would take to earn them separately.
• The Foundation of UMDNJ rewards faculty members and students for excellence with $4.5 million in grants and matches through its annual Program Committee Awards.
• [3] Ronald McDonald House Charities of the New York Tri-State Area awards $25,000 to NJDS to support the expansion of its Special Care Treatment Center, which provides dental care to children with special needs.
• Joseph R. Bertino, MD, interim director and chief scientific officer at CINJ, and Joseph Aisner, MD, CINJ chief medical officer, receive statesman awards at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The honor recognizes volunteer efforts and significant societal contributions made by ASCO members who have served as presidents, board members and founders.
• More than 100 faculty members make New York magazine’s “Top Docs” list for the metropolitan area.
• Thomas Cavalieri, DO, and James Weese, MD, are named among the “top doctors” in Philadelphia Magazine’s annual survey of physicians. Cavalieri, interim dean of SOM and founding director of the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, was selected in geriatrics; Weese, SOM professor of surgery and director of oncology, was named as one of the area’s best surgeons.
• Bradford W. Hildebrandt, the founder of an international management and consulting firm, is sworn in as a member of the Board of Trustees.
  Governor Corzine appoints two members to the Board of Trustees. Michael Critchley, Jr., Esq., partner in Critchley & Kinum of West Orange, has counseled boards of directors and senior management on internal investigations and on the implementation of comprehensive compliance systems. Robert J. Maro, Jr., MD, is an internal medicine specialist with a private practice in Cherry Hill.

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