We Are UMDNJ

Investigator Mark Stein, MD, presented research at the 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium showing that the drugs Celebrex® and Lipitor® — used respectively for arthritis pain and lowering cholesterol — are well tolerated in the treatment of recurrent prostate cancer. Stein is a medical oncologist at the Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and a member of CINJ’s Phase I/Developmental Therapeutics Program.

What’s Up with UMDNJ Alumni? Our alumni are involved in research, clinical care, teaching, writing, technology, policymaking and much more. Read about their activities here. If you have news for our UMDNJ alumni newsletter, send it to Carole Walker at walkerca@umdnj.edu.

Events This Week
more info at UMDNJ Portal Events Calendar

Newark campus

Friday, February 3: NJDS Annual “Give Kids a Smile” Program — NJDS atrium and clinics, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For info: Debra Goldsmith, RDH, MS, at (973) 972-4710 or goldsmdh@umdnj.edu.

Tuesday, February 7: Children’s RESPIRA Information Session, Doctors Office Center, 90 Bergen St., Suite 5200, 10 to 11 a.m. For info: (888) 543-2762.

Tuesday, February 7: Public Health Research Institute Center Seminar — “Biological Shape and Pattern Formation,” ICPH auditorium, noon to 1 p.m. Speaker: Lars Dietrich, PhD, professor, biological sciences, Columbia University. Coffee served. For info: David Dubnau, PhD, at (973) 854-3100 or dubnauda@umdnj.edu.

Wednesday, February 8: For Black History Month 2012, UMDNJ African-American Heritage Committee presents “Unnatural Causes,” a PBS documentary tackling the causes of socio-economic and racial inequities in health care. SSB Bldg., Rm. 301, noon to 1 p.m. For info: Winston Watson at (973) 972-7275 or Carl Chase at (973) 972-6935. All events are free and open to everyone.

Wednesday, February 8: NJMS Lecture — “Sequencing Exomes or Genomes in a Day: Genomic DNA to Variant Calls on the Ion Torrent Proton,” MSB, B-610, noon to 1 p.m. Speaker: Alexander Robertson, scientific project coordinator, SOLiD 5500/Ion Torrent PGM, Life Technologies, Inc. NJMS Research Office & Core Facilities. Host: NJMS Molecular Resource Facility. For info: (973) 972-2625 or donnelly@umdnj.edu.

Fridays & Saturdays, February 10 – March 24: SN- Center for Lifelong Learning — “RN Refresher Course (Clinical & Theory),” SSB, Rm.1119 (Fridays), 65 Bergen St., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Re-entering the workforce? This fee-based, seven-week course offers a combined classroom, simulated laboratory and clinical experience (98 contact hours). Seats are limited. Faculty: Michele Evans RN, MSN. To register or for info: Betty Terry at (973) 972-6655 or SNlifelearn@umdnj.edu.

New Brunswick campus

Friday, February 3: RWJMS-Child Health Institute of New Jersey — “Dissecting Viral Interactions by Emerging Virus-Enterovirus 71,” Rm. 3101, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Speaker: Shiu-Ru Shih, PhD, professor, medical biotechnology & laboratory science & graduate program, Chang-Gung University, Taiwan. For info: Chi-Wei Lu, PhD, at (732) 235-6778 or luch@umdnj.edu.

Monday, February 6: RWJMS Dean's Faculty Meeting, CAB, conference room 1302, 12:30 p.m. V-tel to Dean's Conference Room 123, 675 Hoes La., Piscataway and Dean's Conference Room, ERB 151, Camden. For info: geardira@umdnj.edu.

Wednesday, February 8: GSBS RWJMS-Rutgers Neurology Grand Rounds/Case Presentation — “Current Diagnosis and Management of Pediatric Brain Tumors,” MEB, Rm. 102, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Speaker: Rachana Tyagi, MD, assistant professor, surgery, and director, pediatric neurosurgery, RWJMS. Host: Lawrence I. Golbe, MD. For info: Laurie Lipper at (732) 235-7337 or lipperla@umdnj.edu.

Wednesday, February 8: CINJ Grand Rounds — “Recombination Functions of BRCA1,” CINJ auditorium, 4 to 5 p.m. Speaker: Ralph Scully, MBBS, PhD, associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School. For info: (732) 235-6785 or mastrona@umdnj.edu.

Piscataway campus

Saturday, February 4: 2012 Central New Jersey Regional Brain Bee Competition for high school students, RWJMS, 675 Hoes La., Piscataway, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This live question and answer competition about the human brain and central nervous system is open to all New Jersey students grades 9 through 12. For info: (732) 235-5390 or Dr. Michael Matise at matisemp@umdnj.edu. or Joan Mordes at mordesja@umdnj.edu.

Monday, February 6: UBHC/NAMI Middlesex County, in collaboration with Intensive Family Support Services of Middlesex County, presents “Illness Management & Recovery,” UBHC, 671 Hoes La., C-101, 7 to 9 p.m. Speaker: Anna Marie Toto, EdM, program coordinator, UBHC Behavioral Research & Training Institute, Illness Management & Recovery (IMR) Program. Will present strategies to help family members support their loved one's recovery. For info: (732) 745-0709 or (732) 235-6184.

Monday, February 6: GSBS RWJMS-Rutgers Genetics Research Seminar — “Drug Discovery for Alzheimer’s Disease,” Life Sciences Bldg., auditorium, noon to 1 p.m. Speaker: Larry Wennogle, PhD, Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. For info: Mary Konsolaki, PhD, at (732) 445-2813.

Friday, February 10: GSBS RWJMS-Rutgers Seminar — “Darwin Day,” RWJMS, V-10, noon. Speaker: Kenneth Lacovara, PhD, associate professor, biology, Drexel University. Coffee served. Host: Joint Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Association. For info: (732) 235-4582.

Stratford campus

Tuesday, February 7: SOM University Doctors — “Weight No More,” UDP, 42 E. Laurel Rd., Suite 3013, 6 to 6:45 p.m. Free seminar on adjustable gastric banding, laparoscopic sleeve, laparoscopic gastric bypass, single port approach (scarless) and revisional surgery. Presented by the metabolic and weight loss surgery program team. To register or for info: (856) 566-2700 or sominfo@umdnj.edu.

Off campus

Wednesday, February 8: Children’s RESPIRA Information Session, UMDNJ Subspecialty Clinic, 35 Journal Square, Suite 821, 11 a.m. to noon. For info: (888) 543-2762.

Announcements

UMDNJ Human Resources: Winter/Spring 2012 — The Office of Training and Organizational Development is offering a number of new programs this winter and spring, including service excellence, diversity and communications training, strategies for combating workplace bullying, one-on-one coaching services and more. Training is free to UMDNJ employees. For info: (732) 235-9500 or visit here.

Save the Date

Wednesday, February 29: NJMS Mini-Med School 2012 begins with its first session. This eight-week educational session offers an opportunity to experience medical education presented in lay language. Among the topics covered will be cardiovascular disease, stroke, pain and fatigue, osteoarthritis, diabetes and advance directives. Courses presented by UMDNJ experts. Tuition is $125; early registration is requested. Free parking. Register online. For information, contact Michael Grabow at (973) 972-1269 or grabowmi@umdnj.edu.

Wednesday, March 14: The Healthcare Foundation Center for Humanism and Medicine at NJMS is sponsoring the 2012 Inaugural Humanism Day Conference, The first ever full-day, student-run seminar to explore humanism in medicine and medical education. Keynote speaker: Mark Nepo, poet, philosopher, best-selling author and cancer survivor. Additional sponsors: Arnold P. Gold Foundation, Foundation of UMDNJ, and NJMS. More information here.
Register here.

FYI

Saturdays, February 4 – March 31: Free American Sign Language Classes — Newark Public Library, Special Services Room, 3rd floor, 5 Washington St., Newark. Beginner Level I: 10:30 a.m. to noon; Beginning Level II: 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Recommended Text Books: Level I: Signing for Kids. Level II: Signing Illustrated: The Complete Learning Guide, both by Mickey Flodin. For info: Margaret George at (973) 733-5412.

Monday, February 13: “Heart Healthy Super foods Every Woman Needs.” Learn what to eat to maximize your heart health. Camden County Library, Voorhees Branch, conference room A, 203 Laurel Rd., Voorhees, 11 a.m. to noon. Presenter: Cheri R. Leahy, RD, surgery and nutritional therapy, SOM. To register: (856) 566-6207 or sominfo@umdnj.edu.

Saturday, February 18: 32nd Annual Marion Thompson Wright Lecture — “Taking Good Care: A History of Health and Wellness in the Black Community,” Paul Robeson Campus Center, Rutgers/Newark, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The program will examine the intersection of health and race in American life. Guest speaker: Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. Surgeon General. Free and open to the public. For info: (973) 353-3891.

Celebrating Black History Month at UMDNJ

Left to right: LeAnne Roberts, Robert Johnson, MD, and Denise V. Rodgers, MD.

To launch Black History Month on the Newark campus, the UMDNJ African American Heritage Committee (AAHC) sponsored a breakfast on January 31. AAHC has planned a series of special events on the Newark campus to promote the legacy and progressive development of the African-American community. The breakfast was co-hosted by Robin Eubanks, PhD, associate professor, School of Health Related Professions, who will moderate a panel discussion titled “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (Revisited),” on Wednesday, February 15, noon to 1 p.m., Stanley S. Bergen Building, 65 Bergen Street, 2nd Floor Auditorium, Newark. Many other activities are planned and all colleagues are invited to participate.

The staff of UMDNJ’s Office of Academic and Clinical Affairs (OACA) hosted a luncheon on February 1 to celebrate the beginning of Black History Month, continuing a tradition that is now more than a decade old. With the theme “Embracing Our Own,” OACA honored UMDNJ President (Interim) Denise V. Rodgers, MD; NJMS Dean Robert Johnson, MD; and NJMS student LeAnne Roberts, who was elected chair of the AMA-Medical Student Section, the largest and most influential organization of medical students in the U.S. The OACA staff supplied the meal.

Army Medic Andrew Hamstra Headed for the Super Bowl, Thanks to Mom!

Army medic Andrew Hamstra, 22, a huge New York Giants fan, is going to the Super Bowl, thanks to his mom Nancy Hamstra, executive director of operations at University Hospital. She won two tickets to the big game in the Newark Rotary Club’s annual raffle and of course, gave them to her son Andrew, who is home on leave now. He is stationed in Afghanistan, where he trains Afghan soldiers to care for the wounded. While overseas, he watched several Giants games on TV. He was in Afghanistan when his mother texted him that she’d won the tickets. At first, he didn’t believe her. Andrew held his own mini-raffle to determine which of his friends would accompany him to Indianapolis. Mother and son were the subject of several television news stories, including this one on ABC’s Eyewitness News.

UH Trauma Center Verified as Level 1

The New Jersey Trauma Center at University Hospital has been verified as a Level 1 Trauma Center by Verification Review Committee of the American College of Surgeons. This achievement recognizes the trauma center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients. “With our being the only Level 1 Trauma Center in northern New Jersey, this seventh consecutive verification for close to 20 years is a testament to our ongoing commitment to provide expert trauma care to more than 3,000 patients annually,” said David Livingston, MD, the center’s director and the Wesley J. Howe Professor and chief of trauma at New Jersey Medical School.

This past November, the New Jersey Trauma Center at UH was featured on NBC New York.

It’s a Match!

Kim Fenesy, DMD (center), NJDS associate dean of student affairs with (left to right) Jazmin Floyd, Kerisa Harriott, Patricia Dary and Tony Lo at Match Day reception.

On January 30 the wait was over at New Jersey Dental School (NJDS). Soon-to-be-graduating dental students learned if they had been accepted into the postgraduate programs of their choice. Several students will be training at NJDS and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Others are heading to New York Presbyterian/Cornell Campus, Harlem Hospital Center/Columbia University, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and the University of Connecticut Health Center, to name only a few. The students and faculty members celebrated the day’s successes at a reception in the Oral Health Pavilion.

Second Annual Stratford Campus Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service

Volunteers served lunch at Camden’s Cathedral Kitchen, which has been serving meals to the poor and hungry for more than 30 years.

Stratford campus students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and friends volunteered throughout southern New Jersey on January 16 for the second annual Stratford Campus Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service. More than 95 volunteers provided 254 hours of service at 12 sites in the area, including Brimm Medical Arts High School, Project HOPE, Hope Community Outreach Center and Urban Promise, all in Camden City; Kennedy University Hospital, Stratford Nursing and Convalescent Center and Veterans Park, all in Stratford; Mainstage Center for the Arts, Blackwood; Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Center, Bridgeton; New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home, Vineland; and Burlington Woods Nursing Home, Burlington. Bernadette West, PhD, associate professor, community health and associate dean, School of Public Health, Stratford/Camden campus, led the effort. The volunteers helped with health screenings, health education, painting, clean-up and senior citizens’ activities.

Clean Out Your Closets!

The School of Nursing Student Government Association (SGA), Newark Campus, is holding a February clothing drive to benefit patients on the G-Yellow Psychiatric Unit at University Hospital. For the entire month, the group will be collecting donations of gently used adult clothing at several sites in the Bergen Building. You may drop off your donations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Center for Academic Success, Rm. 1124, or on the 10th floor of SSB, Rm. 1039, 1018 or 1012. For information, contact SGA representative Linda Sisk at Siskla@umdnj.edu.

Crazy Hat Day at UH

University Hospital’s Bed Management Department recently welcomed in the New Year and boosted office morale by celebrating Crazy Hat Day. The staff wore themed hats—the sillier the better — and brought in food for a festive day. Wearing crazy hats are, bottom row, left to right: patient flow coordinators Marisha Hogges and Linda Jones; and Phyllis Pahlana, RN, access care manager. Middle row, left to right: Estella Sanders, data control coordinator; Darlene Bryant, patient flow coordinator (and winner of the Best Hat Award); and access case managers C. Casey Warren, RN, and Elizabeth Hricko, RN. Top row, left to right: Charmaine Young, patient flow coordinator; and Mary Forlenza, patient flow manager.

Brain Receptor May Link Epilepsy, Cataracts and Antiepileptic Antidepressants

Researchers from UMDNJ and Columbia University have discovered that the most common receptor for the major neurotransmitter in the brain is also present in the lens of the eye, a finding that may help explain links between cataracts, epilepsy and use of a number of widely prescribed antiepileptic and antidepressant drugs. The research appears online in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. The UMDNJ team, pictured above from left to right, includes Mohammed Farooq, a Rutgers student who worked on the study; corresponding author Peter Frederikse, PhD, associate professor, pharmacology and physiology, New Jersey Medical School; New Jersey Dental School (NJDS) student Rajesh Kaswala, DDS; and Chinnaswamy Kasinathan, PhD, associate professor of oral biology, NJDS. Read more.

SHRP to Host Health Care Lecture

The School of Health Related Professions (SHRP) will continue the celebration of its 35th anniversary with distinguished guest speaker Dr. Thomas Elwood, executive director of the National Association of Schools of Allied Health Professionals and chief editor of the Journal of Allied Health. He will discuss elements that influence community and individual health status, the role of government in health care and other topics. If you plan to attend in person, RSVP to Patricia Kelly online at kellypa@umdnj.edu. February 28, 4 p.m.; reception to follow at 5 p.m. Third floor auditorium, SSB in Newark. Participate online.

Lose Weight, Improve Health with Employee Wellness Program

When Renee Kurkin, a mental health clinician at UBHC Supportive Housing, decided to join UMDNJ's LiveWell! program in October 2011, she was looking for a program that focuses on overall well-being versus just food and diet. After trying conventional weight loss programs, she was hoping for something different. Four months later, Renee has benefited beyond her expectations and is just one pound shy of her weight goal. "I've learned what it means to eat healthy and not just diet. I've learned how my food choices and timing of meals impact my overall well-being. I understand how to live a healthy lifestyle." Renee has learned how to incorporate "treats" into her diet in moderation and now makes exercise a priority. Most importantly, she now has the energy to keep up with her four-year-old daughter.

LiveWell! is a 26-week nutrition and wellness program supported by the School of Health Related Professions. Enrollment is now open on the Newark campus. There will be an enrollment session on Monday, February 6 in the main entrance of the Medical Science Building from 12:30 to 2 p.m. For more information, contact the LiveWell! dietitian at 973-972-1384 or worksitewellness@umdnj.edu.

UH Plans Many Activities to Celebrate Wear Red Day

Don’t forget to wear red on Wear Red Day, Friday, February 3, the American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day. Wear red to show your support of the importance of fighting heart disease in women. University Hospital (UH) invites staff, faculty and students (women and men) to attend the following National Wear Red Day activities:

For more information, call 973-972-1025.