In conjunction with Black History Month, the UMDNJ African American Heritage Committee has been sponsoring a series of free programs throughout February that are open to the public and focused on the theme "Parenting and Care Giving When the Plan Changes."
Gil Noble, award-winning producer and host of WABC-TV's weekly public affairs series, "Like It Is," is among the featured speakers for the events held on the Newark campus. The programs have been made possible through the corporate sponsorship of Wakefern Shoprite.
On February 12, students on the University’s main campuses had the opportunity to discuss issues of particular concern to them with UMDNJ President William F. Owen, Jr., M.D. The early evening Town Hall Meeting was broadcast live from the Conference Center at UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School in Newark to the Piscataway, Stratford, and Camden campuses. Dr. Owen introduced the students to members of the senior administration who comprise his cabinet and then addressed a wide range of questions. These ranged from the interest in a fitness center in Newark, how best to navigate school and University-based administrative services, tuition and student fees, and expansion plans for the University’s campuses. This meeting underscored Dr. Owen’s intention to engage all segments of the University community in shaping the future of the institution.
According to researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), conservative management can be a viable option for older men diagnosed with Stage I or Stage II prostate cancer in preserving their quality of life in their later years. CINJ is a center of excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Dr. Grace Lu-Yao, cancer epidemiologist at CINJ and associate professor of environmental and occupational medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is the lead investigator on a study that concluded that most men diagnosed with prostate cancer after age 65 may receive only modest benefit from aggressive cancer therapies. Since it may take more than a decade for PSA-detected cancers to develop cancer-related symptoms, it may not be necessary to rush into a treatment option, which could potentially have adverse health affects. Dr. Lu-Yao noted that many will be able to live their lives with prostate cancer, but not die from it.
Researchers at the UMDNJ School of Public Health (SPH) have uncovered a potentially serious error in the current government statistics that indicate a significant decrease in cigarette smoking, binge drinking and heavy alcohol consumption among young adults. The discovery questions the accuracy of the current data and points to the need for changes in the way future surveys and public opinion polls are conducted.
According to Dr. Cristine Delnevo, an associate professor at SPH, the statistics were based on random digit dialing telephone surveys, which only included households with land line telephones. But, since 2003, cell phone or wireless-only households have increased by 300 percent, and one out of every four 18 to 25 year olds - a group that is more likely to smoke cigarettes and binge drink - currently lives in a household without a traditional landline telephone.
A study by researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School demonstrates that mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow can become potently immunosuppressive. Since immunosuppression is a key for treating autoimmune diseases, maintenance of organ transplants and cell therapies, the immunosuppressive property of mesenchymal stem cells offers hope for alleviating such diseases, according to Dr. Yufang Shi, the study’s lead investigator and Professor of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology at the medical school. His lab’s research finding appears in the current online issue of Cell Stem Cell.
