Dr. Marco Zarbin, professor and chair of the Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School has been awarded the Alfonse Cinotti, MD/Lions Eye Research Chair, a $1.5 million endowment that will advance research and treatment of blinding and vision-threatening diseases.

The chair, 12 years in the making, was made possible due in large part to the fund-raising efforts of the Lions Eye Research Foundation, the Lions, and the Lions Clubs of New Jersey. Zarbin, who also serves as chief of ophthalmology at University Hospital, noted that the endowment will help the Ophthalmology Institute support a wide array of research programs. Read more.

The New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) Dual Diagnosis Task Force presented its report to DHS Commissioner Jennifer Velez regarding the special needs of adults and children diagnosed with both a developmental disability and a mental illness.

The presentation was held following the morning session of the Developmental Disabilities Lecture Series, sponsored by The Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Pediatrics. Read more.

On October 5, more than a dozen volunteers from the "Cop 2 Cop" program at UMDNJ-University Behavioral HealthCare (UBHC) joined the "Out of the Darkness" walk in New Brunswick to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention programs. The event was sponsored by the New Jersey American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Cop 2 Cop is the first program of its kind in the country, enacted into law in 1999 to focus on suicide prevention and mental health support for law enforcement officers. Since its inceptionthe program has answered more than 22,000 phone calls and has prevented more than 65 potential police suicides. Read more.