We Are UMDNJ

Hosseinali Shahidi, MD, MPH, professor and chief in the division of community medicine and public health in the Department of Emergency Medicine at New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), received the Dean's Award for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice from the School of Nursing. This award recognizes his outstanding work with SN’s Jordan and Harris Community Health Center and his service as a preceptor for graduate nursing students.

Celebrate Safely This Holiday Weekend Memorial Day Weekend, the official start of the summer season, is the time for opening pools, firing up the grill and relaxing with family and friends. Unfortunately, it is also the start of the peak season for warm weather-related exposures involving gasoline, lamp oil, lighter fluid, torch fuel and pool chemicals. The New Jersey poison experts advise everyone to be aware of these potential hazards. Among the many poisoning incidents from last year’s holiday season, a 44-year-old man opened a container of pool chlorine and began choking after inhaling the chemical, and a toddler swallowed torch fuel from a plastic cup left on a picnic table, thinking it was apple juice. The NJ Poison Experts are here 24/7/365 to help in the event of an emergency. Remember, most poisonings are preventable. Call (800) 222-1222.

Events This Week

Newark Campus

Tuesday, June 4: NJDS Faculty Development Lecture — “How to Conduct a Meta-Analysis” presented by Dr. Jeanette DeCastro. NJDS, B-723, 1 to 2 p.m.

Wednesday, June 5: NJMS Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds – “Prescription Drug Overdose,” MSB, Rm. B-610, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Speaker: Andrew Kolodney, MD, chair, Department of Psychiatry, Maimonides Medical Center. For info: Rajashri Patel at 973-972-0614 or patel122@umdnj.edu.

New Brunswick Campus

Wednesday, May 29: CINJ Grand Rounds — Speaker: Electra Paskett, PhD, professor, Ohio State University. Location: CINJ auditorium, 4 to 5 p.m. For info: (732) 235-6785 or mastrona@umdnj.edu.

Wednesday, June 5: RWJMS Strategic Planning Town Hall Meeting with Dean Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD. Location: CAB, Conference Rm. 1302, 125 Paterson St., 2 p.m. All are welcome.

Wednesday, June 5: CINJ Grand Rounds — Speaker: Jiandong Chen, PhD, professor of oncologic sciences, member-in-residence of the Moffitt Cancer Center, University of South Florida. Location: CINJ auditorium, 4 to 5 p.m. For info: (732) 235-6785 or mastrona@umdnj.edu.

Piscataway Campus

Thursday, May 30: GSBS-Rutgers at RWJMS Thesis Defense — “Following a Demyelinating Lesion, the Metabotropic Agonist ACPD Increases Myelin Proteins by Regulating the Production of Astrocyte-derived BDNF” by Clifton Fulmer, The College of New Jersey. Location: CABM, Rm. 010, 11 a.m. Advisor: Cheryl Dreyfus, PhD, neuroscience. For info: (732) 235-5016 or gsbspisc@umdnj.edu.

Thursday, May 30: RWJMS Strategic Planning Town Hall Meeting with Dean Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD. Location: main auditorium, 675 Hoes La. All are welcome.

Friday, May 31: GSBS at RWJMS 2013 Pharmacology Symposium — “The Future of Drug Discovery Research: Perspectives from the Pharmaceutical Industry of New Jersey.” Location: East Lecture Hall, auditorium, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. RSVP required. Lunch served. For info: (732) 235-2839 or gsbsreply@umdnj.edu.

Stratford Campus

Tuesday, June 4: SOM 10th Annual Senior Health & Fitness Day and Lecture — “Get An A+ in Aging: What to Do When You Are Forgetting,” Academic Center, atrium and multipurpose room, One Medical Center Dr., 10 to 11 a.m. Speakers: Robert Nagele, PhD, professor of medicine and cell biology, and Danielle DiGregorio, PsyD, assistant professor of psychiatry, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging. Health screenings, demonstrations, exhibitions, awards and give-a-ways, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lunch provided. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. For more info or to register: (856) 566-6207 or sominfo@umdnj.edu.

Thursday, June 6: GSBS at SOM Thesis Defense — “Modulation of BAX/BAK Dependent Apoptosis by Sirtuin 3 and Mitochondrial Permeability Transition by Sirtuin 4” by Manish Verma, MS, Manipal University, India. Location: Science Center, Rm. 290, noon. Advisor: John Pastorino, PhD, cell and molecular biology. For info: tel: (856) 566-6282 or gsbs-stratford@umdnj.edu.

Save the Date

Thursday, June 6: SHRP Health Science Careers 20th Anniversary Celebration, Pines Manor, Edison, 10 a.m. to noon. More information to come.

Saturday & Sunday, June 8 and 9: Special Olympics of New Jersey at The College of New Jersey. More information to come.

Announcements

Integrative Medicine Seminar Series

UMDNJ’s Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ICAM) has launched a monthly interprofessional seminar series on integrative medicine. The series brings together small groups of faculty, residents, and students for an interprofessional dialogue. Participants will explore the theoretical foundations, professional practice, and clinical approaches of a specific area of integrative medicine in relation to a critical health issue. Attendance is by competitive application because each seminar is limited to 15 participants and balanced representation from across the health professions is sought. All sessions will take place on the Newark Campus. For upcoming seminar information and access to the application form, go to Lectures and Events on ICAM’s website.

New Photography Contest Focuses on Successful Aging

Senior Health & Fitness Day will be held on the Stratford Campus on June 4 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To celebrate the event, the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging (NJISA) is hosting its first annual Successful Aging Photography Contest. All Stratford Campus faculty, staff, and students are invited to participate in this event honoring our aging population. For rules and restrictions, please e-mail pelullsl@umdnj.edu. Deadline for submission: Friday, May 24, by 5 p.m.

How to Enter:

1. Submit one photograph per person. We are looking for digital images illustrating examples of successful aging.
2. Describe in 150 words or less how the photo relates to successful aging.
3. Submit all materials electronically to pelullsl@umdnj.edu. Please include: name, UMDNJ school and status (i.e., faculty, staff, student), email address, and phone number.

Community Events

Saturday, June 8: Unified Vailsburg Services Organization — “Second Annual West Ward Community Clean-Up," Boylan Recreation Center, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For info: Pamela Daniels, project chair, at (973) 373-3013 or pdaniels@uvso.org.

Friday June 7: Webinar — “Domestic Violence and the Role of the Health Care Provider: Assessment and Intervention Strategies,” 10 to 11 a.m. Presenters: Anna Trautwein, RNC, practice administrator, Women’s Ambulatory Care Services, Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick; Kathleen Kelleher, APNC, DMH, Women’s Health NP, DVS, Chilton Hospital, Pompton Plains. Webinar is free; training materials will be provided by email. Space is limited; registration required. To register: (888) MD-RWJUH.

43rd Commencement Celebrates UMDNJ’s Largest Ever Graduating Class

Cheers and applause rolled through the Izod Center in East Rutherford on May 22 as friends and family members of the Class of 2013 joined with faculty and staff of UMDNJ to celebrate the University’s 43rd – and final – Commencement. This year’s class was the largest in UMDNJ’s history, with approximately 2,200 earning degrees or certificates.

UMDNJ Interim President Denise V. Rodgers, MD, offered opening remarks, telling the graduates that change is necessary and new beginnings are a part of life. Robert L. Barchi, MD, PhD, the president of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, delivered the keynote address. “I know that both you the graduates and the people in schools of UMDNJ will go on to new-found success in your new tomorrow,” he said. The graduates also heard from Kevin M. Barry, MD, chairperson of the UMDNJ Board of Trustees, who said that commitment to the core values of teaching, research, community service and patient care is what made UMDNJ great, not its names or affiliations. This year’s Commencement ceremony also acknowledged UMDNJ’s military students who were commissioned as officers in their respective branches of the service in recognition of the professional degrees they have earned.

UH EMS Saluted

Congratulations to University Hospital (UH) Emergency Medical Services (EMS)! At this week’s 14th annual awards ceremonies, UH EMS received the 2012 Outstanding Public EMS Agency Award from the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of EMS. In presenting the award, the Office of EMS noted that UH EMS is “among the largest and most comprehensive healthcare systems in the nation…the only state affiliated service that incorporates ALS, BLS, Rescue, 9-1-1 EMS/Fire Communications, Special Operations, Air Medical, Critical Care, Tactical Medicine, Research, Training and Education.

“This service is unique in the fact that it is the only hospital-based heavy rescue unit in the nation. The Special Operations Group works closely with the New Jersey EMS Task Force, maintains responsibility for training, preparedness, and operations at large scale, mass casualty, and extended operation incidents within their coverage areas and for the greater Metro area. Paramedics transmit EKGs to the smart phones of on-call cardiologists, who can direct EMS patients immediately to the cardiac cath lab, saving precious minutes and improving patient outcomes.”

In addition, Henry Cortacans, UH EMS program development analyst, received the Emergency Preparedness Achievement Award, and Tim Brown, a flight nurse for UH EMS assigned to the NorthSTAR Air Medical program, received the outstanding ALS-SCTU Nurse Award (Advanced Life Support Specialty Care Transport Unit).

Boggs Center Awarded Grant for Transition to Adult Health Care Forum

The Special Hope Foundation has awarded the Foundation for Healthcare Advancement a one-year grant for a project proposed by The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities. The funding will be used to convene The NJ Developmental Disabilities Transition to Adult Healthcare Forum. The forum will bring focus on building the capacity of the adult health care system to support the transition of youth and young adults with developmental disabilities to age and developmentally appropriate health care. This project shifts the paradigm in transition from pediatrics being ready to “send” patients, to readying the adult health care system to “receive” patients. An “Action Blueprint for Transition to Adult Health Care,” an important tool in making the adult health care system responsive to adults with developmental disabilities, will be developed as well.

Deborah Spitalnik, PhD (left), professor of pediatrics and executive director of The Boggs Center, is principal investigator and co-chair of the forum; Alfred Tallia, MD, MPH (center), professor and chair of family medicine and community health, is co-chair; Caroline Coffield, PhD (right), instructor of pediatrics and interdisciplinary training coordinator at The Boggs Center, is project coordinator.

Campus-Wide Receptions in Celebration of UMDNJ

As July 1 approaches, Interim President Denise V. Rodgers, MD, will host three receptions in celebration of UMDNJ and its legacy. This is an opportunity for friends and colleagues to get together, have fun and socialize. She will address each gathering with thoughts relating to the restructurings and our anticipated future as the UMDNJ community transitions to Rutgers, Rowan or University Hospital. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend the reception held closest to their work location and with approval from a supervisor. Dessert and light refreshments will be served.

Friday, May 31: Stratford campus, ACC Courtyard, 12:30 p.m. (Rain location: ACC Multipurpose Room);

Wednesday, June 5: Piscataway/New Brunswick campuses, Great Hall, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, June 11: Newark/Scotch Plains campuses, NJMS Plaza, 12:30 p.m. (Rain location: Grand Foyer, NJMS).

SN Alumni Association Names Scholarship Recipients

The School of Nursing (SN) Alumni Association presented scholarships to three UMDNJ nursing students at a celebration brunch held on May 5. This is the third year that the Alumni Association has granted scholarships in recognition of high academic achievement and service to school and community. The recipients, who each received $1,000, are listed below:

• Khadijah Abass, a BSN student on the Newark Campus, received the Noel Rosner Memorial Scholarship;
• Joseph Drogo, a student in the MSN program specializing in acute critical care, received the Alumni Association Scholarship;
• Elizabeth Ronan, a BSN student on the Stratford Campus, received the Raymond Scarpa, Sr., Memorial Scholarship.

At the brunch, 113 SN students were inducted into UMDNJ’s Omicron Pi Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Keynote speaker assistant professor Joyce Hyatt, DNP ’08, presented “Global Health: Providing Maternal-Child Health Care in a Developing Country.”

Read the Latest Issue of Pulse, the NJMS Magazine

The latest issue of New Jersey Medical School’s magazine, Pulse, is now available. Read the magazine here.

Don’t Miss Important Communications: Verify Your Address on the Portal

The New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act will bring changes for all UMDNJ employees as University Hospital becomes a separate standalone entity, the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford integrates into Rowan University, and all other units of UMDNJ become a part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, on July 1. To be sure you receive important information related to the integration that may be mailed to your home, all employees are asked to go on the UMDNJ portal and be sure that home addresses and other contact information are correctly listed.

Celebrating Eight Years of Helping Vets

NJVet2Vet staff and invited guests marked the 8th anniversary of the 24/7 peer counseling helpline for New Jersey veterans last week. The helpline (1-866-VETS-NJ4), for New Jersey veterans and their families, is operated by University Behavioral HealthCare in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and staffed by veterans trained in peer support. Since its inception, the helpline has made more than 36,000 contacts and is following 5,500 veterans. The helpline for New Jersey veterans is part of a comprehensive support effort for servicemen and women and their families seeking assistance dealing with issues ranging from thoughts of suicide, stress reaction and post traumatic stress disorder, to marital and financial matters.

NJMS Holds Admissions Seminar

More than 300 parents and aspiring medical students attended the annual New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) Admissions Seminar on Saturday, May 18. They heard inspirational messages from current students and faculty alike, covering such topics as learning to navigate the admission process and gaining insight into the medical school experience. Above, liver transplant surgeon Dorian Wilson, MD, director, Healthcare Foundation Center for Humanism and Medicine and associate professor of surgery, NJMS, speaks to the prospective students.

Help Save a Life! Run or Walk for Organ Donation & Transplantation

To promote organ donation and transplantation, University Hospital’s Liver Center staff (above) has formed a team to participate in the NJ Sharing Network’s 3rd Annual Walk and USATF Certified 5K Race on June 9. Support this cause by joining the team or making a donation.

Spotlighting Research in South Jersey

School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM) Dean Thomas Cavalieri, DO, recently joined keynote speaker Ali Houshmand, PhD, president of Rowan University; Paul Katz, MD, dean of the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University; and Lou Bezich, chief of staff, Cooper University Hospital, on a panel at the Camden Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Expo titled “South Jersey as a New Research Destination.” Cavalieri highlighted the work of three neuroscience researchers at SOM: Robert Nagele, PhD, professor of medicine and cell biology and director of the new Biomarker Discovery Center in the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging; Paola Leone, PhD, associate professor of cell biology and director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Center; and Donald Barone, DO, associate professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Neurology. Above, L-R: Tassos Efstratiades, Esq., chairman of the Board of Directors for the Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce; Art Campbell, president and CEO for the Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce; Jill Ross, Beneficial Bank, Paul Katz, MD; Louis Bezich; Ali Houshmand, PhD; and Thomas Cavalieri, DO.