SOM EARNS TOP 10 RANKING

U.S. News & World Report ranked UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM) as number 10 in the nation for geriatric medicine. The other medical schools in this category are Johns Hopkins, UCLA, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Duke, Harvard, University of Washington, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Yale and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The 2004 edition of "America’s Best Graduate Schools," published in April, rates the nation’s 144 medical schools in research and primary care, as well as ranking the top 10 in each of eight subspecialties. This year 117 of the total number of U.S. medical schools provided sufficient data to calculate the rankings.

"This is a great honor," says Anita Chopra, MD, director of the Center for Aging and a professor of medicine at SOM. "It’s particularly gratifying to know that our selection is based on the rankings we received from deans and senior faculty members at other medical schools around the country."

Established in 1986, the Center for Aging provides clinical care for area residents and educational experiences for SOM students at the school, who devote 18 hours of classroom time to a course on geriatric-related issues. The curriculum includes a four-week clinical geriatrics rotation made up of two weeks of acute care, one week of ambulatory care and one week in a nursing home. Outside reading assignments, case discussions and multidisciplinary team conferences supplement the clinical course work.

Through the Center for Aging, the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine also offers: a two-year fellowship program designed to train academic geriatricians in geriatric medicine, dentistry and psychiatry; geriatric electives and preceptorships in neurology, psychiatry and primary care geriatrics; continuing medical education programs for physicians and health care professionals through its federally funded New Jersey Geriatric Education Center (NJGEC); and public outreach and educational programs for area residents.

STOPPING THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE

Roger Mitchell, MD, is committed to stopping the violence that pervades our society. The brand-new UMDNJ alum (he graduated from New Jersey Medical School this spring) is a recent recipient of the Fulfilling the Dream Award, given every year to people who follow Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy.

Mitchell, who grew up in South Orange and graduated from Howard University with a degree in biology, has always been interested in medicine. "My grandfather was the first black physician in Atlantic City, and he inspired me," says Mitchell. He recalls his grandfather delivering babies, making house calls, and sometimes coming home with home-baked pies in lieu of payment.

After completing his undergraduate degree Mitchell worked for the FBI for two years as a forensic biologist. "I did laboratory work for high-profile crime cases—serial rapes, murders, things of that sort," he said. "It reaffirmed my decision to become a physician."

In medical school, he belonged to the Student National Medical Association and became its National Violence Prevention Chairperson. In this capacity, he gave talks on violence prevention to both youth and adult groups. In 2000 he co-founded Students Against Violence (SAVe) with fellow student Jennifer Heimall, to raise awareness of rape and sexual abuse.

Mitchell was profiled on the CBS-TV series "Fulfilling the Dream." He says, "It’s such an honor to even be mentioned in the same breath as Martin Luther King." The physician’s goal is to become a forensic pathologist, and he is currently doing a residency in pathology at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC.