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FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
A PUBLICATION FOR
RobertWoodJohnson
SPRING / SUMMER 2001
MEDICINE
Pathways
to Cure:
Breaking
New Ground in Surgery
and Cardiology
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l e t t e r
f r o m
t h e
d e a n
May 2001
Dear Colleague,
F
or the second straight year, U.S. News & World Report has named UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School among the top 50 primary care medical schools in the country and second in the
nation for community health programs. We are proud that we have made a positive impact on the medical community and that our peers across the country acknowledge the outstanding programs at the school.
Each issue of Robert Wood Johnson Medicine emphasizes important new educational, research, clinical, and
community programs. In this edition, we are pleased to highlight our high-tech, state-of-the-art medical and
surgical research and clinical programs. Our physicians, scientists, and health care professionals collaborate
with colleagues throughout the scientific community to bring the most up-to-date medical knowledge and innovations to our communities.
We continue to be excited by the growth and expansion currently under way
at the medical school. In the most recent National Institutes of Health ranking
of research funding, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School continued to move up the list with a 27 percent increase in funding from 1999 to
2000. This outstanding rate of growth on our three campuses has created the
need for an ambitious renovation and construction program that is under way
to fill a critical need for academic, research, and clinical space. I hope you have
an opportunity to look at the renderings of the six facilities being planned, in “Blueprint for Progress.”
We are proud of our accomplishments in education, research, patient care, and community service. In addition, this issue details many of the school’s educational achievements, collaborative activities, and exciting
research, new faculty, and alumni activities.
Sincerely,
Harold L. Paz, MD
Dean
Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE 1
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D E P A R T M E N T S
Letter from the Dean
1
Letters
4
RWJMS News
5
Research Notes
6
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E
A
T
U
R
E
S
Blueprint for Progress:
Construction and Renovation Proceed at RWJMS
RWJMS is responding to the huge demand for research, clinical, and
classroom space with an extensive, two-phase building program.
By Kate O’Neill
24
Leading with the Heart
22
45
Surgery 2001: Invention Driven by Research
RWJMS Alumni News
46
The Alumni Association
Honor Roll of Donors
57
Class Notes
61
Last Page
64
RobertWoodJohnson
MEDICINE
A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF
UMDNJ-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
Cutting-edge prominence, reflected by robotics in the OR,
is strengthened by gene studies and other research to boost surgical
capabilities in the new millennium.
By Rita M. Rooney
30
The Clinical Research Center:
High Standards, High Performance
Located at the crossroads of New Jersey and of the
pharmaceutical industry, the Clinical Research Center is surpassing
academic, scientific, and economic goals.
By Kate O’Neill
39
Paying Off the Cold War Mortgage
The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI)
assumes a leadership role in nuclear waste cleanup.
By Rita M. Rooney
43
Spring/Summer 2001 • Volume 5, Number 1
On Call: KidsHealth Pediatricians Are Always at Your Fingertips
Dean
Harold L. Paz, MD
Editor
Susan G. Palma
Managing Editor
Roberta Ribner
Writers
Kate O’Neill
Rita M. Rooney
Art Director
Barbara Walsh
Cover Illustration
Tom White,
Tom White Images
For more complete information on our securities products, call 1 800 842-2733 ext. 5509 for prospectuses. Read them carefully
before you invest. • TIAA-CREF Individual and Institutional Services, Inc. and Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. distribute
securities products. • Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA), New York, NY and TIAA-CREF Life Insurance Co.,
New York, NY issue insurance and annuities.
F
r
Clinical care combines with research, education, and community outreach
in the design of an internationally acclaimed cardiology program.
By Rita M. Rooney
27
Letter from the
Alumni Association President
e
17
Staff Spotlight
New Faculty
Contents
m
1
Alumni Assciation
Officers:
President
Eduardo Fernandez,
MD ’89
Vice President/
President-Elect
Euton M. Laing, MD ’90
Secretary-Treasurer
Steven Krawet, MD ’89
Chair, Development
Committee
Ernest Biczak, MD ’77
Chair, Membership
Committee
Geza Kiss, MD ’95
Chair, Reunion
Committee
Francine E. Sinofsky,
MD ’81
Whole families ride the Internet to KidsHealth.com, a Web site
maintained by the Nemours Foundation’s Center for Children’s Health
Media, founded and led by Neil Izenberg, MD ’76.
By Kate O’Neill
50
Luck, Be a Lady!
In her children’s saga of war, pirates, and elusive
medical care, they should look for good fortune, not hardship,
says Hang Minh Ngo, mother of three RWJMS students.
By Kate O’Neill
54
Editorial and Advertising Office
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Office of Alumni Affairs • Roberta Ribner, Coordinator
125 Paterson Street • Suite 1400 • New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1977
Telephone: 732-235-6310 • Fax: 732-235-6315 • Email: [email protected]
© 2001 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association - College Retirement Equities Fund, New York, NY 4/02
Robert WoodJohnson
■
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NEWS
Letters
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Eye-Catching
Dear Dr. Paz:
wish to note to you my excitement and pleasure
in reading the various documents that have
emanated from Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School over the last few months. Two caught my eye
specifically, the 1999 Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School Annual Report and the recent Fall/ Winter
2000 edition of Robert Wood Johnson Medicine, dealing primarily with the research strengths of your
school. It is obvious that your leadership and your
keen sense of presence have added immensely to the
outside view that the public and our constituencies will
be taking of your school due to the quality of these
publications. Thank you for projecting this welldeserved and important image of Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School. Best wishes for another continuing successful year in 2001!
Sincerely,
Stanley S. Bergen, Jr., MD
Founding President Emeritus
I
Informative Articles
Dear Dr. Paz:
hank you for forwarding me a copy of your
Fall/Winter magazine. I appreciate reading the
many informative articles on the research projects at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Sincerely,
Carlos Hernandez, PhD
President, New Jersey City University
T
Looks Terrific!
Dear Dr. Paz:
y compliments on your Fall/Winter 2000
Robert Wood Johnson Medicine publication; it looks terrific.
Henry Brezenoff, PhD
Acting Dean, UMDNJ-Graduate School of
Biomedical Sciences
M
Drop Us A Line! • Please send letters to:
Roberta Ribner, Coordinator, Alumni Affairs
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Alumni Association
125 Paterson Street • Suite 1400 • New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1977
Tel: 732-235-6310 • Fax: 732-235-6315
Email: [email protected]
4 Robert WoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE
Dean Paz Convenes First Meeting of
RWJMS Board of Overseers
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School Board of Overseers
By Kate O’Neill
T
he UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School Board of
Overseers met for the first time
in October 2000. Newly con vened at the invitation of
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean, the
board was formed to advise the
dean and the school’s leadership on issues of critical importance and strategic planning.
As he prepared for the board’s
May gathering, Dr. Paz met
with Robert Wood Johnson
Medicine to reflect on the
October orientation meeting
and comment on the new
dimension its members bring to
the medical school.
(RWJ Medicine) Q: Could you
tell us about the timing of
your decision to convene a
Board of Overseers for
RWJMS?
(Dean Paz) A: At the medical
school’s retreat in 1997, we
discussed the need to set new
goals and re-examine our
mission. A year later, the idea
for a Board of Overseers was
in place. I subsequently had
an opportunity to talk it over
with Andy Wallace, now dean
emeritus of the Dartmouth
Medical School, who suggested looking at its Board of
Overseers. He was very supportive, and we were
impressed with the model it
uses. Dr. Stuart Cook, the
new president of UMDNJ,
was also very enthusiastic
about our making this move.
So last year, when the university’s strategic imperatives
were created and all schools
were expected to participate
in strategic planning, our
plan was already in place.
Q: What combination of qualities did you look for in your
Board of Overseers members?
A: We wanted a group that could
help us take a fresh look at
ourselves, to help us see what
works and what doesn’t. We
knew our board could become
our most influential spokesmen, so we sought out
respected people from the
top of the academic and corporate world. One of the
specific areas they can help
with is advising us on the
best use of information technology as we move in new
directions such as distance
learning, bioinformatics, and
the use of technology in virtually every setting from the
classroom to the patient’s
bedside. Members from the
pharmaceutical industry are
key because of the industry’s
geographic concentration in
New Jersey and its role at
the school in areas such as
our Clinical Research Center.
Q: What was the format for the
meeting in October?
A: It was a day-and-a-half meeting, held on our New
Brunswick campus. Our
opening dinner included
senior faculty and featured a
Among members attending the first meeting of the Board of Overseers of
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School were (seated, left to right)
Stuart D. Cook, MD, president, UMDNJ; L. Patrick Gage, PhD, president,
Wyeth-Ayerst Research; Harold L. Paz, MD, dean; and Robert Savage,
company group chairman, Johnson & Johnson; (standing, left to right)
Michael Bassoff, president, Foundation of UMDNJ; Robert E. Campbell,
chairman, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Jordan Cohen, MD,
president, Association of American Medical Colleges; Adel A. F. Mahmoud,
MD, PhD, president, Merck Vaccines; and Harold T. Shapiro, PhD, president,
Princeton University.
talk by Bill Hait (professor of
medicine and pharmacology
and director of The Cancer
Institute of New Jersey). The
second day consisted of presentations that helped give a
sense of the school, including
a discussion led by Dr.
Stephen Lowry (professor
and chair, Department of
Surgery). Andy Wallace had
suggested we leave plenty of
time for input and questions,
and we did. Also, at the end
of the day, I held an executive session in order to gain
as much frank feedback as
possible.
Q: Were you surprised by any
new ideas from the meeting?
A: I was especially pleased with
the directness and candor of
the participants. It meant we
could take a good look at our
present goals and evaluate the
future direction of the school.
Their evaluations were full of
positive responses and suggestions. They were especially
helpful on strategic planning,
financial issues, program
development, and resource
allocation.The outcome of the
meeting was good for us and
for the university as a whole.
Q: Now that the group has
worked together, what will
be different when it reconvenes in May?
A: Fortunately, we are moving
forward with the same group.
We only lost Ken Weg, who
stepped down when he
retired last fall as vice chair
of Bristol-Myers Squibb. He
is succeeded on the board by
Richard Lane, who is presi dent of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s
Worldwide Medicines
Group. We know we have
their enthusiasm — we have
been pleased to hear inde pendently from several
members since the meeting
in October. We laid a solid
foundation, so they will all
be able to speak knowledge ably to specific issues facing
our medical school.
Q: What are your goals for the
next meeting?
A: We’ll be looking at a number of specific areas such as
the Chandler Health Center
and our community outreach programs. We’ll also
examine the financial challenges facing us as a school
and an academic medical
center. We need to know
where to emphasize growth
and where to reduce cost.
Overall, we’ll keep focusing
on the factors that continue
to move us into the top echelon of medical schools.
■
Michael Bassoff, President,
Foundation of UMDNJ
■
Robert E. Campbell , Chairman,
The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation
■
Jordan Cohen, MD, President,
Association of American
Medical Colleges
■
Stuart D. Cook, MD, President,
University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey
■
L. Patrick Gage, PhD , President,
Wyeth-Ayerst Research
■ Bernard
P. Gallagher , Concert
Enterprises LLP
■
Richard J. Lane , President,
Worldwide Medicines Group,
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
■ Francis
L. Lawrence, PhD ,
President, Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey
■
Arnold J. Levine, PhD , President
and CEO, The Rockefeller
University
■
Adel A. F. Mahmoud, MD, PhD,
President, Merck Vaccines
■
David McCourt, Chairman and
CEO, RCN Corporation
■ Isabel
Miranda , Chair, UMDNJ
Board of Trustees; Senior Vice
President, U.S. Trust Company
of New Jersey
■
Robert Savage , Company Group
Chairman, Johnson & Johnson
■
Harold T. Shapiro, PhD,
President, Princeton University
■
Ralph Snyderman, MD ,
Chancellor for Health Affairs,
Duke University School of
Medicine
■
DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.,
New Jersey Secretary of State
■
Bruce C. Vladeck, PhD , Senior
Vice President for Policy, The
Mount Sinai Medical Center
Robert WoodJohnson
■
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Motolinsky Foundation Endows Chair in Hematology:
Dr. Saidi Earns Another “First” in Her Division
year, $337,353 NIH grant to study
Parvin Saidi, MD,
and former director of the National Insti-
professor of medicine,
tutes of Health, was the keynote speaker
at the third annual Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School Research Day, March 30,
2001. The annual event celebrates research
at RWJMS and provides a means for the
entire academic community to learn more
about research in progress at the medical school. ■ Douglas M. Ziedonis,
MD, MPH, associate professor of psychiatry, is a co-investigator in “Officebased treatment for addictions: Therapy
development study,” funded by a
$400,000 grant from the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation. Principal investigator is Sylvia Adtjian, MD, assistant
professor of psychiatry. ■ Gloria A.
Bachmann, MD, MMS ’70, professor of
obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive
sciences, associate dean for women’s
health, and director of the Women’s
Health Institute, was awarded a
$314,000 grant by the NIH for a stu dy:
“Chronic gynecologic pain syndromes,
demographic predictors, and the role of
previous medical and psychosocial history in the development of a new clinical
classification for vulvodynia.” The NIH
also awarded Jonathan D. Dinman,
PhD, assistant professor of molecular
genetics and microbiology, a $500,000
grant to study “Ribosomal frameshifting
as a Probe of 5S rRNA function.” ■
Nicola Partridge, PhD, professor and
chair, Department of Physiology and
Biophysics, has been awarded a three-
T
he year 1969, best
remembered for the
first moon landing,
was “the dark ages for hematology,” says Norman
Reitman, MD, clinical professor of medicine (retired)
and president of the Melvyn
H. Motolinsky Research
Foundation. “If we’d known
then what we know now,
Melvyn Motolinsky might
still be alive.” But Mr.
Motolinsky, a promising
young New Brunswick lawyer, died that year of acute
leukemia. “Mel’s family and
friends wanted to establish a
living memorial in his name,”
adds Dr. Reitman, “and with
that goal in mind they created the Melvyn H. Motolinsky
Research Foundation.”
In its almost 30 years, the
Motolinsky Foundation has
become an important par tner in hematology research
at UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School. In
1970, the foundation’s board
announced its goal of sup porting research activities of
the then young division of
hematology and oncology. It
met this goal by 1972 with
the establishment of the
Melvyn H. Motolinsky
Laboratory for Hematology
Research.
The foundation’s second
goal was the establishment of
an endowment fund to support a fellowship position in
hematology and oncology at
RWJMS, and each year since
1984, the best senior fellow
in these fields has been
selected as the Motolinsky
Fellow. Additionally, for the
past 27 years, the founda tion has presented, at its annual reception, the Melvyn
H. Motolinsky Distinguished
Service Award to leaders in
medicine. Past recipients have
included Harold L. Paz, MD,
dean, RWJMS; William N.
Hait, MD, PhD, professor of
medicine and pharmacology
and director, The Cancer
Institute of New Jersey; and
Parvin Saidi, MD, professor
of medicine, chief, division
of hematology, and director
of the Melvyn H.
Motolinsky Laboratory for
Hematology Research.
Last spring, the foundation’s board took another
important step, pledging
$1.25 million to endow the
Melvyn H. and Ab Motolinsky
Chair in Hematology at
RWJMS in honor of Mr.
Motolinsky and his father,
the late Judge Abraham
Motolinsky. The foundation
has focused on RWJMS,
says Dr. Reitman, in recognition of the care Mr.
Motolinsky received from
physicians on the school’s
faculty.
The foundation’s October
2000 award reception served
as an ideal occasion to
announce that Dr. Saidi had
been selected as the first
occupant of this chair. Congratulating Dr. Saidi and the
foundation, Dr. Paz said,
“The establishment of the
Melvyn and Ab Motolinsky
Chair in Hematology is not
only a fitting and permanent
family memorial, this generous endowment also enhances the academic mission
of the medical school. Dr.
Saidi is a superb choice as
the first recipient of the
chair. She has devoted her
entire professional life to
education, research, and
patient care, earning the
respect and admiration of
colleagues in academia and
clinical practice.”
Dr. Saidi’s colleague of 25
years, John B. Kostis, MD,
professor and chair,
Department of Medicine,
holds the first RWJMS chair,
the John G. Detwiler Chair in
Cardiology. He was delighted
with Dr. Saidi’s welldeserved honor as first to
occupy the school’s newest
chair. “She has nurtured
growth in a foundation that
is now able to fund several
areas of hematology
research at the school,” he
said. “She is an excellent
example of an academic
clinician with an illustrious
career. A charismatic teacher,
an accomplished clinician,
and an innovative investigator, she supports and nourishes younger colleagues.
Physicians recruited under
her have become top clini cians and funded investigators on a tenure track.“
Reflecting on her multi faceted career, Dr. Saidi comments that teaching remains
chief, division of
hematology, and director
of the Melvyn H.
Motolinsky Laboratory
“Collagenase removal in osteoarthritis.”
■ The Governor’s Council on Autism
awarded Raymond S. Roginski, MD,
PhD, associate professor of anesthesiology, $49,417 for a research project:
for Hematology Research,
will be first to hold the
“Chromosome mapping of a candidate
Melvyn H. and Ab
autism susceptibility gene.” ■ Charles
Motolinsky Chair in
Hematology at RWJMS.
W. Powers, PhD, MPH, professor of
Here Dr. Saidi, second
environmental and community medicine,
from left, is congratulated
by, left to right,
Yetta Motolinsky,
Nan Motolinsky, and
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean.
will be the principal investigator of the
Consortium for Risk Evaluation with
Stakeholder Participation (CRESP),
which the Department of Energy has
renewed for five years at $35 million.
The Department of Defense awarded
Monica J. Roth, MD, professor of bio-
her favorite aspect of medi cine. She is especially proud
of the Hematology and
Oncology Fellowship Program, which she established
in 1972 and continues to
direct. A lifelong pioneer in
academics and medicine, she
was a summa cum laude
graduate of Smith College
and graduated from Harvard
Medical School in 1956, one
of only five women in a class
of 150 students. She did her
specialty training at the
University of California
Hospitals in San Francisco
and was invited to join the
earliest cadre of faculty at
RWJMS (then Rutgers Medical School) in 1968. Two
years later, she became chief
of hematology/oncology and
shortly thereafter founded
the New Jersey Regional
Hemophilia Program, which
she has directed for 25 years.
Dr. Saidi was active in the
1994 establishment of The
Cancer Institute of New
Jersey and remained chief of
hematology when oncology
became a new division in the
Department of Medicine.
Under her leadership the
hematology faculty has grown,
and the division’s highly
competitive fellowship program, accredited for 12 posi tions, annually receives more
than 300 applications for
three offered positions —
placing it on an equal footing with fellowships in older,
more established medical
schools.
Dr. Saidi has received
more than $12 million in
grants for her research in
leukemia, erythropoiesis,
and hemostasis. Widely respected both personally and
professionally, she has published more than 140
research papers and scientific abstracts. Her many
awards include the Melvyn H.
Motolinsky Award for
Research in Leukemia, the
New Jersey Hemophilia
Association’s Humanitarian
Award, and the UMDNJ
Foundation’s Excellence in
Teaching Award.
Dr. Saidi’s pride in the school
deepened when her daughter,
Dellara Farmanfarmaian
Terry, chose to attend RWJMS.
“It was a very proud moment
when I handed her the diploma at the UMDNJ graduation
in 1995,” says Dr. Saidi.
“I have seen the medical
school in its infancy and
watched it go through its ‘teen
years.’ It is a personal and professional pleasure and privilege
to see the school’s extraordinary growth and progress as it
matures,” she says. “Of the
new medical schools founded
in the late ’60s, it has accomplished the most.”
— K.O’N.
chemistry, a grant of $224,982 for
“Development of retroviral vectors targeted to prostate cells.” ■ Frank A.
Sonnenberg, MD, professor of medicine, was awarded $695,432 by the NIH
to study decision analytic support for
clinical guidelines. The NIH/National
Cancer Institute awarded T. J. Thomas,
PhD, associate professor of medicine, a
grant renewal of $226,973 and a
$13,714 supplement to study novel
oligonucleotide delivery vehicles for
gene therapy. The NIH awarded a twoyear grant for $1,891,451 for “Transgenic
and gene-targeting core for the Child
Health Institute of New Jersey (CHINJ)”
to Robert L. Trelstad, MD, professor of
pathology and laboratory medicine,
Harold L. Paz Chair of Developmental
Biology, and acting director, CHINJ.
— Continued on page 8
— Continued on page 7
6 Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE
Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE 7
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$500,000 Gift to Child Health Institute
Will Build an Atrium, Honor a Friend
Center for Executive Health Debuts
In January, Javier I. Escobar, MD,
professor and chair, Department of
Psychiatry, along with Environmental
and Occupational Health Sciences
Institute faculty members Howard M.
Kipen, MD, MPH, professor and acting
chair, Department of Environmental and
Community Medicine, and Nancy L.
Fiedler, PhD, associate professor of
environmental and community medicine,
hosted an international conference:
“Environmental Factors in Medically
Unexplained Physical Symptoms and
Related Syndromes.” The conference
sought to specify a coherent experimental
and epidemiological research agenda for
such medical presentations as Gulf War
syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome,
chronic Lyme disease, multiple chemical
sensitivities, sick building syndrome, and
somatoform disorders. ■ George H.
Lambert, MD, associate professor of
pediatrics and director, pediatric pharmacology and toxicology, received a
grant from the New Jersey Cancer
Commission funding his work examining
the effects of herbal medicines on
human sex hormone receptors and on
drug metabolism in animals. Linda J.
Patrick-Miller, PhD, assistant professor
of psychiatry and director, division of
behavioral sciences at The Cancer
Institute of New Jersey, was awarded a
$65,487 grant from the New Jersey State
Commission on Cancer Research for a
study: “The impact of a relative’s mam mogram: a teachable moment?”
— Continued on page 10
8 Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE
A
joint project of
UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood
Johnson University Hospital
is responding to the health
needs of executives with a
creative approach that consolidates the interests of
New Jersey executives and
the companies for which
they work.
Jeffrey L. Carson, MD,
professor of medicine, chief
of general internal medicine,
and the Richard C. Reynolds
Chair in Internal Medicine,
and Ira Klein, MD ’91,
assistant professor of medicine, are spearheading the
program, designed to accommodate the busy schedules
of management employees.
“Companies certainly want
their top executives to be in
good physical shape,” Dr.
Carson reports. “But taking
the time for all the appropriate preventive measures can
be taxing for people whose
work takes them around the
globe or who find them selves still at their desks late
at night. What we’ve done is
come up with a plan to meet
the very personalized needs
of this specialized patient
population.”
He explains that the Center for Executive Health has
dedicated space in the medical school’s Clinical
Academic Building. During
an initial visit, a patient’s
medical history will be taken
and evaluated on the basis of
age, gender, and general medical condition. A detailed
Left: Medical efficiency drives
care at the new Center for
Executive Health, a joint project
of RWJMS and Robert Wood
Johnson University Hospital.
Here, Jeffrey L. Carson, MD,
professor of medicine, and
Christine Ardesia, RN, Health
Executive Program, introduce
a local business leader to the
personal services at the center.
questionnaire will assess risks
and help determine the appropriate need for special screening beyond a routine electrocardiogram (EKG) and chest
X-ray, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for men, and
gynecological exam, mammogram, and bone-density
evaluation for women.
“Of course, many of the
executives who come to the
center already get comprehensive care,” Dr. Carson
says. “Our goal is to consolidate their care. In doing so,
we often see women whose
mammograms are overdue
or a male patient who just
hasn’t gotten around to having his lipid levels checked.”
The overall premise of the
center is one of expediency.
Dr. Carson says most tests
are performed during the first
visit, and patients return at
the end of the day to review
with a physician the results
and any recommended treat ment. Some of the tests recommended, such as a colonoscopy, must be scheduled
for a later day but again, the
emphasis is placed on meet ing the exceptional demands
on a patient’s schedule.
“These are people, for the
most part, who are conscien tious about their health,”
Dr. Carson says. “In most
medical settings, however,
laboratory tests are not
coordinated within a single
patient visit. That’s what we
do, in most situations and
whenever humanly possible.”
He adds that a highly personalized level of care is central to the center’s mission
and that the program’s philosophy recognizes the concerns of patients who want
every reasonable preventive
measure undertaken to ensure
their continued good health.
“When we talk of a comprehensive package, we mean
that we are sensitive to the
individual perspectives of our
patients,” he says.
The Center for Executive
Health will be marketed to
individuals as well as New
Jersey companies and will
rely on referrals to RWJMS
clinicians.
Dr. Carson concludes,
“The key word for the center
is efficiency — and that’s one
to which most executives
respond.”
— R.M.R.
R
aymond E. Donovan
loved to help children.
This will be the first
thing visitors learn upon entering
the Child Health Institute of
New Jersey (CHINJ) at UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson Medical
School. Joseph P. DeAlessandro
has ensured that knowledge with
his gift of $500,000 to the
Foundation of UMDNJ to
endow the Raymond Donovan
Atrium at CHINJ.
“We are thrilled that Mr.
DeAlessandro has joined us in
this important effort that will
benefit children everywhere,”
says Roger S. Fine, chair, Board
of Trustees of the Foundation of
UMDNJ, and vice president and
general counsel for Johnson &
Johnson.
DeAlessandro first heard about
plans for CHINJ from his friend
Allen Chin, a member of the
Board of Trustees of UMDNJ.
He recognized an ideal opportunity to memorialize Donovan’s
commitment to helping children.
CHINJ focuses on finding cures
for genetically based childhood
diseases, “so I think it is very
meaningful that he be recognized
by naming the atrium of the
Child Health Institute in his
memory,” DeAlessandro says.
“It is something Ray would never
have done for himself, but I know
he would have loved this.”
After meeting with Harold L.
Paz, MD, dean, to discuss the
gift to CHINJ, DeAlessandro
indicated an interest in continuing his relationship with the medical school. “Mr. DeAlessandro
has a genuine concern for children and a long history of giving
to the community,” says Dr. Paz.
“To our great benefit, he has
also indicated his willingness to
participate in the activities of
the Child Health Institute. I am
delighted that Mr. Allen Chin
introduced Mr. DeAlessandro
to us.”
DeAlessandro is president and
chief executive officer of Rutgers
Casualty Insurance Company,
Kentucky National Insurance,
and DeAlessandro and Associates
Inc. Thirty years ago, as president and director of American
International Group (AIG) Global
Assistance, he met Donovan. He
hired the New England architect
and industrial designer to oversee renovations of the company’s
offices. Later they would be colleagues at AIG, when Donovan
became a vice president. They
developed a close friendship that
lasted until Donovan’s death
several years ago.
In addition
to their professional connections, they
shared a deep
commitment to
the community,
especially to
its youngest
members. Like
Donovan,
DeAlessandro
kept children’s
needs foremost
in his mind when he had the
opportunity to give back. “I
always marveled at anyone who
helped kids,” says DeAlessandro,
who also generously contributes
to higher education and the arts.
“So much of what Ray did
was for children,” he adds. “He
was constantly volunteering his
time to help kids. He was a great
chef, so he baked cookies for
kids. He was a talented artist,
so he designed sets for children’s
theaters. He planned yearly
Christmas parties for kids, where
he shopped and bought gifts for
Santa to give to kids — at least
50 kids each year. He would
always go out of his way to take
care of needy children.”
Robert L. Trelstad, MD,
Harold L. Paz Chair of Developmental Biology and acting director of CHINJ, is pleased that a
private citizen has recognized
the significance of the institute’s
work. “The interdependence of
a community and its academic
and health care institutions might
seem obvious. But mobilizing the
community behind its institutions continues to require nur turing and foresight. Mr.
DeAlessandro’s gift to CHINJ
makes the clearest possible statement of community support for
establishing a
major center for
children’s health in
New Jersey.”
For those who
wish to remember
family members,
patients, friends,
colleagues, or
themselves in a very special way,
certain areas at CHINJ have been
set aside for commemorative
naming. To join the Foundation
of UMDNJ in support of the Child
Health Institute or to receive
further information, contact
Jacqueline M. Bartley, director of
development, at 732-235-8570.
Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE 9
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Research
[ n o t e s ]
— Continued from page 8
The American Heart Association awarded
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The Class of 2001 Career Choices
Class of 2001 Excels in
Residency Match
U M D N J - R o b e rt Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway & Camden Campuses
a one-year, $49,500 grant to Harvey R.
Weiss, PhD, professor of physiology
and biophysics, to study “Changes in
nitric oxide– cyclic GMP with cardiac
hypertrophy.” ■ Peter M. Aupperle,
MD, MPH, associate professor of psychiatry and director, division of geriatric
psychiatry, was awarded $113,550 from
Pfizer for his “Phase II, 12-week, randomized, double-blind, multi-center,
placebo-controlled study evaluating the
safety and efficacy of three fixed doses
of oral CP-457, 920, and Conepezil in
outpatients with Alzheimer’s disease.”
Bristol-Myers Squibb awarded $149,900
to Umesh Chaudhari, MD ’96, associate professor of medicine and assistant
medical director of the Clinical Research
Center (CRC), for a study: “Relative bioavailability of a single dose of
Aripiprazole in healthy subjects when
administered as a 3 mg. oral liquid formulation relative to a 15 mg. commercial tablet.” Robert M. Dalsey, MD, associate professor of surgery, is involved in
a study at the Genetics Institute: “A
feasibility and safety study of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhbmp-2)/absorbable collagen
sponge and allograft compared to autogenous bone graft in patients with
severe tibial shaft fractures requiring
staged reconstruction with bone graft.”
Allan Garland, MD, assistant professor
of medicine, and Harold L. Paz, MD,
dean, are participating in a “Multi-center, prospective, randomized, controlled
— Continued on page 13
10 Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE
S
hortly before noon on
Match Day, Euton M.
Laing, MD ’90, vice
president of the Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School Alumni Association,
led a champagne toast to
the Class of 2001. He was
enthusiastically joined by
the class, crowded into the
Clinical Academic Building
Conference Center with
friends and family. Precisely
at noon, they were among
the nation’s 14,555 fourthyear medical students ripping open their residency
match envelopes. They
stared at the words that
would frame their futures;
then jubilation erupted,
marked by screams, hugs,
laughter, and tears of relief.
With the five words
“University of Virginia,
Internal Medicine,” Jennifer
Bishop ’01 learned she had
been selected by her first
choice. She was among the
57.2 percent of her RWJMS
classmates who got their top
match. Another 18.8 percent matched with their sec ond choice, and 8.9 percent
matched with their third.
Overall, 138 RWJMS students enrolled in the
National Resident Match
Program, and 98.6 percent
of them matched — a significant notch above the
national rate of 93 percent.
One-third of the Class of
2001 will pursue residencies
in New Jersey; one-quarter
will be in programs at
UMDNJ. One of these is
Troy Edwards ’01, who will
for four years. I think it’s
more than a coincidence that
we all got our top choice!”
“The matching process
begins with the first year of
medical school,” says David
Seiden, PhD, professor of
ANESTHESIOLOGY
INTERNAL MEDICINE
Haren Heller: Saint Barnabas
Medical Center, NJ; NY
Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia
Campus, NY
Reena Agarwal: Albert Einstein
College of Medicine/Montefiore,
NY
Attique Rahman: Jersey Shore
Medical Center, NJ; New York
University Medical Center, NY
Left: Michael Maraventaro
’01, left, and Tapan Kadia
’01 share good Match
Day tidings.
Euton M. Laing, MD ’90, vice
Minh Chau Tran: Atlantic Health
System, NJ; UMDNJ-New Jersey
Medical School, Newark, NJ
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Karma Brown-Warren: Newark
Beth Israel, NJ
Rachel Burke:
University of
Rochester/Strong
Memorial, NY
president/president-elect of the
RWJMS Alumni Association, leads
a champagne toast to the Class of
Matthew Neulander:
Carolinas Medical
Center, NC
2001 on Match Day.
Geralda Whyte:
Thomas Jefferson
University, PA
Suspense ends in momentary
disbelief for Carmen Ortiz ’01, who
got her top match choice.
graduate in May with both a
PhD, in molecular pharmacology/oncology, and a medical
degree. He was matched with
Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School, his top
choice. “The research program is particularly strong at
The Cancer Institute of New
Jersey,” he says, “since the
establishment of the Dean and
Betty Gallo Center for
Prostate Cancer.” Celebrating
with his friends, Edwards added, “Our group stuck together and supported each other
neuroscience and cell biology and associate dean for
admissions and student
affairs. “Our office provides
the reality check. Students
turn to us to help decide on
their specialty. They use our
database to research and
compare the programs. They
rely on us for information
about other students with
similar strengths who have
applied to these programs.”
Carmen Ortiz ’01 agrees.
The former inner-city math
teacher and translator for the
Federal Bureau of Investigation will achieve her dream
in May: she will receive her
medical degree and begin a
surgical residency program at
RWJMS. “I couldn’t have
done it without Student
Affairs,” she says. “You just
knock on their door, no
appointment necessary.
They’re always there for you.”
— K.O’N.
FAMILY
PRACTICE
Michelle Campbell:
Crozer-Chester
Medical Center, PA
Above: Shayma Master
’01, right, congratulates
Shabbar Danish ’01 on his
match results
Yira DeLaPaz-Avila: NY
Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia
Campus, NY
May DiCola: Somerset Medical
Center, NJ
Kathleen Akgun: Yale New Haven
Hospital, CT
Jennifer Bishop: University of
Virginia, VA
Dana Lyn Brahms: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
Joseph Brignola: Saint Vincent’s
Hospital, NY
Carrie Burns: Brown University, RI
Yihong Henry Cheng: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
Gerald Cioce: New England
Medical Center, MA
Hillel Cohen: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
Omid Dardashti: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
Jagdip Desai: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
Samit Desai: UMDNJ-New Jersey
Medical School, Newark, NJ
Barbara Frempong: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
Vassiliki Karantza-Wadsworth:
UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
Emanuel King: Temple
University Hospital, PA
Erin Kozak: Lahey Clinic, MA
Christina Kwack: New England
Medical Center, MA
Andrew Lan: Medical College of
Wisconsin Affiliated
Hospitals, WI
Karen Lin: Temple University
Hospital, PA
Shayma Master: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Piscataway, NJ
Janice Mehnert: Mount Sinai
Hospital, NY
Theodore Paparsenos: Beth
Israel Medical Center, NY
Jean Park: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
Nehal Patel: Stonybrook
Teaching Hospital, NY
Naomi Shah: UMDNJ-New
Jersey Medical School,
Newark, NJ
Regina Gandica: Mount Sinai
Hospital, NY
Naomi Turunen: Boston
University Medical Center, MA
Sheri Gillis: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
Adele Uglialoro: Saint Vincent’s
Hospital, NY
William Swart: Camp Pendleton
Naval Hospital, CA
Myriame Vastey: JFK Medical
Center, NJ
Thomas Yuen: Thomas Jefferson
University, PA
James Zamora: Harbor-UCLA
Medical Center, CA
Nikolas Harbord: Beth Israel
Medical Center, NY
John Hochhold: Thomas Jefferson
University, PA
Yvonne Jean-Francois: Mount
Sinai School of
Medicine/Cabrini, NY
Millisaun Johnson: Thomas
Jefferson University, PA
Tapan Kadia: Baylor University
Medical Center Program,
Houston, TX
Norman Greene: Emory
University School of Medicine,
GA
Antoinette Ham: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Piscataway, NJ
Nadia Pierre: SUNY Health
Science Center, Brooklyn, NY
Felix Olobatuyi: George
Washington University, DC
Marek Galazka: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
Ryan McCormick: Thomas
Jefferson University, PA
Kudzai Dombo: Albert Einstein
Medical Center, PA
Todd Muller: Brown University, RI
Aravind Ramakrishnan: Baylor
University Medical Center,
Houston, TX
Neeti Gupta: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
Mridasim Aguwa: Stamford
Hospital/Columbia, CT
Atinuke Olufowobi: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Piscataway, NJ
Gregg Gagliardi: Brown
University, RI
Thomas Lee: Crozer-Chester
Medical Center, PA
OBSTETRICS AND
GYNECOLOGY
Lisa Motavalli: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
Jennifer Hamilton: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
James Kwack: Crozer-Chester
Medical Center, PA
Howard Levene: Temple
University Hospital, PA
Jennifer Moodie: Brown
University, RI
Erica Erb: Somerset Medical
Center, NJ
Jay Kenkare: Warren Hospital, NJ
Shabbar Danish: Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania, PA
Julia Korogodsky: North Shore
University Hospital/NYU
School of Medicine,
Manhasset, NY
Diane Fresca: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
Gustavo Jaime: University of CA,
San Diego Medical Center, CA
NEUROSURGERY
Tara Rajan: Brown University, RI
INTERNAL MEDICINE/
PEDIATRICS
Andrea Wong: Baylor University
Medical Center, Houston, TX
Lisa Price-Davis: Maimonides
Medical Center, NY
OPHTHALMOLOGY
Guri Bronner: Greenwich
Hospital, CT; UMDNJ-New
Jersey Medical School,
Newark, NJ
Edgar Caceres: Jackson
Memorial Hospital, FL; Saint
Vincent’s Hospital, NY
Jodie Lucia: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ;
Georgetown University
Hospital, DC
Hany Michail: Saint Barnabas
Medical Center, NJ;
Washington University, St.
Louis, MO
Cristiana Pieroni: Mount Sinai
School of Medicine/Cabrini,
NY; Tufts Medical Center, MA
ORTHOPAEDICS
INTERNAL MEDICINE,
PRELIMINARY
Nicholas Avallone: Harvard
Medical School/Combined
Research Position, MA
Elana Bornstein: Thomas
Jefferson University, PA
Gino Chiappetta: Jackson
Memorial Hospital, FL
Heather Jacene: Jersey Shore
Medical Center, NJ
Paul Codjoe: Temple University
Hospital, PA
NEUROLOGY
David Rubin: DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center, NH
Thomas McPartland: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Piscataway, NJ
— Continued on page 12
Robert WoodJohnson
■
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NEWS
Research
[ n o t e s ]
Department of Psychiatry Garners Grants
The Class of 2001 Career Choices
U M D N J - R o b e rt Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway & Camden Campuses
pivotal trial for efficacy of partial liquid
— Continued from page 11
ORTHOPAEDICS
Jamie Decker: Children’s
National Medical Center, DC
Jeff Schulman: George
Washington University, DC
Kenneth Wilkens: University of
CA, Irvine Medical Center,
CA
OTOLARYNGOLOGY
Adam Jacobson: Mount Sinai
Hospital, NY
PATHOLOGY
Rachel Sargent: Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania,
PA
PEDIATRICS
Rebecca Carey: University of
Utah Affiliated Hospitals, UT
Beatriz Cunill: Miami
Children’s Hospital, FL
Melissa Diaz: Albert Einstein
College of Medicine/Jacobi
Medical Center, NY
David Goldberg: Yale New
Haven Hospital, CT
Michael Gorn: Saint
Christopher’s Hospital, PA
Kathleen Greaney: Duke
University Medical Center, NC
Michelle Kiang: Children’s
National Medical Center, DC
Teyetdung Christine Le:
University of North Carolina
Hospital, NC
Michael Maraventano:
Children’s Hospital,
Philadelphia, PA
Jennifer Nicholson: University
of Rochester/Strong
Memorial, NY
Taryn Weissman: Albert
Einstein College of Medicine/
Jacobi Hospital, NY
Sandor Kovacs: Atlantic Health
System, NJ; Saint Barnabas
Medical Center, NJ
Jeffrey Petrozzino: SUNY
Health Science Center,
Brooklyn, NY
PHYSICAL MEDICINE
AND REHABILITATION
Rizvan Mirza: Christiana Care,
DE; Saint Luke’s-Roosevelt,
NY
Evan Shereck: NY Presbyterian
Hospital-Columbia Campus,
NY
Melanie Sienicki: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Piscataway,
NJ
Olubunmi Songonuga: Baystate
Medical Center, MA
Johanna Vidal: University of
Washington Affiliated
Hospitals, WA
Evan Weiner: Thomas Jefferson
Univ/Dupont Children’s, PA
Peter Gonzalez: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Camden, NJ;
University of Colorado
School of Medicine, CO
Alena Polesin: Morristown
Memorial Hospital, NJ; NY
Presbyterian HospitalColumbia Campus, NY
PLASTIC SURGERY
Asaad Samra: Baylor College of
Medicine, Houston, TX
PSYCHIATRY
John Applegate: Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania, PA
Anusuya Balasundaram: Saint
Vincent’s Hospital, NY
Carrie Ganek: Beth Israel
Medical Center, NY
Michael Jackson: Saint
Vincent’s Hospital, NY
1-888-CHILDREN (244-5373)
www.childrens-specialized.org
12 Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE
Chad Rabinowitz: Albert
Einstein Medical Center, PA;
Rhode Island Hospital/Brown
University
Robert Shaw: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School, Camden, NJ; Albert
Einstein College of
Medicine/Montefiore, NY
Adarsh Verma: Crozer-Chester
Medical Center, PA;
UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School,
Piscataway, NJ
SURGERY
Robert McFadden: Thomas
Jefferson University, PA
Carmen Ortiz: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
Lina Shah: Saint Vincent’s
Hospital, NY
Mountainside · Fanwood · Toms River
Elizabeth · Newark · Union
Hima Prabhakar: CrozerChester Medical Center, PA;
Massachusetts General
Hospital, MA
Abigail Kay: Thomas Jefferson
University, PA
Ashika Patil: Saint Vincent’s
Hospital, NY
Serving the children of New Jersey in partnership
with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Nicole Polini: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ; NY
Presbyterian HospitalColumbia Campus, NY
Daniel Smith: Beth Israel
Medical Center, NY
Anthony Spinnickie: Stanford
University, CA
RADIATION
ONCOLOGY
Khashayar Vaziri: George
Washington University, DC
Hsiang-Hsuan Michael Yu:
Christiana Care, DE; Johns
Hopkins Hospital, MD
SURGERY,
PRELIMINARY
RADIOLOGY,
DIAGNOSTIC
Mitesh Patel: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
James Creeden: Saint Barnabas
Medical Center, NJ; NY
Presbyterian HospitalColumbia Campus, NY
Reginald Denis: UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson
Medical School, Piscataway,
NJ; UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School,
Camden, NJ
Michael Galbraith: Jersey
Shore Medical Center, NJ;
Saint Barnabas Medical
Center, NJ
Robert Kamieniecki: Saint
Luke’s, Bethlehem, PA; Saint
Barnabas Medical Center, NJ
TRANSITIONAL
David Goldstein: Naval
Medical Center, Portsmouth,
VA
UROLOGY
Troy Edwards: UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School, Piscataway, NJ
Victor Ferlise: Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania,
PA
Alexander Kirshenbaum:
SUNY at Stony Brook, NY
— Continued from page 10
J
avier I. Escobar, MD, professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry, recalls
a patient whose complaint of
symptoms led to five colon surgeries — none of which relieved
his physical distress or con vinced him he had been cured.
Dr. Escobar is the principal investigator of a four-year national study, funded by a $1.5 million National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH) grant,
to study somatizing patients
or those who present to physicians with multiple medically
unexplained physical problems.
The clinical research, conducted in conjunction with the
departments of family medicine, internal medicine, and
psychiatry, will explore appropriate medical and psychiatric
interventions to provide these
patients with clinically sound
treatment or improved functional status.
“To date, no controlled trials toward relieving these
patients of their chronic symptoms have been conducted,”
Dr. Escobar reports. “And yet,
it is estimated that as many as
40 percent of those who present to primary care physi cians have what traditionally
were referred to as psychosomatic disorders.”
He says that label and others are unfortunate because
they categorize patients into a
group of people who, through
some vague characterization,
have thus far been beyond the
reach of medical science. In
fact, he says several clinical
diagnoses have evolved within
specific specialties — all of
ventilation with low and high doses of
them in response to symptoms
that cannot be documented by
medical tests or laboratory
analysis.
“In internal medicine, there
is chronic
fatigue, fibromyalgia, and
irritable
bowel syndromes, and
among urologists, we
hear of irritated bladder,” Dr.
Escobar says.
“Cardiologists often
are confronted by atypical chest pain — real to the
patient even though it won’t be
indicated on an EKG.”
“The Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School research, which
includes randomized control
trials of cognitive behavior
therapy (CBT) contrasted with
medical care as usual, is set in
a primary care environment
because somatizers are reluctant to use psychiatric ser vices,” Dr. Escobar explains.
“In my opinion, these
patients are best handled in a
primary care setting since they
cannot see a psychosocial
component in their illness,” he
says. “Frustration in not being
able to have their symptoms
relieved is compounded by
what they consider to be any
suggestion of hypochondria or
mental illness. We are avoiding sending that kind of message to the patient by explaining CBT as an intervention
being studied to relieve their
physical symptoms. In other
words, to be effective, this has
to be packaged as medical
treatment.”
The recipient
of other
NIMH funding, Dr.
Escobar has
received a
grant of
$500,000 as
principal
New Jersey
investigator
of a five-year
national study
of the risk for
psychiatric
disorders in
Latino and Asian populations.
Dr. Escobar’s portion of the
research, conducted concomitantly with the National Cormorbidity Survey Replication
and the National Survey of
African Americans, will involve
4,000 Latino respondents,
including Mexican Americans,
who are the focus of his work.
Its goals are to estimate ethnic
differences in the prevalence
of specific psychiatric disorders and expand the utiliza tion of mental health services
by those who need them.
“Latinos represent the
fastest-growing minority in the
United States,” he says. “And
there is evidence of escalating
risk for mental health problems in this group.”
He adds that this phenome non may lead to recognition
of similar risks among other
ethnic minorities.
— R.M.R.
Perflubron in adult patients with acute
lung injury.” Versicor awarded $569,186
to Alice B. Gottlieb, MD, PhD, professor
of medicine, the W. H. Conzen Chair in
Clinical Pharmacology, and director of the
CRC, to study intravenous VER001 (VGlycopeptide) administered to normal
volunteers. ■ John B. Kostis, MD, professor and chair, Department of Medicine,
was awarded $1,625,000 by the BristolMyers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research
Institute to serve as the administrative
center for a 12,500-patient study:
“Omapatrilat in persons with enhanced
risk of atherosclerotic events (OPERA).”
■ Lilly awarded two grants to Matthew
A. Menza, MD, associate professor of
psychiatry: $119,000 for “A randomized
double-blind comparison of placebo and
tomoxetine hydrochoroide in adult outpatients with DSM-IV attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder,” and
$306,000 for “Long-term, open-label
study of tomoxetine in adult outpatients
with DSM-IV attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.” Lorna RodriguezRodriguez, MD, PhD, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, chief, division of gynecological oncology, and associate director, CINJ, received a $50,000 grant from
the United Trust Company of New York
for the Robert Black Charitable Grant,
“Development of an in vitro, early invasion system to Study the Role of CD44 in
Early Metastases of Ovarian Cancer.” ■
Robert WoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE 13
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NEWS
The Medical Center at Princeton Joins
CINJ Network
T
he 15-mile distance
between Princeton and
New Brunswick just got
shorter. A recent affiliation
between The Medical Center at
Princeton (MCP) and The
Cancer Institute of New Jersey
(CINJ) creates a new link in the
long-standing association
between the medical center and
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School. The partnership
started in 1972 when MCP
became one of the medical
school’s first teaching affiliates.
Today, as a major clinical affiliate, it is a frequent teaching site
for RWJMS students’ clinical
rotations and residents starting
work in their specialties.
In October 2000, The Medical
Center at Princeton became the
20th member of the CINJ network of partner and affiliate
institutions. All MCP physicians
who treat cancer are undergoing
the credentialing necessary for
eligibility in National Cancer
Institute (NCI) protocols.
Included in the process are not
only MCP’s oncologists, but also
its urologists, radiologists, and
surgeons.
Along with other medical
centers and hospitals in the
network, MCP will receive the
advantages of membership in
CINJ, New Jersey’s only NCIdesignated cancer center. A
major benefit to member insti tutions and their patients is
access to NCI cancer protocols,
which is greatly expanded by
the CINJ partners. “People living in the many communities
served by The Medical Center
will not have to travel far from
14 Robert WoodJohnson
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Left to right are Harold L. Paz, MD,
dean, Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School; Ladawna Leeth,
director of ambulatory services, The
Medical Center at Princeton; Dennis
W. Doody, president of The Medical
Center at Princeton; and William
Hait, MD, PhD, professor of medicine
and pharmacology and director of
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
home to receive advanced com prehensive cancer care,” says
William N. Hait, MD, PhD,
professor of medicine and
pharmacology and director of
CINJ. “Together we are meeting the needs of patients and
their families.”
“Institutional networks help
provide a variety of teaching
environments,” says Harold L.
Paz, MD, dean. “Each affiliate
offers a different setting wher e
students can interact with
patients. Our expanded residency program benefits, too,
when we can offer postgradu ates the opportunity to rotate
through a wider group of hospitals and ambulatory care
sites.”
When the MCP Oncology
Department decided to expand,
its physicians researched affiliations with major cancer cen -
ters, hoping for access to current NCI protocols. Princeton
oncologist Peter Yi, MD, says
the department carefully
weighed the strengths of each
potential collaborator, then
decided to seek membership in
the CINJ network. “CINJ is
close by, and it’s a great place
with a great future.” But he
says the deciding factor was
MCP’s teaching partnership
with RWJMS. “Many of our
physicians teach RWJMS students and residents, hold facul ty appointments at the medical
school, and are on staff at
Robert Wood Johnson
University Hospital. It made
for a perfect collaboration.”
Surgical oncologist Darius
Desai, MD, came to the
Princeton Medical Group from
Ohio State University’s Arthur
James Cancer Hospital, one of
60 NCI-designated cancer centers. With that background, he
is eager to see NCI protocols
introduced at MCP. “In clinical
trials, everyone benefits,” he
says. “If trials are open, we
encourage patients to go on
them because it’s the best way
to answer the unanswered
questions about cancer. In
Takara Shuzo Company Endows a Chair in Bioinformatics:
$2M Gift Ensures RWJMS Role in the Genomics Revolution
some cases, it may consist of
changing the timing or combi nation of modalities used —
surgery, radiation, and
chemotherapy, for instance.”
Why would patients want to
take part in clinical trials?
“Anyone can receive the standard of care,” he explains. “But
patients usually choose to enroll
when they understand that protocols can be the route to better,
more effective treatment.”
— K.O’N.
Art Director Wins
on RWJMS Publica
F
or Robert Wood Johnson
Medicine and Art Director
Barbara Walsh, 2000 was
a banner year. The Art Directors
Club of New Jersey awarded
Walsh a certificate of excellence
in art direction and graphic
design for each of last year’s
issues. She received a third certificate in the same categories
for the 1999 Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School
Annual Report.
Since stepping into his cur rent position five years ago,
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean, has
supported the magazine’s growth
into a full-blown publication
that features faculty achievements and state-of-the-art programs at the medical school,
says Ms. Walsh, whose foremost goal for Robert Wood
Johnson Medicine is to convey
the excellence of the medical
Long friendship builds a
bioinformatics chair.
Future honors past.
U
MDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical
School recently received
a $2 million grant to endow a
chair in bioinformatics.
Established with installments of
$500,000 to be paid over four
years, the grant comes from the
Takara Shuzo Company, of
Kyoto, Japan. The company is
a worldwide leader in several
fields, including genetic engineering. The grant qualifies the
university for a dollar-for-dollar
match through the New Jersey
Higher Education Incentive
Funding Act.
This extraordinary gift stems
from an equally extraordinary
40-year friendship. In 1960,
two young doctoral students in
the field of biochemistry were
Three Awards for Work
tions
school to a wide outside
readership. Her specialty
is editorial
design, and she
has a knack for
complementing
text with creative, high-quality imagery. She
seeks out cover
artists whose
thought-provoking work
graphically portrays the RWJMS
mission. “The cover should set
our school apart,” she says. “It
needs to say, ‘This is a forwardmoving, research-oriented medical school that hasn’t sacrificed
patient care or community service on the road to excellence.’”
Now an independent graphic
designer, Walsh was a designer
for New Jersey Monthly, Parade,
and Good Housekeeping before
serving as coordinator of publications design at
RWJMS. In addition to her awardwinning work for
Robert Wood
Johnson
Medical
School,
she has
won a
Gold
Award
from the
Association of the
Graphic Arts, a silver medal from
the New Jersey Health Care Public
Relations and Marketing Association, and a citation for Excellence
in Creative Direction and Graphic
Execution from the Association
of Graphic Communications.
— K.O’N.
Company for the chair in bioincollaborating on their first
formatics, and we are extremely
paper. After completing their
grateful to Dr. Inouye for
work in Japan at the University
advancing interest in the critical
of Osaka, both came to the
development of bioinformatics
United States to teach and do
research at RWJMS.
research. Although their careers
“Bioinformatics research is
took them in different direcessential for our medical school’s
tions, they stayed in touch,
growth as a major
sharing informaforce in basic
tion within their
“We are delighted to have the
research,” he
fast-evolving field.
adds.
The field of
Last year, the
support of the Takara Shuzo
bioinformatics, at
two friends,
the interface of
Masayori Inouye,
Company for the chair in
mathematics, comPhD, professor
puter science, moland chair,
bioinformatics, and we ar e
ecular biology,
Department of
and genetics,
Biochemistry at
extremely grateful to Dr.
promises to transRWJMS, and
Ikunoshin Kato,
Inouye for advancing interest late the outpouring of data from
PhD, vice president of the Takara in the critical development of global genomesequencing proShuzo Company
bioinformatics research
grams into a new
and president of
understanding of
its Biomedical
the organization
Group, collaborat- at RWJMS.”
and function of
ed on a second
— Harold L. Paz, MD, dean
biological systems.
publication.
It is expected to
Another joint venlead to breakthroughs in drug
ture developed when Dr. Inouye
discovery, therapeutic treatsuggested that the Takara
ments, and health care.
Shuzo Company endow a chair
“Endowments are unusual in
in bioinformatics at RWJMS.
Japan, where there are no tax
These discussions brought Dr.
advantages for corporate givKato and a colleague to RWJMS
ing,” says Dr. Inouye.
to visit the research facilities and
“However, they do appreciate
meet with Harold L. Paz, MD,
the great importance of bioin dean. Within a short time,
formatics in the future of medTakara Shuzo offered to endow
ical research and are willing to
a chair in bioinformatics at the
help establish a strong center
medical school. “This chair and
for academic bioinformatics in
nine others established at
the department.” He adds that
RWJMS in the last five years
he hopes more companies and
follow our increasing success in
private donors will follow the
fund raising,” says Dr. Paz. “We
lead of Takara Shuzo.
are delighted to have the sup— K.O’N.
port of the Takara Shuzo
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Teaching the Teachers: Internal Medicine Residency Program
Presents 6th Annual Faculty Symposium
I
n medical schools nationwide, faculty members feel
pressured to do research,
get published, and maintain a
busy clinical practice. It has
become a challenge to devote
time to teaching, especially in a
clinical setting. But the impor tance of clinical teaching will
prevail. Or it will if the decision is left to John B. Kostis,
MD, professor and chair,
Department of Medicine, and
Nayan K. Kothari, MD, clini cal professor of medicine,
director of the internal medi cine residency program,
UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School, and
chair of the Department of
Medicine at St. Peter’s
University Hospital.
To promote the importance
of teaching clinical skills, the
internal medicine program
chose bedside teaching as the
focus of its sixth annual
“Teaching the Teachers” symposium. Keynoter Jordan
Cohen, MD, president of the
Association of American
Medical Colleges (AAMC),
was impressed by the
Department of Medicine’s dedication to teaching as the core
mission of a medical school.
“Medical schools are buffeted
by many issues, and the teaching mission is no longer as visible. The AAMC’s principal
purpose is to champion med ical education — with a focus
on clinical education.”
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean,
welcomed participants, speaking with obvious pride of the
school’s internal medicine resi-
16 Robert WoodJohnson
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MEDICINE
dency program. “The program
has earned national attention
through hard work on meeting
and exceeding required clinical
competencies,” said Dr. Paz.
“It also has demonstrated its
commitment to patient care
that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective.”
Each speaker approached
“bedside rounds” differently,
but all emphasized the impor tance of maintaining the hon ored tradition in which an
experienced physician teaches
at the patient’s bedside. Robert
S. Pinals, MD, professor and
vice chair of the Department of
Medicine, put the issue in historical perspective. “For more
than two centuries, bedside
rounds were the most important
element of clinical inpatient
teaching,” he said. In fact,
“students paid extra for the
privilege of being taught at the
patient’s bedside. With the
establishment of internships,
elite students became active
participants instead of clinical
observers.” And recent studies
show that patients feel hon ored, not embarrassed, to be
part of the discussion, he
added.
F. Daniel Duffy, MD, executive vice president, American
Board of Internal Medicine,
reminded his audience that
nothing is more practical and
powerful than the feedback
that comes from bedside
rounds. Herbert Waxman, MD,
senior vice president for educa tion, American College of
Physicians – American Society
of Internal Medicine, added his
“Our medical residency
program has earned national
attention through hard work on
meeting and exceeding
required clinical competencies.
It also has demonstrated its
commitment to patient care
that is compassionate,
appropriate, and effective.”
— Harold L. Paz, MD, dean
concern that academic medical
centers will pursue their “love
affair” with high technology at
the expense of bedside skills.
Dr. Kothari is dedicated to
maintaining the role of the
physical examination as both a
teaching device and a tool for
evaluating clinical competency.
To highlight this, he invited
two additional experts: Gerald
Whalen, MD, vice president for
clinical skills assessment at the
Educational Commission for
Foreign Medical Graduates
(ECFMG); and Linda Blank,
vice president for communications of the American Board of
Internal Medicine.
Dr. Kothari is concerned
about the consequences of
bowing to other priorities.
“Today,” he said, “most
patients are admitted in critical
condition, so there is no luxury
of time to observe the patient,
and certainly no room for
errors. In modern medical
schools, the faculty tend to let
their residents work unob-
served because we have the
preconceived notion that residents learn by doing. But that’s
wrong! Without an experienced physician present to cor rect them, junior staff are simply repeating errors and omissions.” Panelist Michael Ford,
MD, Royal College of
Physicians (RCP), Edinburgh,
UK, added that “doing things
repeatedly without correction
improves confidence, not com petence.”
One hundred people attended the symposium, which was
co-sponsored by the
Department of Medicine,
RWJMS, and the Clinical
Competency Center at St.
Peter’s University Hospital.
Invited participants included
faculty from all UMDNJ sites,
all RWJMS affiliates, and the
New Brunswick Affiliated
Hospitals. Chief residents were
invited, but the symposium was
open to any resident interested
in teaching.
“The goal was to teach as
many teachers as possible,”
says Dr. Kothari. “By any measure, it was a great success.”
The next symposium, scheduled for September, will examine clinical competencies in
basic care, focusing on the
standards of the American
Council on Graduate Medical
Education.
— K.O’N.
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Dr. Carver Steps into a New Post:
Former Pediatrics Chair Named Associate Dean for
Faculty Affairs
I
n Dr. Carver’s new office,
there will be no tiny chairs.
After 45 years of focusing on
children, David H. Carver, MD,
professor of pediatrics, has been
appointed associate dean for faculty affairs. He replaces Raymond
Rosen, PhD, professor of psychiatry and co-director of the Center
for Sexual and Marital Health,
who stepped down to devote
more time to research. Until
recently, Dr. Carver served as
chair of the Department of
Pediatrics, a post he had held
since 1988. During the search
for his successor, Stephen W.
Kairys, MD, MPH, professor of
pediatrics and senior associate
dean for clinical affairs, will
serve as acting chair.
As associate dean for faculty
affairs, Dr. Carver will have responsibilities that include working with the school-wide Committee on Appointments and Promotions and other faculty committees. He wishes to enhance a
program for new faculty development, with emphasis on research mentoring and teaching
skills. In addition, he will collaborate with Dr. Rosen and other
senior administrators and staff
to develop an orientation program and create an orientation
handbook for new faculty.
Dr. Carver is a member of the
search committee for the director
of the Child Health Institute of
New Jersey (CHINJ), where researchers will study the molecular basis of disease. He previously served on the Planning Committee of the Bristol-Myers Squibb
Children’s Hospital at Robert
Wood Johnson University Hospital.
In 1955, Dr. Carver graduated from Duke University School
of Medicine. That same spring,
a half-century revolution in medical research began as the public
learned of Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine. Dr. Carver’s career paralleled
that medical revolution, beginning with his early research and
leading to his current commitment
to the CHINJ. He worked with
two Nobel laureates whose research on the growth of viruses
in tissue cultures had led to Dr.
Salk’s discovery: Frederick C.
Robbins, MD, at Western
Reserve Medical School, and
John F. Enders, PhD, at Harvard
Medical School.
After completing a medical
internship at the Johns Hopkins
School of Medicine, Dr. Carver
did a fellowship at Western
Reserve while on active duty with
the U.S. Public Health Service
Epidemic Intelligence Service.
He completed his residency and
chief residency in pediatrics at
Boston Children’s Hospital prior
to his fellowship with Dr. Enders.
Dr. Carver began his teaching
career as director of the infectious diseases division in the
Department of Pediatrics at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine. At
Johns Hopkins, he was a Senior
Kennedy Scholar, reached the
level of full professor, and served
as director of the division of infectious diseases in the Department
of Pediatrics. For the following
decade, he served as professor
and chair of the Department of
Pediatrics at the University of
Toronto School of Medicine and
as physician-in-chief at The Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto.
Since Dr. Carver’s appointment, the pediatrics faculty has
grown from 40 full-time members to 78. The department now
includes 16 divisions. In the year
2000, the Children’s Specialized
Hospital, of Mountainside, New
Jersey, became the newest member of the RWJMS affiliate network, combining its divisions of
neurology and developmental
disabilities with those divisions
in the medical school’s
Department of Pediatrics.
Reflecting on his 12 years as
chair, Dr. Carver takes pride in
the department’s achievements.
“On this strong faculty, many
people stand out,” he says.
Several have received national
honors for their research and
clinical activities, including the
Young Clinical Investigator of
the Year, the Award for Young
Faculty in Clinical Investigation,
and the Young Faculty Award in
Basic Research.
— K.O’N.
Robert WoodJohnson
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Elizabeth Talbot, MD ’92, to Receive UMDNJ
Distinguished Alumni Award: Young Epidemiologist
is Cited for Work in Botswana
E
lizabeth Talbot, MD ’92,
has accomplished as much
in nine years as many gifted people do in a lifetime. In
recognition of this young epidemiologist’s unusual blend of
achievement and compassion,
the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey has
selected her to receive the 2001
Distinguished Alumni Award at
Commencement.
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean,
nominated Dr. Talbot for the
UMDNJ award. “We have many
remarkable alumni at the top of
their field,” he said. “Yet Dr.
Talbot is distinguished by her
philosophy as well as her
achievements.”
Last year, Dr. Talbot told
Robert Wood Johnson Medicine
that her goal is to be faithful, not
successful. “How can I be ‘successful’ when by some definitions
this could mean eradicating AIDS
and tuberculosis? I have had to
redefine success in my own terms
because as much as I would love
to, I may never succeed in curing
even one case of AIDS.”
“I was surprised and pleased
to have been chosen for this honor,” she said recently. “I see the
award as a reflection of the university’s commitment to international health and serving the
underserved. Their encouragement makes me so glad to be on
these front lines.”
Dr. Talbot has served on the
“front lines” since college. She
has worked as a medical intern
in the rural Philippines and has
traveled widely in the third world
to study, teach, do research, and
treat patients. In 1998 Dr. Talbot
18 Robert WoodJohnson
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MEDICINE
started a two-year tour in
Botswana with the Epidemic
Intelligence Service of the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control
(CDC). Last fall she returned to
the small sub-Saharan nation, as
director of TB research at the
CDC’s HIV field site. This time
she is joined by her infant son,
Christophe, and her husband,
Stéphane Courtine.
On the first tour, she had developed a deep sense of community
with her colleagues and neighbors. She had also gained a valuable understanding of the clinical
and cultural underpinnings of
the interlocked epidemics ravaging the African people.
“Elizabeth is a doer, not a talker — a powerhouse of ideas,” says
her supervisor, Charles Wells,
MD, associate director of the
Office of International Activities,
Division of TB Elimination, CDC.
“She’s fantastic: she has one leading protocol and four or five
other trials ‘in the air.’ You could
not have chosen a more deserving person.
“All her questions and projects
are framed in the important issues
of public health,” adds Dr. Wells.
“She is excellent at establishing
what’s best for the most people,
and determining how to do something about it. Epidemiologists
eagerly anticipate the results of
her current leading protocol,
which will study effects of longterm TB preventive therapy for
people who also have HIV.”
For ten years, Dr. Talbot has
challenged the odds, trying to find
some solution to the devastating
human effects of AIDS and TB
in the third world. While her philosophy sustains her, her husband
and son have given her a new
perspective on her work. “After
a grueling or overwhelming day,
they remind me that all you can
do is all you can do. Increasingly,
our successes seem to be measured in the small things we are
entrusted to do: being polite
with the secretary, smiling when
you leave a patient’s bedside, and
spending time with loved ones.”
— K.O’N.
Melinda W. Davis
T
he Foundation of UMDNJ
has appointed Melinda
W. Davis to serve as vice
president for development, New
Brunswick and Piscataway.
Davis began her career in banking. In her ten years as a vice
president at Bankers Trust
Company, she marketed financial-planning products to corporations, colleges, and universities. In 1988, she moved across
the desk to become a development officer in planned giving and
major gifts, first at Columbia
University, then at Barnard College.
RWJMS Nominee Arnold J. Levine, PhD, to Receive UMDNJ Honors
A
world leader in cancer
research, Arnold J.
Levine, PhD, was named
president of The Rockefeller
University, one of the world’s
premier biomedical research
institutions, in 1998. Last year,
he became a charter member of
the newly convened Board of
Overseers of Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School. In
recognition of his achievements, UMDNJ will confer an
honorary degree of Doctor of
Humane Letters on Dr. Levine
at Commencement. “Dr. Levine
has been a wise and generous
friend to the school,” says
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean. “We
are honored that he deepens
this affiliation by accepting this
honorary degree.”
Dr. Levine responds, “It has
been a pleasure to work with
the people at UMDNJ. I have
been especially pleased to see
the medical school’s increase in
scientific capabilities. Most
amazing to me is the growth in
cancer research and treatment
with the clinical and basic science wings at The Cancer
Institute of New Jersey. It is an
additional pleasure to serve on
the Board of Overseers.”
In 1979, Dr. Levine isolated,
cloned, and characterized the
biological properties of the p53
suppressor protein, a molecule
that inhibits tumor development. “His subsequent work
established p53 as the most
important tumor suppressor
gene in human cancers,” says
Peter Howley, MD, MMS ’70,
who has worked with Dr.
Levine. “He found that the p53
gene is mutated in over 50 percent of human cancers, and in
most other cancers its function
is abrogated by a variety of different mechanisms. The med ical and clinical significance of
his work was enormous.”
“Dr. Levine’s work with p53
may turn out to be the single
most important discovery in
the history of cancer research,”
says William N.
Hait, MD, PhD,
professor of
medicine and
pharmacology
and director of
The Cancer
Institute of
New Jersey
(CINJ). In
1993, as director of the newly
founded CINJ,
Dr. Hait first met Dr. Levine, a
member of the institute’s
External Scientific Advisory
Board. “I had already admired
Appointed VP for Development
“Melinda Davis’s broad range
of experience securing major
gifts will be a strong asset to the
foundation and the university,”
says Michael L. Bassoff, president of the Foundation of
UMDNJ. In this new position at
the foundation, “she brings
strong leadership to our New
Brunswick and Piscataway campuses. She will unify some of
our most dynamic fund raising
initiatives, including those for
The Cancer Institute of New
Jersey and the Child Health
Institute,” he adds. Her respon-
sibilities include working closely
with Harold L. Paz, MD, dean,
providing comprehensive support for his priorities in the
coming years.
In Davis’s recruitment visits
to RWJMS, she says, she saw an
“up-and-coming health institution on the move.” She looks
forward to the challenge of fund
raising for a medical school.
“What’s not to love about fund
raising when you’re collaborating with scientists who are finding cures for cancer or childhood disease?” she says.
Davis will start her tenure by
building a team to raise major
gifts. In order to raise the medical school’s gift profile, she
explains, she also must raise its
institutional profile. Only then
can she inspire people to give to
their capacity. “Many people in
New Jersey have looked outside
the state for advanced health
care,” she says. “By working
with the faculty, we’ll build confidence that we can support
great medical research and treatment right here at home.”
— K.O’N.
him as a scientist, and later
became a collaborator. He is a
man of multiple interests. He is
extraordinarily generous with
his time and is the ideal collaborator on any project,” says
Dr. Hait.
As chairman of the Department of Molecular Biology
at Princeton
University, Dr.
Levine helped
Dr. Hait
recruit Stuart
Lutzker, MD,
PhD, now an
assistant professor of medicine at RWJMS.
“In ’93, Dr.
Lutzker was one of the most
outstanding young people at
Yale,” says Dr. Hait. “He
joined CINJ when Dr. Levine
invited him to come to
Princeton for a summer fellow ship and offered him work and
lab space.”
Shortly after taking office at
The Rockefeller University, Dr.
Levine met with the staff of
News & Notes, the university’s
newsletter. “Everybody in science works very, very hard, and
everyone makes important contributions,” he said. “You’ve
got to be lucky to make a contribution that also has a medical or clinical impact. In some
sense that’s the skill of choosing, and in another sense that’s
the luck of being at the right
place at the right time. I’ve
always felt that I’ve been at the
right place at the right time.”
— K.O’N.
Robert WoodJohnson
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Changes Under Way at RWJMS-Camden
Steven J. Shiff, MD, Awarded Unilever Chair
A
Dr. Benson to Pursue Research
During Sabbatical
O
n January 1, 2001,
Gordon D. Benson,
MD, professor of medicine, stepped down as associ ate dean, RWJMS-Camden, to
pursue research on liver disease.
Free from administrative responsibilities, Dr. Benson looks forward to uninterrupted time to
focus on his research into the
mechanisms of injury in prima ry biliary cirrhosis, which is
classified as an autoimmune
disease. He will spend six months
with an immunology group at
the University of California at
Davis, while periodically commuting back east to see longtime patients in his Camden
hepatology practice.
Dr. Benson joined the RWJMS
faculty in 1978 as a professor of
medicine. Five years later he
moved to the Camden campus,
where he became associate dean
in 1987 and developed a strong
new clinical program for students and faculty. “We believe
the Camden program has an
enormous benefit,” says Dr.
Benson, “because students complete their clinical work at a single site.”
He is proud also of his administration’s role in supporting
student-initiated community
outreach programs. “Students
did an excellent job establish ing programs in the local schools
and organizing a clinic where
the truly indigent can receive
care. As administrators, we
smoothed the way and helped
organize faculty support to make
the clinic an educational site.”
In 1993, alumni showed their
appreciation for Dr. Benson’s
20 Robert WoodJohnson
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leadership by electing him an
honorary member of the Alumni
Association. Dr. Paz says Dr.
Benson was well respected by
colleagues both within and
outside the medical school,
adding, “We will miss him and
wish him continuing success.”
— K.O’N.
Dr. Mehne Takes on a New Role
at RWJMS-Camden
P
aul R. Mehne, PhD, asso ciate professor of family
medicine and associate
dean for academic and student
affairs at RWJMS-Camden, has
taken on new responsibilities
following Dr. Benson’s departure for California. Dr. Mehne’s
responsibilities include overseeing research, community outreach, planning, and the physi cal plant at the Camden campus. In addition, he is chairing
the medical school’s two-year
self-study for reaccreditation
by the Liaison Committee on
Medical Education (LCME) of
the Association of American
Medical Colleges.
Dr. Mehne’s education
includes interdisciplinary doctoral programs in environmental science and instructional
design at Syracuse University
and The State University of
New York, College of
Environmental Science. His
career began at East Carolina
University, with what he
describes as “the exciting
opportunity to build a medical
school from the ground up.”
He later served as associate
dean for student and house
staff affairs at the University of
Pennsylvania School of
Medicine. Dr. Mehne came to
RWJMS-Piscataway 1992 as
assistant dean for curriculum;
two years later he was appointed associate dean for academic
affairs and student programs.
In 1995, Harold L. Paz, MD,
dean, appointed him associate
dean for academic and student
affairs at RWJMS-Camden.
— K.O’N.
newly endowed chair at
the UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical
School will research dietary
methods to prevent chronic disease. Steven J. Shiff, MD, associate professor of medicine, has
been appointed to the Unilever
Chair for the Study of Diet and
Nutrition in the Prevention of
Chronic Disease. The endowment also established the
Unilever Center, a division of
The Cancer Institute of New
Jersey (CINJ), where the chair is
located.
Endowed by a $1.25 million
gift from Unilever, the center will
also educate the public on the
latest research linking diet,
health, and disease prevention.
Unilever’s gift reflects the company’s commitment to research
applicable to products that can
improve health, not just sustain
it. The endowment for the chair
was the vision of Ed Veltkamp,
PhD, Unilever’s senior vice president for research and development.
“The Unilever Chair is one of
ten new chairs and professorships we have established in the
past five years,” says Harold L.
Paz, MD, dean, “providing critical resources to expand our
basic and clinical research programs. I am grateful to Unilever
for the confidence shown by its
generosity. Its tremendous support has provided us with the
resources to recruit Dr. Stephen
Shiff, a major force in nutrition.”
Current evidence indicates
that diet may play a role in the
development of many common
cancers, including those of the
breast, colon, and lung. Dr. Shiff
is widely published both on this
topic and on the cancer prevention mechanisms of diet and
aspirin-like drugs. “Through Dr.
Shiff’s research, we hope to discover definitive new avenues of
cancer prevention that can be
used by the people of New
Jersey and beyond to maintain
their health, particularly those at
high risk for the development of
cancer,” says William N. Hait,
MD, PhD, professor of medicine
and pharmacology and director, CINJ.
“This faculty
has always
been interested
in basic
research into
complementary
and alternative
medicine,” says
Dr. Shiff. He
cites a pioneering study of naturally occur ring estrogens, conducted by
Dr. Hait; Michael A. Gallo,
PhD, professor of environmen-
RWJMS Bids Farewell to Esteemed Colleague
B
ernard D. Goldstein, MD,
professor and chair of
environmental and community medicine, has accepted
a position as dean of the Graduate School of Public Health,
University of Pittsburgh. He will
commence his new responsibili ties in June, following a threemonth sabbatical and visiting
professorship in Malaysia.
Dr. Goldstein served as chair
of the Department of Environmental and Community Medicine
from 1980 to February of this
year. He was appointed director of the Environmental and
Occupational Health Sciences
Institute (EOHSI), a joint pro-
gram of UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School and
Rutgers University, in 1986. In
addition, he was the first principal investigator of the Consortium of Risk Evaluation and
Stakeholder Participation (CRESP)
and served as acting dean of
the UMDNJ-School of Public
Health from 1998 to 1999, the
first year of its formation.
“EOHSI is the largest acade mic environmental health program in the United States and
is especially regarded for the
breadth of its program and outstanding graduate programs,”
reports Harold L. Paz, dean.
“The medical school is indebt -
ed to Dr. Goldstein for his outstanding leadership, which
played such a significant role in
the institute’s stature on the
national scene.”
Prior to his faculty position
at RWJMS, Dr. Goldstein was
assistant administrator for research and development at the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. He has served as chair
of the NIH Toxicology Study
Section and EPA’s Clean Air
Scientific Advisory Committee.
Dr. Goldstein is the author of
more than 200 articles and book
chapters related to environmental
health sciences and public policy.
— R.M.R.
tal and community medicine
and senior associate dean for
research; and Robert S. Di
Paola, MD, associate professor
of medicine.
Dr. Shiff served on the faculty
at The Rockefeller University in
New York, first as clinical scholar and assistant professor, then
as associate
professor of
clinical investigation. While
holding the
Unilever Chair,
he will continue
as an adjunct
faculty member
at The
Rockefeller
University, a
position he earlier held at the Joan and Sanford
I. Weill Medical College of
Cornell University. Throughout
his career in research and education, he held clinical appointments at New York Hospital –
Cornell Medical Center, and at
Rockefeller University Hospital.
He now is a member of the
medical staff at Robert Wood
Johnson University Hospital.
Dr. Shiff graduated summa
cum laude from the University
of Pennsylvania and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He
received his medical degree from
the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine, where he
was elected to Alpha Omega
Alpha. He did his internship and
residency at The New York
Hospital before completing two
consecutive fellowships: first at
the Weill College of Medicine, in
microbiology, then at Harvard
Medical School/Massachusetts
General Hospital, in gastroenterology.
— K.O’N.
Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE 21
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Page 22
s
Faculty
Department of Anesthesiology
Denise C. Joffe, MD
Associate Professor
MD, McGill University School
of Medicine, 1986
Jonathan L. Kraidin, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Medical College of
Pennsylvania, 1991
Department of
Emergency Medicine
Brigitte M. Baumann, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Cornell University
Medical College, 1995
Department of
Family Medicine
Ruppert A. Hawes, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Ohio State University
College of Medicine, 1991
Michelle L. McWeeney, MS
Instructor
MS, UMDNJ-School of Health
Related Professions, 1999
Jay D. Patel, MD
Instructor
MD, UMDNJ-New Jersey
Medical School, 1997
Amy L. Ripley, MD
Instructor
MD, University of South
Dakota School of Medicine,
1997
Department of Medicine
Ajay K. Agarwala, MD
Clinical Instructor
MD, University of Illinois at
Chicago College of Medicine,
1994
Nasimul Ahsan, MD
Associate Professor
MD, Chittagong Medical
College, Bangladesh, 1980
Devender N. Akula, MD
Instructor
MD, Osmania Medical College,
Hyderabad, India, 1994
Maqsood Amjad, MD
Instructor
MD, King Edward Medical
College, Lahore, Pakistan, 1989
Mohd K. Anam, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Dhaka Medical College,
Bangladesh, 1983
22 Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE
t
a
f
f
appointments through April 17, 2001
Xin Geng, MD
Adjunct Instructor
MD, Tianjin Medical
University, China
Vishwanath N. Halukurike, MD
Instructor
MD, Bangalore Medical
College, India, 1993
Philip Mathew, MD
Clinical Instructor
MD, Christian Medical College,
Vellore, India, 1991
Zafar K. Mirza, MD
Instructor
MD, King Edward Medical
College, Lahore, Pakistan, 1991
Ramamurthi Rallapalli, PhD, DSC
Adjunct Associate Professor
PhD, Sri Venkateswara
University, India, 1962
DSC, National Open University
of Sri Lanka, 1996
Babar K. Rao, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Rawalpindi Medical
College, Pakistan, 1983
Michael Reiss, MD
Professor
MD, University of Amsterdam
Medical School, Amsterdam,
Netherlands, 1976
Suniti Sebastian, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
MD, University of Kerala,
Trivandrum, India, 1984
Department of Molecular
Genetics and Microbiology
Lori R. Covey, PhD
Associate Professor
PhD, Columbia University,
1986
Department of Neurology
Carolyn D. Grace, PhD
Assistant Professor
PhD, Fairleigh Dickinson
University, 1996
Malgorzata E. Wojtowicz, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Jagiellonian UniversityCollegium Medicum-Faculty
of Medicine, Krakow, Poland,
1987
Department of Neuroscience
and Cell Biology
Dale L. Woodbury, PhD
Assistant Professor
PhD, Rutgers University, 1994
Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology, and Reproductive
Sciences
Darlene G. Gibbon, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, State University of New
York-Health Science Center
at Brooklyn, 1989
Samuel L. Jacobs, MD
Associate Professor
MD, St. George’s University
School of Medicine, Grenada,
1981
Nady E. Nady, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, University of Alexandria,
Faculty of Medicine, Egypt,
1982
Joseph E. Osheroff, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
MD, University of
Pennsylvania School of
Medicine, 1991
Christine A. Walters, RDMS, BS
Instructor
RDMS, Ultrasound Diagnostic
School, 1991
BS, Saint Peter’s College, 1989
Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine
Kari H. Briggs, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
MD, UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School,
1994
Chavela M. Carr, PhD
Assistant Professor
PhD, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, 1995
Shaohua Li, MD
Instructor
MD, Nanjing Tiedao Medical
College, 1982
Department of Pediatrics
Zubair Aghai, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Government Medical
College, Nagpur, India, 1984
Terri F. Brown-Whitehorn, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, University of Missouri at
Kansas City, 1991
Jixiang Ding, PhD
Adjunct Instructor
PhD, University of
Manchester, United Kingdom,
1995
Amisha Malhotra, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Albany Medical College,
1994
Wilbur Pan, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
MD, PhD, University of Illinois
School of Medicine, 1994
Department of Psychiatry
Chowdhury Azam, MD
Instructor
MD, Chittagong Medical
College, Bangladesh, 1979
Mona V. Bijlani, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Kilpauk Medical College,
Madras, India, 1995
Ziva Bracha, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, University of Paris, 1990
Angelica M. Diaz-Martinez,
PsyD
Clinical Instructor
PsyD, Rutgers University,
1998
Donald P. Fong, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
MD, Texas Tech University
School of Medicine, 1991
Sasikala Ravi, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
MD, S.V. University, Tirupati,
India, 1980
Leonid A. Vorobyev, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Second Moscow State
Medical School, Moscow,
Russia, 1985
Medicine, has been named
plastic surgery, was nominated
of environmental and commu-
D
chief medical editor of Internal
as director of the American
nity medicine, was elected a
Medicine World Report, a publi-
Board of Plastic Surgery for 2001.
fellow of the American College
and Donald R. Polakoff, MD, both
cation distributed to 110,000
RWJMS students elected Susan E.
of Epidemiology. Thomas
clinical assistant professors of
physicians. Stephen F. Lowry, MD,
Boruchoff, MD, associate profes-
Whalen, MD, professor of surgery,
avid A. Harwood, MD ’84,
Robert L. Morgan, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
MD, St. George’s University
School of Medicine, 1981
MPH, Columbia University
School of Public Health, 1977
Sylvia Atdjian, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Medical College of
Virginia, 1993
High Visibility
BY
surgery, have been elected to
professor and chair, Depart-
sor of medicine, and Charles
has accepted a position as
membership in the American
ment of Surgery, co-edited
Gatt, MD ’89, clinical assistant
chief, division of pediatric
Association of Hip and Knee
Surgery: Basic Science and
professor of surgery, to member-
surgery at RWJMS. In this posi -
Surgery. Dr. Polakoff lectured on
Clinical Evidence. The compre-
ship in Alpha Omega Alpha. In
tion he will also serve as chief of
pediatric surgery at the Bristol-
state-of-the-art knee-replace-
hensive new text for surgical resi-
the fall of 2000, then-Governor
ment surgery at the annual “Hip,
dents, practitioners, and med-
Christie Whitman appointed
Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital
Knee, and Shoulder Symposium”
ical students includes a CD-ROM
James J. Chandler, MD, clinical
at Robert Wood Johnson
at Park City, Utah. Robert L.
and was named “The Outstand-
professor of surgery, to the New
University Hospital.
Hendren, DO, professor of psychi-
ing New Medical Textbook for
Jersey Task Force on the
KATE
atry and chief, division of child
2000” by the Association of
Detection, Treatment, and
O’NEILL
and adolescent psychiatry, was
American Publishers. Dr. Lowry
Prevention of Cancer. The
an invited speaker at the
served as associate editor of
Friends’ Health Connection pre-
“International Symposium of
another major new textbook,
sented Year 2000 Frances Black
Child and Adolescent
Surgical Research, published this
Humanitarian Awards in Health
science and cell biology, was
Psychiatry,” sponsored by the
spring by Academic Press.
Care to two members of the
chair of the International Society
King Fahad National Guard
Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Professionally Speaking
E
manuel DiCicco-Bloom, MD,
associate professor of neuro-
Frank P. Murphy, MD, assistant
RWJMS staff: David S. Kountz, MD,
for Developmental Neuro-
professor of medicine and act -
associate professor of medicine
science’s symposium, “Cell
Barbara Louis, PhD adjunct assis-
ing chief, division of dermatol -
and associate dean for post-
Cycle Regulation of Neuro-
tant professor of pediatrics, was
ogy, was appointed to the edi -
graduate education, and Joy
genesis.” The meeting took
interviewed on “Whiz Kids,” a
torial board of the Journal of
Wilson, LSW, a social worker at
place in Heidelberg, Germany.
television program carried by
the American Academy of
the Eric B. Chandler Health
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean, was
appointed to the Association of
the Hispanic network Telemundo
Dermatology. The journal
Center. Dr. Kountz was honored
that aired on WNJU, in New
Nature (407:471) published
for his compassion and commit-
American Medical Colleges Task
York. Jeffrey C. Merrill, MPH, pro-
“RNA Polymerase II Elongation
ment to the care of his patients,
Force on Fraud and Abuse.
fessor of psychiatry and
through Chromatin” by Danny F.
as well as his work in helping
David B. Seifer, MD, professor of
University Professor, received a
Reinberg, PhD, professor of bio-
establish a medical clinic in
obstetrics, gynecology, and
$600,000 grant from the Robert
chemistry and Howard Hughes
Minsk, Belarus. Wilson was rec-
reproductive sciences and
Wood Johnson Foundation, as
Investigator. Thomas Strax, MD,
ognized for her commitment to
chief, division of reproductive
part of a larger project to com-
clinical professor and chair,
health care and her extraordi-
endocrinology, was appointed
pletely overhaul the Drug Abuse
Department of Physical
nary service to patients.
to the Research Career
Resistance Education (DARE)
Medicine and Rehabilitation,
program. In a front-page story
has accepted an appointment
ciate professor of pediatrics,
(2001–3) of the American
on obesity in children, the New
as president of the American
was appointed to the Pediatric
Society for Reproductive
George H. Lambert, MD, asso-
Development Committee
York Times highlighted a weight-
Academy of Physical Medicine
Expert Panel of the U.S.
Medicine. Lawrence Weisberg,
control program run by Richard
and Rehabilitation. Robert L.
Pharmacopoeia. He was also
MD , associate professor of medi-
S. Strauss, MD, assistant professor
Trelstad, MD, professor of pathol-
invited to participate in a
cine, presented an invited lec-
of pediatrics and director,
ogy and laboratory medicine,
review by the National Institutes
ture, “Prevention of Acute Renal
Mark B. Anderson, MD
Associate Professor
MD, New York Medical
College, 1988
Pediatric Weight Control
Harold L. Paz Chair of
of Health of grants of develop -
Failure in Critically Ill Patients,” at
Program at RWJMS.
Developmental Biology, and
mental molecular mechanism
the annual meeting of the
acting director, the Child Health
of human disease states in
American Society of
Institute of New Jersey, will serve
adults. He serves on several
Nephrology.
James W. Lim, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, University of Missouri at
Kansas City, 1988
N
John T. Malcynski, MD
Assistant Professor
MD, Tufts University School
of Medicine, 1991
Department of Surgery
Publishing Kudos
as an associate editorial boar d
expert panels of the Scientific
member of New Jersey
Advisory Board for the U.S.
adjunct associate professor of
Medicine, a publication of the
Environmental Protection
environmental and community
New Jersey Medical Society.
atalie C. Freeman, PhD, MPH,
medicine, co-authored
Agency. Sandra R. Leiblum, PhD,
In Memoriam
M
ichael Burnhill, MD, clinical
professor of psychiatry, was
professor of obstetrics, gynecol-
awarded the 2001 Masters and
ogy, and reproductive sciences
Children’s Environmental Health:
Taking Honors
Reducing Risk in a Dangerous
G
Johnson Award by the Society
for Sex Therapy and Research.
emeritus and former chair,
of surgery and chief, division of
Daniel Wartenberg, PhD, professor
Department of Medicine
World. John B. Kostis, MD , professor and chair, Department of
regory L. Borah, MD, professor
Hadley Conn, MD, professor
Robert WoodJohnson
■
M
MEDICINE 23
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Page 24
Blueprint for Progress:
C O N S T R U C T I O N
A N D
R E N O V A T I O N
P R O C E E D
AT
The Stage II Research Building ,
left, a second building of its type on
campus,will provide expansion space
for several basic science departments,
and serve as staging space for
Child Health Institute of New Jerse y
investigators.
■ Located in Piscataway
■ 20,000 square feet
■ Cost of project:$7 million
■ Slated to open in August 2001
R W J M S
T
he blueprint for expansion and renovation at
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
responds to today’s voracious demands for research
space. In the first phase of a two-phase construction
plan, the medical school is constructing two new build ings in Piscataway. Phase 2 will bring new research and
clinical space to The Cancer Institute of New Jersey,
space for the researchers at the Child Health Institute of
New Jersey, and added space for the Environmental and
Occupational Health Sciences Institute. Finally, construction of a new home for the Cardiovascular
Institute of New Jersey will be crucial to its mission of
improved service and outcomes. M
The Child Health Institute of
New Jersey, below, will be a comprehensive biomedical research center tha t
will work to identify cures and treatments
for devastating illnesses of children
through biomedical research in genomics/
protenomics,developmental biology, and
The Robert Wood Johnson
Research Building, above,
will bring investigators together
from across basic science
departments to focus on
collaborative research and will
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey
(CINJ), above, is dedicated to the prevention,
detection,treatment,and care of patients
with cancer. CINJ is one of only sixty National
Cancer Institute–designated centers in the
country. The new addition will house major
research and clinical programs,including the
Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center
■
MEDICINE
The Environmental and Occupational
Health Sciences Institute, below,
sponsors research,education,and service
programs in a setting that fosters interaction
among experts in environmental health,
toxicology, occupational health,exposure
assessment,public policy, and health
education. The planned facility would expand
the current 75,000-square-foot building.
■ Located in Piscataway
■ 15,000-square-foot addition
■ Estimated cost of project:$5 million
■ Fund raising under way
and the Center for Women’s Reproductive
Cancers.The planned facility would expand
the current 80,000-square-foot building.
■ Located in New Brunswick
■ 121,500-square-foot addition
■ Double research,clinical,and support space
■ Estimated cost of project:$50.9 million
■ Funds raised:$16 million
The Cardiovascular Institute
of New Jersey, above, focuses on
the molecular biology of heart failure,
cardiovascular clinical trials,cardiovascular pharmacology, cardiovascular
24 Robert WoodJohnson
house a 15,000-square-foot
transgenic vivarium facility.
■ Located in Piscataway
■ 90,000 square feet
■ Cost of project:$35.9 million
■ Slated to open in August 2002
neurodevelopment.The building will house
a 25,000-square-foot transgenic vivarium
facility for the New Brunswick campus.
■ Located in New Brunswick
■ 100,000 square feet
■ Estimated cost of project:$39.9 million
■ Funds raised:$22 million
biomedical engineering,and disease
management and clinical outcomes.
■ Located in New Brunswick
■ Planning under way
Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE 25
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Page 26
B Y
L
THE
EADING
H
R
I T A
M .
R
O O N E Y
WITH
E A RT
ymbolically, the heart is
positioned at the center of our lives,
vulnerable to attack yet with
endurance that weathers time and abuse.
While the annals of medicine don’t include even one case of a broken heart,
the phrase is indicative of the metaphoric proximity between the organ and life itself. That connection
is emphasized at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where a
four-pronged integrated program in cardiovascular diseases
“O
and hypertension continues to break new ground.
Dr. Moreyra; Jai B. Agarwal,
ur mission is to mainMD, associate professor; and
tain a prominent interKenneth Khaw, MD, assistant
national reputation in the
pro f e s s o r, are invasive and
areas of clinical service,
in t e rventional card i o l o g i s ts
research, education, and comwho participate in clinical trials
munity outreach,” reports John
of pharm a c o t h e r a p y, used in
B. Kostis, MD, professor and
conjunction with angioplasty,
chair, Department of Medicine.
in the treatment of coronary
Dr. Kostis, who has been prinartery disease and myocardial
cipal investigator of numerous
infarction.
national and international re“We’re active participants in
search studies and developed the
national studies to determ i ne
Myocardial Infarction Data
not only which are the most
Acquisition System (MIDAS), a
effective drugs, but also which
statewide MI database, says the
combination of drugs and
medical school’s clinicians are
mechanical interventions, such
in the forefront of diagnostic
as angioplasty, works best,”
and therapeutic progress.
Dr. Moreyra says.
In interventional cardiology,
Abel E. Moreyra, MD, professor of medicine, left, an interventional
Considerable interventional
for example, Abel E. Moreyra, cardiologist at the forefront of his field nationally, has pioneered advances
in angiography and other procedures.
cardiology effort is focused on
MD, professor of medicine,
patients who suffer restenosis following a stent procedure, as
has pioneered new advances in New Jersey, from complex
well as those who are not candidates for either angioplasty or
angioplasty and stent procedures to techniques that determine
coronary bypass.
blood flow across blockages using Doppler and pressure signals.
26 RobertWoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE
Robert WoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE 27
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Page 28
“W
people of New Jersey — from our screening and prevention initiahile stents are successful in most patients, approxitives to the most complex tertiary and quarternary heart failure and
mately 20 percent of those receiving them will experience
cardiac transplantation programs.”
a recurrence of blockage in time,” Dr. Moreyra says. “A
The heart failure and transplantation cardiologists, Tarik
novel therapeutic option for these patients to be introduced soon at
Ramahi, MD, associate professor, and Robert Hilkert, MD, associthe medical school is brachytherapy. In this procedure, which is perate professor, work with a highly trained multidisciplinary team of
formed in concert with specialists in radiation oncology, we deliver
specialists in cardiac surgery, immunology, infectious diseases, psya small dose of radiation through a catheter, targeting blockages
chiatry, and social services to bring the most advanced therapeutic
that have developed in stents, to prevent future recurrences.”
options to patients with end-stage heart failure.
One exciting new technique, in which interventional cardiologists drill
The medical school was the first in the state to offer cardiac MRI,
several holes into heart muscle, using laser energy to make new channels
a diagnostic boon to clinicians
for nourishing the muscle, is
that can eliminate the need for
called Percutaneous Tr a nssome invasive procedures.
Myocardial Revascularization
Meir Shinnar, MD, associate
(PTMR). The procedure is
professor of medicine, reports
reserved for patients with
that this imaging enhancement
intractable severe chest pain
provides three-dimensional picwho cannot undergo angioplastures of every part of the heart
ty or coronary bypass surgery.
— including valves, muscle, tisGene therapy is another
sue, and blood vessels.
new therapeutic technique on
“What is most exciting is that
the national scene. Soon to be
we actually get new types of
in t roduced at RWJMS, it
in f o rmation,” Dr. Shinnar
in v o l v e s th e i n j e c t i o n o f
says. “We now have the ability
growth factors to promote new
to do tissue discrimination and
blood vessels in the heart.
plaque characterization. We’re
“This too is a technique that
getting some extremely useful
provides hope for people
detail.”
whose blockages are beyond
He explains that traditionalrepair by coronary bypass or
ly it was believed that the
an g i o p l a s t y,” Dr. More y ra
tighter the blockage, the more
says. “We are optimistic that
likely a patient was to suffer a
the gene, which is delivered
heart attack. However, it has
through a catheter, will stimubeen shown that it is the comlate development of blood vesposition of the blockage that
sels. This is a very young sciClifton R. Lacy, MD, associate professor of medicine and chief, division of
ence for which we have high cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, maintains that emphasis within a broad mission determines the likelihood of a
rupture and subsequent myocarexpectations but no documentfocuses on providing the highest level of clinical care.
dial infarction.
ed success at this point. The
“Traditional imaging techniques don’t tell us anything about the
functional capacity of a patient is treadmill tested before and following
composition of blockage,” Dr. Shinnar says. “It isn’t determined by
the procedure. We expect some patients will do better than others.
echocardiography or catheterization, but we are beginning to be able
What we do know is that gene therapy offers an additional treatment
to study it with MRI. Admittedly, there is more to learn, but the
option for people whose lifetsyles are severely limited by symptoms.”
prospects are encouraging.”
In addition, Dr. Shinnar is involved in research projects leading to
expanded clinical use of cardiac MRI, including new ways of acquiring
eadership
efined
and analyzing data. These advanced imaging techniques provide invaluable assistance to cardiologists Alan Tannenbaum, MD, associate prolifton R. Lacy, MD, associate professor of medicine and chief,
fessor, and Sebastian Palmeri, MD, associate professor, who bring their
division of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, characterspecial expertise to the management of complex clinical conditions in
izes the division’s mission as the pursuit and achievement of excellence
their leadership of the cardiac inpatient and coronary care units.
in clinical care, research, education, and community service.
Electrophysiology studies at RWJMS currently include the use of
“A central feature of this mission is the development and introducmapping systems in which the geometry of the electrical activity of the
tion of the newest cutting-edge technologies and techniques that
heart is re-created on a computer.
advance the practice of medicine,” he says. “Our division has particiMark W. Preminger, MD, associate professor of medicine, reports,
pated in the development of well over one hundred drugs and devices
“In patients with atrial flutter, an abnormal heart rhythm, we see a cirand has led to the introduction and refinement of procedures that have
cuit of electrical activity in a counterclockwise direction around the atriafforded patients better diagnostic and treatment options worldwide.”
um. We can treat this by placing a catheter across the arrhythmia pathHe adds, “We provide a full spectrum of cardiac services to the
C
28 RobertWoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE
L
D
half of patients with acute stroke failed to present to the emergency
department within the three-hour optimal time window for effective intervention,” Dr. Lacy says.
The study recommended increased efforts to foster public awareness of stroke signs and symptoms. It also directed attention to the
need for improving evaluation and treatment of acute stroke,
reducing the time from onset to treatment, and thereby decreasing
death and disability caused by stroke.
Research underlines the quality of education at the medical
school, where an internationally acclaimed faculty and wide-ranging patient population contribute to outstanding resident and fellowship programs receiving unconditional five-year approval by
the American Council of Graduate Medical Education.
Education is furthered as well by publication of a peer-reviewed
u rg e o n i n g
e s e a rc h
medical journal, co-edited by Drs. Lacy and Kostis. Disease
Management and Clinical Outcomes, which has a circulation of
ifty current studies highlight the research activity of the
approximately 10,000 and a focus on disease management, clinical
division of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension.
outcomes, and epidemiology, helps translate clinical knowledge
These studies are being conducted in collaboration with the
into clinical practice for the international health care community.
National Institutes of Health (NIH), the A merican H e a rt
Also influencing medical
Association, and pharmaceueducation on an international
tical and device companies.
scale is the largest echocardioDr. Kostis, who holds the
graphy Web site. Developed
John G. Detwiler Chair in
by Daniel M. Shindler, MD,
Cardiology, is the lead invesassociate professor of meditigator in OPERA, a fivecine, this site includes a disyear systolic hypert e n s i on
cussion group with 950 globstudy of 13,000 patients in
al members, interaction with
17 countries worldwide, and
related medical disciplines,
in O C TAV E, a h y p e r t e n and article contributions from
si o n s t u d y o f 2 5 , 0 0 0
leading echocard i o g r a p h e rs
patients conducted at 3,000
around the world.
sites. He was pro m i n e n t ly
“We have had many exciting
involved as well in SHEP, an
interactions,” Dr. Shindler
NIH-sponsored multicenter
reports. “For instance, a docstud y of eld erly patients
tor in England reported seeing
with isolated systolic hy p e rso m e t h i n g o n a n e c h o h e
te n s i o n ; T O N E , t r i a l s
didn’t recognize. His obseru s i ng n o n - p h a rm a c o l o g i c
vations were picked up by
intervention, such as sodium
someone in Australia who
restriction, weight loss, and
had the same experience.
blood pressure reduction, to
What we di s c o v e red was a
t re at h y p e rt e n s i o n; a n d
p h e n o menon related to the
SOLVD, another NIH-sponnewer prosthetic valves never
sored study investigating the
John B. Kostis, MD, professor and chair, Department of Medicine, is a leading
reported in the past.”
use of angiotensin-converting
cardiovascular researcher whose work extends to wide-ranging international studies. Here,
Community service is anothenzyme inhibitors in the prehe consults with Donna J. Hoagland, LPN, regarding the medical progress of patients.
er cardiology priority, emphavention of morbidity and
sized by the medical school’s role as adviser to the Govern o r’s
mortality in left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure.
Office and the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior
The division also is known for its expertise in epidemiology and
Services, as well as by participation in national and state health
outcomes research. A recent study by Dr. Lacy examined delay in
organizations. Dr. Lacy’s monthly radio broadcast, Heart of the
presentation and evaluation for acute stroke. This study prospecMatter, is heard throughout the state and serves the mission of
tively investigated factors associated with the time delay from onset
community health education.
of stroke signs and symptoms to arrival in the emergency departWith its four-pronged mission that encompasses national and
ment and from arrival at the emergency department to patient evalinternational pre-eminence in clinical care, research, education, and
uation.
community outreach, the cardiology division of RWJMS continues
“Our study found that, despite national efforts to promote pubto expand the definition of leadership. M
lic awareness of the benefits of prompt stroke treatment, more than
way and ablating it with electrical energy. Such mapping capabilities
make our work more precise, reduce procedure time, and lead to better
long-term results.”
The new cardiac electrophysiology arrhythmia mapping technology is particularly advantageous in performing ablation procedures
on those patients who previously were ineligible for the technique.
Dr. Preminger and Archana Patel, MD, assistant professor, also
are involved in the implantation of defibrillators to reduce the incidence of sudden death among patients awaiting cardiac transplantation. In addition, research is ongoing to identify populations of
patients in whom defibrillation is more effective than drug therapy.
F
B
R
Robert WoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE 29
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Invention
Surgery
Driven
2001:
by Research
In
by
Rita M. Rooney
Photos by
John Emerson
30 Robert WoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE
1846, science celebrated the first “painless”
surgery, performed with ether. Between that
event and the evolution of modern medicine
lie almost two centuries and the progression of surgery
from more to less.
To be sure, the contrast separating early progress from
that in the new millennium is evident in the increase of
minimally invasive techniques. That contrast, however,
is rooted in subtleties beyond procedural innovation.
Today, the torch is carried by surgical centers with collective insights that coax technology to the limits of discovery compounded by both basic and clinical research.
It is research that expands the margins of surgical success by conducting clinical trials examining patient outcomes and the impact of pharmacological intervention.
And at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School, it is research that drives minimally invasive milestones taking place in the operating room — from complex pediatric and adult abdominal procedures to pioneer vascular and thoracic surgery, kidney removal for
benign disease, and robotic techniques.
In 2000, Surgery Department research at RWJMS was
awarded more than $2.3 million in funding, almost $1.7
million of which comprised 13 National Institutes of
Health (NIH) grants.
Stephen F. Lowry, MD, professor and chair, Department
of Surgery, reports it was the opportunity for both expanded research and clinical program development that brought
him and his team of investigators to RWJMS from Weill
Medical College of Cornell University. An internationally
Among the most dramatic
technological advances
introduced in the Department
of Surgery are robotic
procedures that maximize
surgical precision.Shown with
the daVinci equipment,
allowing surgeons to control a
procedure from a remote
source,are (from left) Andrew
Boyarsky, MD ’80,associate
professor of surgery;
Mitchell R.Price,MD,
assistant professor
of surgery; and
Nathaniel J.Holmes,
MD,’87,assistant
professor of surger y.
RWJMS Med/spr 01/fin/for pdf
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Page 32
biology, cell-extracellular matrix in wound healing, and
the physical and molecular basis of tumor metastasis.
“We’re exceptionally proud of the department’s
newly funded young researchers and those with prestigious NIH grants,” Dr. Lowry reports. “We continue
to recruit bright stars of the future, investigators whose
work already shows promise of bringing added stature
to the medical school.”
The Next Generation
Among
Research is a priority
that has gained national
recognition for RWJMS.
From left,Stephen F.
Lowry, MD,professor
and chair, Department of
Surgery; Ramsey A. Foty,
PhD,and Siobhan
Corbett,MD,assistant
professors of surgery,
division of surgical
sciences; and Steve E.
Calvano,PhD,associate
professor of surgery,
division of surgical
sciences,are surgical
researchers whose work
has merited major
grant support.
32 Robert WoodJohnson
■
acclaimed researcher, Dr. Lowry is currently pursuing studies related to inflammation and injury.
“I saw an opportunity to develop world-class
research here,” he says. “The core of such work had
already begun under the leadership of my predecessor,
Dr. James W. Mackenzie. Building on that, we have
been able to identify areas in which the department can
assume a primary role in biomedical studies.”
One of those areas is in biological response modification
to severe infection. Dr. Lowry’s group is studying cytokines
and counter-regulatory hormones that play a critical role in
the immuno-inflammatory response to injury and infection.
Specifically, the NIH- funded research seeks a way to
reduce the 150,000 annual deaths attributed to systemic
inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis.
MEDICINE
Although Dr. Lowry says all leading departments of
surgery engage in basic and clinical studies, colleagues
nevertheless claim his work stands apart. He has been
continuously funded by the NIH since 1982 and is to
date the only surgeon currently to hold the NIH’s
National Institute of General Medical Sciences’ Merit
Award for significant contributions to medical research.
Under his leadership, the Department of Surgery is
demonstrating outstanding strength in cancer research, with
cutting-edge studies in gene therapy and new ways of delivering medications presurgically to bladder cancer patients.
The division of surgical sciences, an integral part of
the department, consolidates research toward the goal of
developing Centers of Excellence. The division is focusing
on basic and translational immunology, inflammation
these young research
luminaries, Siobhan
Corbett, MD, assistant professor of surgery, division of surgical sciences,
is the recipient of a five-year NIH grant plus funding
from the American Heart Association and the
Foundation of UMDNJ. Board certified in general
surgery, Dr. Corbett says she became interested in surgical research while a resident at RWJMS.
“My area of focus is cell biology and the process of
wound contraction,” she reports. “We know that contraction is responsible for 85 percent of wound closure, with only 15 percent the result of new tissue
development. While our studies primarily are concerned with surgical wounds, there are other implications for this research. The end purpose is to understand the process so that it can be modified to promote healing or prevent scarring.”
Ramsey A. Foty, PhD, assistant professor of surgery,
division of surgical sciences, is funded by the New
Jersey State Commission on Cancer Research, the U.S.
Department of Defense, and the American Foundation for Urological Disease. His basic research investigates characteristics of tumors that cause them to
escape the prostate and infiltrate the blood.
Dr. Foty, whose work has been published in Cancer
Research, reports, “This research is important because,
while there is no available treatment once the tumor h a s
s p read to the bloodstream, the slow-gro w i n g
nature of prostate cancer makes us question how less
invasive treatment can extend the time — perhaps by 15
or 20 years — until the tumor gets into the blood.”
In the division of vascular surgery, Gary B. Nackman,
MD, assistant professor of surgery and director of vascular research, is engaged in extensive clinical studies to
determine how different surgical interventions affect postoperative function.
“Traditionally, we have measured outcomes by
standards that are not necessarily patient related,” Dr.
Nackman explains. “We evaluated the success of a
procedure by whether or not a graft remained open.
But a more critical question is whether or not the
patient’s function has been improved.”
Surveys performed preoperatively and postoperatively and presented to the Society of University
Su rgeons demonstrate that, following pro c e d u res
involving lower extremities, patients were identified
whose functional health had not significantly
improved, although the surgery had been successful in
keeping grafts open and saving the limbs. This
research has resulted in the development of a baseline
for traditional interventional techniques and standards with which to judge less invasive procedures.
Other research extends to aortic aneurysms, which Dr.
Nackman calls “understudied phenomena.”
The recipient of a Foundation of UMDNJ grant,
Dr. Nackman also holds a prestigious five-year career
development award from the NIH. In addition, he
participates, along with Drs. Lowry and Scholz, in an
NIH-funded training grant held by the New Jersey
Center for Biomaterials. The grant is earmarked for
clinician scientists interested in basic and applied
research in biomaterials.
Based on the dollar amount of recent grants, an
NIH favorite is the kind of translational bench-tobedside research that begins with a explicit disease
process, proceeds to defining underlying mechanisms
in specific patients, and then goes back to the lab for
solutions. It has become a priority as well in the division of surgical oncology, where Edmund C. Lattime,
PhD, professor of surgery, molecular genetics and
microbiology, and associate director of The Cancer
Institute of New Jersey, explains the mind-set of a surgical team bent on discover y.
“The quality and extent of cancer research in the
department can be traced to the number of surgeons
doing lab work side by side with researchers focused on
“We’re exceptionally proud of the department’s
newly funded young researchers and
those with prestigious NIH grants,” reports
Stephen F. Lowry, MD, professor and chair,
Department of Surgery. “We continue to recruit
bright stars of the future, investigators whose
work already shows promise of bringing added
stature to the medical school.”
laboratory- based investigations,” he says. “We’re developing vaccines for tumors and gene therapy in a way
that can best be approached by the combined intellects
of clinicians and basic scientists.”
His point is well made — no fewer than 14 major
grants fund the department’s oncology research. Two
NIH grants, held by Dr. Lattime, each support every
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Page 34
RWJMS is both extensive and comprehensive in nature.
“The work being performed by Dr. Krause is an excellent example,” he says.
Tyrone J. Krause, MD, assistant professor of surgery, has an NIH grant studying the impact of spiritual and familial support systems on the outcomes of
cardiac surgery.
“This is significant research for which Dr. Krause,
who has a background in religious study and who
teaches a related undergraduate course at Rutgers, is
eminently qualified,” Dr. Lowry says.
Minimizing for Maximum Advantage
end point of research, of course, is to
perfect the art of surgery. In an earlier
time, such honing of surgical skills
proceeded at a more leisurely pace. In 1847, for instance,
physicians first recognized the benefits of washing their
hands to prevent the spread of disease. But it was more
than 40 years later, in 1889, that surgeons took the precaution a step further by wearing rubber gloves in the
operating room. Compare that with accelerating adaptations to laparoscopic techniques originally introduced in
the late 1980s. Driven by technology and patients’ growing interest in their own health care, advances in surgical
capabilities now occur with rapidity that would have
been inconceivable even 50 years ago. At the heart of discovery is the groundbreaking realization that less surgery
often is better surgery.
“Here at the medical school, we are undertaking a
concerted effort to become a leading center for minimally invasive procedures,” Dr. Lowry reports. “This
is cutting-edge technology that will encompass virtually every surgical discipline.”
Among the newest applications is distance surgical
technology, or robotics (see page 37). RWJMS is one of
about a dozen centers nationally to set up an internal
review board (IRB) prior to inevitable 2001 approval
by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). While the
technology will be used in general surgery, its value in
cardiac surgery is especially dramatic. It employs a
robotic device with arms that manipulate instruments
through one-inch chest incisions, while the surgeon sits
at a console controlling the procedure. The primary
advantages are technical precision and the absence of
tremor that could adversely affect the surgery.
Mark Anderson, MD, associate professor of surgery,
division of cardiothoracic surgery, and surgical director
of cardiopulmonary transplantation, explains that the
medical school will be one of only a few New Jersey centers using the technique for cardiac surgery.
“We are exploring the benefits of robotic intervention for everything from coronary bypass to valvular
procedures,” he says. “This includes beating-heart
surgery, which we now are doing and which I believe
can be enhanced by using the robot.”
The
John Langenfeld,MD,
assistant professor of
surgery, and James W.
Mackenzie,MD,professor of
surgery and chief,division
of thoracic surgery, have
pioneered video-assisted
thoracic surgery (VATS),
which has been found to
significantly reduce
recuperative time for
patients undergoing lung
procedures.
34 Robert WoodJohnson
■
aspect of investigation for five years. A third NIH
grant supports clinical trials in correlating lab stud ies, gene therapy, and bladder cancer.
Work in bladder cancer, which focuses on developing genetically based therapy that can be administered noninvasively, is significant because nonsurgical access to the tumor provides a ready target.
Randall D. McKinnon, PhD, associate professor,
division of neurosurgery, and associate professor of
molecular genetics and microbiology, recently
received a five-year competitive renewal of an NIH
grant studying the potential for replenishing mature
cells in the adult brain. He hopes his studies will facilitate clinical application to improve brain repair.
Funded by the NIH since 1988, Peter M. Scholz,
MEDICINE
MD, professor of surgery, division of cardiothoracic
surgery, is conducting significant research aimed at
secondary prevention of heart failure. He has established a research laboratory and highly recognized
program for treatment of valvular heart disease.
Michael G. Dunn, PhD, division of orthopedic
surgery, is engaged in promising investigations that
could lead to success in regenerating cartilage.
In addition, several researchers are identifying
new markers for melanoma, using sentinel node biopsies. These studies may well limit the amount of surgery needed, not only for melanoma but for breast
cancer as well, through the injection of a radioactive
dye that targets the sentinel node.
Dr. Lowry concludes that surgical research at
One of the few surgeons to perform beating-heart
surgery on patients without the use of systemic anesthesia, Dr. Anderson is a strong proponent of the procedure over the traditional bypass operation.
Numerous studies conclude that cardiopulmonary
bypass may result in significant neuro-cognitive risks.
“In fact, some studies suggest that coronary bypass
itself is a risk factor for mortality,” Dr. Anderson reports.
“By avoiding it, we also can decrease the risk of transfusion and minimize the incidence of renal and pulmonary
dysfunction. In addition, by using regional instead of
general anesthesia, we limit some of the negative physiologic responses while benefiting from some of the positive effects of epidural anesthesia. The patient satisfaction we encounter has been gratifying as well.”
With an active program aimed at significantly
increasing its yearly volume of cases, RWJMS conducts one of two New Jersey heart transplant centers,
the only one based at a medical school — and one that
holds a 100 percent success rate for transplants performed during the program’s first year.
Minimally invasive donor nephrectomies are being done
by David A. Laskow, MD ’81, associate professor of
surgery and chief of the kidney/pancreas transplant service
— one of the most active transplant programs in the state.
“The difference to kidney donors is that the operation is a much more minor procedure involving less
recuperative follow-up than previously. Donors now
can return to work within two to four weeks, contrasted to three to four weeks when we used the more
invasive surgical technique,” Dr. Laskow says.
One of the most valuable implications of the
change is its impact in increasing the pool of available
“Here at the medical school, we are
undertaking a concerted effort to become a
leading center for minimally invasive procedures.
This is cutting-edge technology that will
encompass virtually every surgical discipline,”
says Stephen F. Lowry, MD, professor and chair,
Department of Surgery.
donors who may now view the procedure with less
apprehension than previously. In addition to Dr.
Laskow’s work, the method for obtaining donor kidneys using laparoscopic techniques is being used by
Andrew Boyarsky, MD ’80, and John Sutyak, MD,
both associate professors of surger y.
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endovascular peripheral technology, including balloons
and advanced angioplasty as well as treatment from
remote sites. Even now, minimally invasive treatment for
abdominal aortic aneurysms, approved only recently by
the FDA, is being performed regularly at the medical
school.
“Prior to FDA approval, we had an IRB consent for compassionate use,” Dr. Graham reports. “Once the devices
were approved, our OR was already specially equipped
and we were set to make this state-of-the-art surgical
procedure available to our large aneurysm population.”
While video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has only
recently been making headlines across the country, it has
already become a commonly performed procedure at
RWJMS. John Langenfeld, MD, assistant professor of
surgery, says it has led to significant improvement in
patient comfort and reduced recuperative time compared
to conventional thoracotomy. Advanced thorascopic surgeries, such as lobectomy and esophageal myotomy, now
are performed as minimally invasive procedures as well.
“We also use the mini-thoracotomy muscle-sparing
technique for complex oncologic disease,” Dr.
OR
RWJMS surgeons
(from left) Omran R.
Abul-Khoudoud,MD,
vascular surgery fellow;
Alan M.Graham,MD,
associate professor of
surgery and chief,division
of vascular surgery; and
Gary B.Nackman,MD,
assistant professor of
surgery and director of
vascular research.
36 Robert WoodJohnson
■
Neurosurgical Techniques Advanced
G. Nosko, MD, PhD,
associate professor of
surgery and chief of
neurosurgery, reports that frameless stereotactic techniques permit exact localization of intracranial pathologies during minimally invasive procedures. Computer
MRI and CT images are correlated to the patient and
projected through the operating microscope, allowing
the surgeon to perform precise resection of brain tumors
and other pathologies.
“We also are using minimal incisions in performing
spinal surgery,” Dr. Nosko says. “And we are the first
center in New Jersey to use an advanced minimally
Michael
MEDICINE
invasive procedure in cerebral vascular procedures.”
He explains the endovascular technique involves use of
a small platinum coil attached to a catheter that is inserted through the groin and carried to the aneurysm, where
an electrical current detaches the coil in the aneurysm, ultimately removing the aneurysm from the circulation. Less
invasive neurosurgical techniques are being pioneered at
RWJMS to treat movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s
disease, with the ultimate benefits being that the procedure
incurs less risk to brain tissue and the patients experience
shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries.
With the largest vascular surgical group in the state,
Alan M. Graham, MD, associate professor of surgery and
chief, division of vascular surgery, predicts that within five
years, more than half of all vascular operations will use
Langenfeld says. “It allows for precise surgical excision.”
The medical school launched New Jersey’s first program for laparoscopic pediatric procedures, led by
Mitchell R. Price, MD, assistant professor of surgery,
who employs minimally invasive techniques for splenectomy, anti-reflux surgery, and other procedures.
Laparoscopic contralateral hernia exploration in children is especially advantageous, because it is often necessary to create an additional large incision to check for the
possibility of a second hernia.
Thomas V. Whalen, MD, professor and chief of
pediatric surgery, reports that the recent appointment
of Randy Burd, MD, PhD, will add significant new
strength to research in shock and sepsis among the
pediatric population.
In the final analysis, RWJMS is well positioned to
take surgical technology to the highest level of performance and patient satisfaction. The medical school is
distinguished by landmark surgical achievements.
Paralleling these advances is growing renown, ignited
by world-class clinical and biomedical research, which
will continue to drive discovery in the future. M
Robotics
in the
The daVinci robot in use at RWJMS, has
While the
medical community is buzzing with the latest surgical
breakthrough — a robot no less — Andrew Boyarsky,
MD ’80, associate professor of surgery, refers to it as
just the next step, one that might have been anticipated, in making surgery safer and more precise.
Dr. Boyarsky, who performed the first robotic gallbladder procedure at Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital in February and several more since then, says it
is this kind of absolute assurance with which he answers
patient questions.
“I would not have performed the first one, much less
subsequent procedures, if I couldn’t provide patients
with confidence that the technology takes surgical
progress to the next level by increasing safety,” he says.
The daVinci robot in use at RWJMS has mechanical
wrists, which the surgeon controls from a remote threedimensional console some distance from the patient.
Dr. Boyarsky, who gained experience in the technique at an American College of Surgeons meeting in
Chicago and at the manufacturer’s New Jersey laboratory, says, “It is the arm of the robot that controls the
instruments — but it is the surgeon’s fingers that control the operation.”
from a remote three-dimensional console
mechanical wrists, which the surgeon controls
some distance from the patient. Andrew Boyarsky,
MD ’80, associate professor of surgery, says,
“It is the arm of the robot that controls the
instruments — but it is the surgeon’s fingers that
control the operation.”
He adds that the three-dimensional field allows
working from different angles, and that it’s possible to
advance, rotate, tilt, and withdraw minuscule instruments.
“As we become more comfortable in doing this procedure, I feel sure it will be applied to almost everything, from spleen to kidney, adrenal glands, and
more,” he adds.
“In the meantime, I have to admit it may take a
while to become accustomed to going into OR without scrubbing or wearing gloves.” M
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The Clinical Research Center:
High Standards,
High Performance
By Kate O’Neill
T
The Clinical Research Center (CRC) is located at the hub of the UMDNJ-
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. This places it at the crossroads of New Jersey
and at the center of the pharmaceutical industry. With these ideal coordinates, the CRC
is an important showcase for the school’s achievements in research.
In recent years, the CRC has become a remarkable focus for clinical research while surpassing its academic, scientific, and economic goals. Since 1999, its research program has
more than doubled, and patient visits have increased from 259 to 450. In the same period, grants have risen from $1.5 million to $3.5 million. Today, the CRC is involved in
more than 50 clinical trials. Most concern dermatology and immunology, but trials are
also under way in endocrinology, infectious disease, nephrology, surgery, and psychiatry.
Three physicians, two full-time and one part-time, a six-person nursing staff, full-time
administrator, recruiter, and clerical staff all keep the unit humming.
“Thinking People with Academic Goals”
F
our years ago, Alice B. Gottlieb, MD,
PhD, professor of medicine and professor of molecular genetics and microbiology, stepped down as chief of the division of dermatology to accept the William H.
Conzen Chair in Clinical Pharmacology and directorship of the CRC. (See accompanying faculty
profile.) The CRC sits atop the Acute Care Building
of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, near
the atrium connecting the hospital’s main facility
with the RWJMS Medical Education Building.
“Alice Gottlieb has grown the CRC so fast that
we may soon have to find new space for it,” says
38 Robert WoodJohnson
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MEDICINE
Michael A. Gallo, PhD, professor of environmental and community medicine and senior associate
dean for research. Looking ahead, Dr. Gallo sees
the CRC’s well-respected work as a springboard
to establishing additional, specialty CRCs: a second unit, dedicated to pediatrics, and then a third,
based at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
“The Clinical Research Center has featured
prominently in the development of new treatments for male and female sexual dysfunction,”
says Raymond Rosen, PhD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Sexual Pharmacology
Research Unit. “The facilities and resources of the
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A practicing dermatologist as well
as a research scientist, Alice
Gottlieb, MD, PhD, professor of
medicine, professor of molecular
genetics and microbiology, William
H. Conzen Chair in Clinical
Pharmacology, and director of the
UMDNJ-RWJMS Clinical Research
Center, examines a patient (left).
Page 40
CRC were ideal for developing our research program in sexual pharmacology. The unit offers
patients a comfortable and highly secure environment, while providing investigators with all
the laboratory and clinical amenities they need.”
Under Dr. Rosen’s direction, approximately 20 clinical trials in male and female sexual
dysfunction have been performed at the CRC in the past five years. These trials have brought
international recognition to RWJMS as a leader in this rapidly evolving field of research.
Findings from his studies at the CRC have been published in the New England Journal
of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, and the American
Journal of Psychiatry, among others.
Drug trials for external sponsors also play a large part in the CRC’s success, but it retains
a distinctly pedagogical mission. “These are thinking academic people with academic goals,
who nevertheless have a good understanding of pharmaceutical research in industry,” says
Neville Ford, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of medicine. Dr. Ford, who was formerly with Bristol-Myers Squibb, says Dr. Gottlieb’s hands-on leadership has created an
academic clinical research center that is highly credible in the pharmaceutical industry.
“Boston, New York, and Philadelphia all have clinical centers,” adds
Dr. Ford. “If the CRC keeps growing, it could help UMDNJ become
equally well known. It has an excellent team. It’s located in the center
of a state with a population of more than eight million people! We’re
in the heartland of the pharmaceutical industry. RWJMS could easily
be New Jersey’s first Center of Excellence for clinical research.”
Dr. Gottlieb’s many goals for the CRC include making it a magnet
for students and residents who might be future clinical researchers.
To this end, she hopes to establish a doctoral program in clinical
research. The center is already proving successful in the preparation
of serious investigators, and most students and fellows who have
worked in the CRC have had abstracts or papers published, she says.
Dr. Gottlieb is justly proud of Umesh Chaudhari, MD ’96, assistant professor of medicine and assistant medical director of the
Clinical Research Center. During the third year of his residency, Dr.
Chaudhari discovered the CRC. A year later he obtained a postgraduate fellowship at the CRC to do clinical trials and work on
drug development. Now, as its newly appointed assistant medical
director, he supervises clinical trials and focuses on attracting new
grant support to the CRC.
Ideally, he says, the school would require a course in clinical
research, so that every student would discover the CRC. “At a min -
imum, students who plan to teach and do research should spend
time here. In reality, many students haven’t decided what they want
to do after graduation, and their crammed schedules make it difficult to fit in hard-core research.” He hopes that by expanding the
breadth of its specialties, the CRC can draw more students in for
their required research project. “That way they would start their
careers already involved in the research in their field.”
Personally, Dr. Chaudhari is dedicated to continuing research at
the medical school but realizes his field is competitive. “My future
at the CRC depends on how much new research I can recruit.”
Building Corporate
Relationships
T
he CRC sustains a delicate balance between the precision of academic inquiry and the practical needs of its
corporate sponsors. It hosts independent faculty
research and conducts Phase I through IV drug research
for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Its
success as a site for clinical trials partially stems from its history of
corporate support. In 1985, a grant from Merck created the unit as
a satellite of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine.
Two years later, Schering endowed the William H. Conzen Chair in
Clinical Pharmacology, ensuring continuing support for the position
of CRC director. Each year, Merck gives $100,000, renewable annually.
The CRC has developed a specialty niche in biotechnical clinical research. It has initiated major
clinical research contracts for RWJMS with pharmaceutical companies including Bristol-Myers
Squibb, Hoffman–La Roche, Versicor, Xenna, and Bayer. Biotechnical research sponsors with
master clinical trial agreements include Biogen and IDEC Pharmaceuticals.
“In that our medical school is in the center of America’s pharmaceutical heartland, it is
gratifying to see the phenomenal growth of the CRC under Dr. Gottlieb’s leadership,” says
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean. “There is tremendous opportunity for us to work with our colleagues at the other UMDNJ schools and to create a statewide center of excellence. Given
all we have accomplished in such a short amount of time, we must now move the CRC to
General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) status. This will provide critical federal funds to
support the huge overhead costs of independent research by faculty.”
Umesh Chaudhari, MD ’96,
assistant professor of medicine and
assistant medical director of the
Clinical Research Center.
FACULT Y P R O F I L E :
Alice B. Gottlieb, MD, PhD
By Kate O’Neill
E
very day, a research wonderland awaits Alice B. Gottlieb,
MD, PhD, professor of medicine, professor of molecular
genetics and microbiology, the William H. Conzen Chair in
Clinical Pharmacology, and director of the UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School’s Clinical Research Center (CRC). The
CRC staff supervises Phase I through IV clinical trials, from preapproval by the Food and Drug Administration to post-marketing
studies, proving or disproving the safety and efficacy of new drugs.
Dr. Gottlieb is both a practicing dermatologist and a dedicated
research scientist. She specialized in dermatology, she says, because the
skin is the body’s largest, most accessible organ, making it ideal for
research. She is also board certified in rheumatology and internal medicine and holds a PhD in immunology.
40 Robert WoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE
A summa cum laude graduate of Brandeis University, Dr. Gottlieb
simultaneously earned a medical degree from Cornell Medical School
and a doctorate at The Rockefeller University, where she taught while
completing her residency. She subsequently did a rheumatology fellowship at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery and residencies in
dermatology and internal medicine at New York Hospital.
Dr. Gottlieb joined the RWJMS faculty in 1995 as chief of dermatology. Two years later, she accepted the CRC directorship. “It became
my goal to see that our CRC played a central role at the university,”
she says. She has encouraged faculty and students to conduct research
at the center and hopes to establish an RWJMS doctoral program in
clinical research. “What I can do, we do,” she says. “What I can’t do
becomes a goal.”
Dr. Gottlieb has turned the CRC into a highly successful academiccorporate venture with a specialty niche in biologics and immunology.
“Alice is doing an outstanding job. In addition to conducting impressive research, she has turned the CRC around financially,” says
Michael A. Gallo, PhD, professor of environmental and community
medicine and senior associate dean for research. Her ability to attract
outside research to the center is evidenced by grants totaling $3.5 million. Meanwhile, she has also re-engineered the division of dermatology, established the units of dermatosurgery and cosmetic dermatology,
and set up the school’s first basic research laboratory in dermatology.
Beginning with her research at The Rockefeller University, Dr.
Gottlieb’s discoveries about the pathophysiology of psoriasis have led to
a new understanding of that disease. She was among the first to demonstrate that psoriasis is a T cell–mediated immune disorder, a finding that
has revolutionized treatment. Her work, published in Nature and
Medicine and noted in the Lancet, has shown that a T cell–specific
immunotoxin clears psoriasis both clinically and histologically.
In ongoing research on immunobiologics, Dr. Gottlieb’s goal is “to
interfere with the immune reaction responsible for the attack on the
skin without affecting the functioning of the rest of the immune system — an exceedingly difficult balancing act,” said Andrew Pollack of
the New York Times in a recent article on Dr. Gottlieb’s work.
She serves on the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board
and the Board of Directors of the Women’s Dermatologic Society. She
is also a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Cutaneous
Medicine and Surgery, the Journal of the American Academy of
Dermatology, and the Journal of the European Academy of
Dermatology and Venereology.
She received the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office of Science
and Technology Award for 1997–99 and served in the Hoffman–La
Roche Executive Development Program. In addition to appearing in
the New York Times business feature cited here, she has been designated one of the “Best Doctors” in New York by New York magazine
and received equivalent recognition from New Jersey Monthly.
Professionally, Dr, Gottlieb has accomplished wonders while raising
two sons. Perhaps the ultimate wonder about Alice Gottlieb’s world is
not just her capacity for clinical research, but her ability to find time
to accomplish and give so much. M
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The CRC staff works hard to remain
competitive with other academic centers,
for-profit clinical research units, and
consortia of private physicians.
Visibility is important, so the staff
convenes a quarterly advisory board meeting for potential
trial sponsors and academic customers. “Each major
pharmaceutical has visited in the past year,” reports Dr.
Rosen. “All were highly impressed with our facilities.”
“From a corporate point of view, clinical research
must be more than an academic exercise,” says Dr. Ford.
“Pharmaceutical companies want prompt results, but
regulatory pressure from the Food and Drug
Administration makes corporations extremely demanding about every phase of drug development. If blood is to
be taken during research, this has to be decided prospectively with the volunteer’s informed consent; then the
researcher must record precisely what was done with it.
Every detail of documentation must be credible, easily
retrievable, and absolutely transparent.”
A unit that offers this level of research in an academic
setting, he says, attracts corporate interest. That the CRC
is attached to both the hospital and the medical school
can be an additional incentive to a pharmaceutical company seeking a site to study a new drug that has not previously been studied in people. The hospital also offers
security to the subjects involved in such trials. In addition, clinics at the medical school can be a good source of
subjects for clinical studies from a diverse range of medical specialties.
While the center’s 16-bed inpatient unit and the 4-bed
outpatient unit are often full, additional work takes place in
a “virtual CRC.” The staff is available to conduct off-site
studies using the same high level of scientific inquiry that is
standard within the CRC. Clinical research, with preapproval by the FDA and the Internal Review Board, can
occur in nursing homes, as well as varied practice settings.
Of great interest to corporate sponsors is the CRC’s
streamlined procedure for paperwork. Its bifurcated
Master Clinical Trial Agreement creates a blanket contract with specific, approved companies. Once the legal
aspects are settled, medical school researchers who want
to do research with that company can bypass initial red
tape by appending their contract to the original, blanket
agreement.
Sustaining Excellence
T
“
he CRC is extremely useful to the
school,” says John B. Kostis, MD, professor and chair, Department of
Medicine. “First, it is our only site that
focuses on teaching clinical research.
Second, it is the only site available for certain types of trials, especially those requiring the subjects to sleep
overnight. And third, it is dedicated to attracting new
research studies to be carried out by our faculty.”
In name, the Clinical Research Center is dedicated to
only one-quarter of the RWJMS mission. In fact, its
importance to the school stems from its influence on each
area in which the medical school pursues excellence: education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion
of community health. It is small wonder, then, that Dr.
Gottlieb’s leadership has created a CRC with an impact
disproportionate to its size. And it is no wonder that the
center is setting a new standard in clinical excellence for
the university and the state it serves. M
Vision for a Specialty CRC in Pediatrics
E
ach year, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
faculty, primarily from pediatrics, conduct studies involving children. Participating children have conditions ranging
from childhood obesity to seizures, cystic fibrosis, asthma,
and AIDS. Some of these studies are conducted in the current
Clinical Research Center (CRC). “But children are different from
adults, and they have different requirements,” says George H.
Lambert, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and director, division
of pediatric pharmacology and toxicology. “To create a truly kidfriendly environment requires everything from a different setting and
technology to a medical staff trained in pediatric pharmacology.”
Dr. Lambert believes the time is ripe to create a pediatric CRC
at RWJMS. Pharmaceutical companies have developed a keen
interest in pediatric clinical trials, and the Food and Drug
Administration has announced patent extensions for companies
that research the specific effects of a drug when it is used in chil42 Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE
dren. “The FDA is creating a very strong financial incentive for
needed, appropriate research,” he says, “and the companies have
responded favorably.”
“Only 15 percent of drugs administered to children have been
adequately studied to allow the FDA to label these drugs for use in
children,” explains Dr. Lambert. Pediatric clinical studies at various developmental stages are necessary because of the way drugs
affect children. They absorb and metabolize drugs much differently from adults and have greater inter-individual differences.
Dr. Lambert reports that the pharmaceutical industry would
prefer to conduct pediatric clinical trials in a space designed for
children’s needs. “Now it’s time for academic facilities to step up
to the plate and create kid-friendly research centers that ensure
the pediatric trials take place in a safe and protective environment, with a staff who understand children, their disease states,
and the unique, age-specific ways they handle drugs.” M
t is estimated more people
have been employed to
clean up the nation’s nuclear
weapon sites than were
engaged in the development
of the atomic bomb itself.
Taxpayers have been paying more than $6
billion annually to clean up waste created
during the Cold War, and according to
some projections, the total bill will exceed
$235 billion.
In 1995, an unprecedented $30 million
Department of Energy (DOE) federal assistance agreement was awarded to UMDNJRobert Wood Johnson Medical School and
administered by the Environmental and
Occupational Health Sciences Institute
(EOHSI) — a partnership between RWJMS
and Rutgers University. The agreement also
partnered the leadership of EOHSI with
the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of
Washington. A similar new agreement
now expands the partnership, operating as
the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with
Stakeholder Participation II (CRESP II).
This initiative is a liaison among university researchers who are helping the government make tough decisions about these
potentially hazardous sites.
The project’s goals include uncovering
information about conditions at former
nuclear sites, translating that information
to identification and evaluation of other
sites, and ultimately promoting safer and
more cost-effective cleanup remedies
nationwide.
Robert WoodJohnson
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he original five-year grant was the largest received by the Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School,” reports Harold L. Paz, MD, dean.
“It represents national recognition for our
wide range of experience in basic laboratory
science, public policy, mathematical modeling,
economics, ecology, and occupational health.”
CRESP was founded on a premise of responsibility to all stakeholders, among them communities and citizen groups as well as
the DOE and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bernard D.
Goldstein, MD, former director of EOHSI and founding principal
investigator for CRESP, defines community integration as providing timely information to affected communities, engaging their
participation on citizen advisory committees, and ultimately getting
community leaders to help set research agendas.
“In terms of external funding, RWJMS has the
largest environmental occupational health program
in the country,” Dr. Goldstein says. “And we have
experience. New Jersey lights up on just about every
environmental map except those for the DOE. We
have been able to apply our success in solving other
environmental problems to those inherent to nuclear cleanup.”
He adds that the effectiveness of
CRESP during the past five years can
be credited in large part to the direction provided by nationally renowned
environmental experts, now at RWJMS,
as well as to the collaborative work
performed by faculty members at
Rutgers University.
Among project leaders at the medical
school, he cites Charles W. Powers, PhD,
professor of environmental and community medicine, CRESP II executive director, and its
principal investigator. The architect of CRESP, Dr.
Powers has been a faculty member at Harvard,
Yale, Princeton, and Tufts universities. He is widely acclaimed for creating many organizations that
resolve environmental and health risks, for which
he is the recipient of the René Dubos Environmental Achievement Award.
Another luminary on the CRESP team is
Arthur C. Upton, MD, professor of environmental and community medicine. Formerly director of the National Cancer
Institute, Dr. Upton is an ex officio member of the Board of
Directors of the International Consortium for Research on the
Health Effects of Radiation and a member of the National
Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Science
Committee on Policy Analysis and Decision Making.
Barry Friedlander, MD, MPH, professor of environmental
and community medicine and deputy executive director of
CRESP, has considerable expertise in program planning, monitoring and evaluation of sites, and related health surveillance.
He is coordinating academic efforts at several universities to
improve the quality and scope of research and protect the
health and environment of stakeholders at DOE sites.
44 Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE
Commenting on the scope of the problem undertaken by
CRESP, Dr. Powers says, “We have been focusing considerable
efforts on one of the larger sites, the Savannah River project in
Aiken, South Carolina, which is 316 square miles in area. The
government has been spending $1.2 million a year at that site for
eight years and will continue to do so for many years ahead. If we
were to combine the total landmass designated by the DOE for
cleanup, it would equal the size of Delaware and Rhode Island.”
According to Dr. Powers, the real complexity involved is related to time, and this is not a one-dimensional waste problem.
“Normally, you can incinerate waste or put it into some other
chemical context,” he says. “Radionuclides, however, have to
decay at their own pace — and that can take from six years to
hundreds of thousands of years. So the big problem comes in figuring out how to keep these materials from producing human and
ecological risk in the meantime.”
Therein lay the DOE charge to
CRESP during its first five years
of research. The organization
was primarily involved in risk
assessment and in helping regulators and the DOE use existing
law to reframe issues.
“Our agenda for the next five
years is to take what we have
learned, determine what is needed in
terms of resources and remediation,
and then get the job done,” Dr.
Powers says. “In other words, we
have to figure out a way to keep the
hazard at bay until it is no longer a
hazard. We call that stewardship.”
Dr. Goldstein adds that the
awarding of this enormous undertaking to a university-based program represents a breakthrough in
government policy.
“Academia has always had the
credibility to direct such efforts,” he
says. “However, the theory was that
academics don’t have the ability to
fail fast, which is what happens in
industry. What we have been able to demonstrate is a management
structure that develops a strategy and, if necessary, can move on
quickly to new ideas. The result, for the most part, has been the
introduction of some highly cost-effective approaches.”
Dr. Powers agrees, adding, “The government has always tapped
good scientists to attack these problems. What we have been able
to provide is independence and integration in a team of professionals capable of putting all the components together.” M
(Editor’s note: Dr. Goldstein recently accepted a position as
dean of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of
Public Health. Replacing him and serving as principal investigator of CRESP’s RWJMS component is Paul Lioy, PhD, professor of environmental and community medicine.)
l e t t e r
f r o m
t h e
a l u m n i
a s s o c i a t i o n
p r e s i d e n t
Dear Alumni and Friends:
I
cannot tell you how excited I am about all the new developments at Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School. The Alumni Association has reached new heights this year with our commitment to sponsor a full
four-year scholarship, which will assist recruitment of the very best applicants. Dean Paz has set a goal
for us to ultimately offer one four-year scholarship every year. That’s going to take a few more phone calls and
a whole lot of generosity, but it’s a goal I think we can reach.
The Alumni Association also strives to improve student life on both the Piscataway and Camden campuses.
We recently held our first Happy Hour in New Brunswick for students and alumni, and everyone had a great
time. We continue to sponsor the HIPHOP 5K Run, Career Night, A Day in the Life, an Orientation breakfast,
and a champagne toast at Match Day.
We sponsor many student activities, but we also have events planned throughout the year for alumni.
Foremost is the Alumni Reunion Weekend on October 19 – 21, 2001. We will celebrate the anniversary of the
following classes: ’70, ’71, ’75, ’76, ’80, ’81, ’85, ’86, ’90, ’91, ’95, ’96. The highlight
of the weekend will be the Saturday evening Dinner Dance at the Brunswick Hilton.
There will also be an accredited continuing education conference entitled
“Breakthroughs in Medicine: New Discoveries and Applications to Clinical Care at
RWJMS” on Saturday morning. We are planning tours of RWJMS and a Sunday
brunch. The weekend definitely cannot be a success without you there, so call a few of
your buddies and spend a little time remembering good times. Don’t know where everybody has gone? Let us know and we’ll send you a list of addresses and phone numbers
for your classmates so that you can get in touch with them.
Join the Board of Trustees and me in our quest to make the Alumni Association a recognized leader and force
in the lives of all medical students at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. I wish you all the best and look
forward to meeting you at the Reunion Weekend.
Sincerely,
Eduardo Fernandez, MD ’89
President, RWJMS Alumni Association
Robert WoodJohnson
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NEWS
r w j m s • a l u m n i
Alumni Association Board of Trustees
Introduces New Officers
T
he Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School
Alumni Association
Board of Trustees has elected
the following officers to serve
a two-year term, from January
1, 2001, to December 31,
2002:
■
Eduardo Fernandez, MD ’89
President
■
Euton M. Laing, MD ’90
Vice President/
President-elect
■
Steven Krawet, MD ’89
Secretary-Treasurer
■
■
Geza Kiss, MD ’95
Chair, Membership
Committee
Among recent
Career Night
volunteers were
officers of the
RWJMS Alumni
Association:
Ernest S. Biczak, MD ’77
Chair, Development
Committee
(left to right) Vice
Francine E. Sinofsky, MD ’81
Chair, Reunion Committee
MD ’90, President
President/
President-elect
Euton M. Laing,
■
Eduardo
Fernandez, MD
’89, Membership
The Board of Trustees is
composed of alumni from
each graduating class.
If you are interested in
joining the board as a class
delegate or helping with
any Alumni Association
activity, contact Roberta
Ribner, coordinator,
alumni affairs, at
732-235-6310 or
email: [email protected].
46 Robert WoodJohnson
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MEDICINE
Student Interests Come First
for New Alumni Board
Chair Geza Kiss,
MD ’95, and
Reunion Chair
Francine E.
Sinofsky, MD ’81.
“S
tudents are increasingly aware
of our programs,” says the
RWJMS Alumni Association’s
new president, Eduardo Fernandez, MD
’89. “They’re asking us for a lot of help,
so this is an ideal time to build alumni
participation.”
“We don’t expect alumni to get
involved in every activity, but we also
know that once you’re involved, it’s easy
to stay involved,” says Dr. Fernandez. In
addition to leading the Board of Trustees,
he volunteers for Career Night and the
association’s A Day in the Life program.
“Alumni take new pride in the school as
they meet students through the programs
and learn more about what’s going on
there.”
A graduate of Lehigh University and
RWJMS-Camden, Dr. Fernandez first
served the Alumni Association Board of
Trustees as a class delegate, then as vice
president. As a board member he has
taken special interest in supporting and
expanding the opportunities for students
and alumni to meet informally.
Dr. Fernandez has a private practice in
hematology/oncology in Mount Laurel
and works at Cooper Health System, the
core teaching hospital for RWJMSCamden. He commutes an hour each
way to attend Alumni Association board
meetings. Clearly serious about volunteering for his school, he says, “It’s not a
problem. We meet on my day off.”
Vice President/President-elect Euton M.
Laing, MD ’90, says, “The new board has
a good geographic spread. That should
help us reach out to more alumni.”
As a medical student, Dr. Laing volunteered for the service-focused Student
National Medical Association, the oldest
Alumni Association is in an ideal position UMDNJ’s Outlook earlier this year, but
and largest medical student organization
“it is a role I take quite seriously. I want
to support students,” he says. “We’re a
dedicated to people of color and understudents to see they are the ones who will
down-to-earth group. If students have a
served communities. He has helped with
keep dreams alive for the next generation
Career Night since his days as a chief res- question or a problem, they can speak to
of future doctors. I look forward to the
us informally and get advice without
ident at Somerset Medical Center. “It’s
day when the fund can give every deserv‘putting it on the record.’
good to be giving back to the school by
ing student the opportunity to make a dif“As graduates, it’s our turn to give
helping the students,” he says.
ference in both health care and life itself.”
financial and moral support to the stuHe serves as associate director of the
Former association president Francine
dents,” adds Dr. Kiss. His first goal is to
Family Practice Residency Program at
E. Sinofsky, MD ’81, clinical associate
JFK Medical Center, Edison, and as presi- help his class set a record for reunion
professor of obstetrics and gynecology,
participation. “I love to keep in touch
dent of the Middlesex County chapter of
with old friends,” he says, “and I plan on chairs the Reunion Committee. She is a
the New Jersey Academy of Family
partner in the OB/GYN Group of East
phoning every classmate within a 500Physicians.
Brunswick.
mile radius to get them back for Reunion
Dr. Laing volunteers at his four chilDr. Sinofsky has been organizing
Weekend.”
dren’s schools and serves as assistant pasRWJMS reunion weekends since 1983.
Fund raiser extraordinaire Ernest S.
tor of his church, the New Creation of
She keeps the number of attendees growBiczak, MD ’77, chairs the Development
the Apostolic Faith in Somerset. He also
ing by responding to alumni preferences,
Committee.
participates in Caribbean Medical
such as the Continuing Medical
A former
Missions, helping with health care in
Education (CME) program for the many
emerthird world countries.
alumni who like to combine business
gency
Secretary-Treasurer Steven Krawet,
with pleasure. This
MD ’89, is a gastroenterolStudent
Alumni
year there will be
ogist in solo practice in East
Programs
Programs
campus tours by
Brunswick. Annually, he
faculty or staff.
gives the esophagus lecture
■ Student Loans and
■ Alumni Reunion Weekend
“People who
in the first-year RWJMS
Scholarships
haven’t been here
course “Introduction to
■ Distinguished Alumni
for two years will be
Medicine.”
■ Career Night
Award
amazed to see the
Dr. Krawet believes in
■ Careers in Medicine Lunch
■ RWJMS Alumni Association
new construction at
working for the Alumni
Web site
■
A
Day
in
the
Life
the school,” she
Association because its
■ Spring theater party
says.
Annual Fund supports stu■ Orientation Breakfast
“The Saturday
dent loans and scholarships.
■ Alumni receptions
■ Alumni-Student Happy Hour
night dinner dance
Classmate Nancy Sierra,
(new)
■ Email forwarding (new)
is always everyone’s
MD ’89, invited him to a
favorite event. The
board meeting two years
To learn additional, up-to-date information, check the
Hilton is an elegant
ago. While encouraging
RWJMS Alumni Association Web site at www2.umdnj.edu/rwjaaweb
setting, and we make
other alumni to become
sure to provide a great dinner and a great
physician, he serves as senior vice presiactive and join the board, he also hopes
dance band,” she adds. “But no matter
dent of physician operations at St.
the association sets an example for stuwhat we do, the alumni take the evening
Barnabas Health Care System in
dents who will, in turn, catch the spirit
as a chance to catch up and have fun.”
Livingston. He also makes time for one
and become active alumni themselves.
Dr. Sinofsky hopes alumni will make
of his favorite hobbies: raising friends
Dr. Krawet says his all-doctor band,
a record number of nominations for the
and funds for the RWJMS Alumni
Alter Ego, which has performed at severassociation’s Distinguished Alumni
Association’s Annual Fund.
al RWJMS events, is “taking a new
Award and Honorary Alumni
Ernie and Cathy Biczak have hosted
shape.” (Stay tuned!)
Memberships. Now they can make nomseveral elegant recognition events for
Membership Chair Geza Kiss, MD
inations on the Alumni Association’s
alumni donors. Additionally, he throws
’95, assistant professor of anesthesiology,
Web site. “At reunions we focus on the
himself into Phonathons, where his infecwas 35 years old when he left a career as
people at the school and the great fountious enthusiasm motivates students to
a chiropractor to attend medical school.
dation they gave us. We all realize they
become successful callers.
In his fourth year, he received the Alumni
got us where we are today.”
“I enjoy the work, and even have some
Award, and after graduation he became a
— K. O’N.
fun doing it,” he told The Foundation of
class delegate to the alumni board. “The
Robert WoodJohnson
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U
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I
NEWS
Career Night ’01
Alumni Host Happy Hour in New Territory
N
ova Terra is the latest of
several innovative new
restaurants to open in
New Brunswick. With its airy
West Indies atmosphere, Caribbean menu, and location on
Albany Street near the medical
school, it was an ideal venue for
the first Alumni/Student Happy
Hour. The success of the lateJanuary party was evident in the
lively, informal conversations.
For several hours, 60 Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School
guests seemed transported from
New Brunswick to the New
World getaway suggested by the
restaurant’s name.
For more than a year the
Board of Trustees of the Alumni
Association had hoped to sponsor a casual get-together for students and alumni. The event
would supplement the association’s existing student programs,
such as A Day in the Life and
Career Night. A “Happy Hour”
seemed to fit the bill. The challenge became finding a date,
place, and time that suited stu-
mark your
Calendar:
Graduation Banquet
Class of 2001 (Piscataway)
Alumni Reunion Weekend
October 19 –21
May 21
Awards Dinner Dance
Class of 2001 RWJMSCamden
May 21
RWJMS Convocation
May 22
UMDNJ Commencement
May 23
Student Clinician’s Ceremony
June 25
Alumni Association Breakfast
Class of 2005 Orientation
August 7
White Coat Ceremony
Class of 2005
August 10
Dean’s Golf Outing
Cranbury Golf Club
October 9
Mini Medical School
October 4–November 1
48 Robert WoodJohnson
■
MEDICINE
Continuing Medical
Education
3rd Annual Conference on
Culturally Competent Care
Improving the Health of
Our Emerging Majorities:
A Personal & Collective
Responsibility
June 14, 2001
Annual Update on Urology
Conference 2001:
Diagnosis, Treatment, and
Management Strategies
June 23, 2001
Overcoming Barriers to
Successful Pain Management
September 29, 2001
For more information about
these or future conferences,
contact the Center for
Continuing Education at
732-235-7430.
dent schedules as well as physicians’ calendars.
Then, late last fall, Nova
Terra hosted a “sneak preview”
dinner — a party for more than
100 of the best friends of the
Child Health Institute of New
Jersey. Alumni Association Secretary-Treasurer Steven Krawet,
MD ’89, attended the party, and
the Nova Terra Happy Hour
crystallized. “To launch the new
event, we wanted a place that
would appeal to alumni as well
as students,” he says. “Nova
Terra was perfect: hip and
upscale, with good food.”
While many students enjoyed
informally meeting with alumni,
Jennifer Sherr ’03, student director of HIPHOP, the RWJMS student outreach program, spent the
time catching up with many of
her third-year friends who are
off doing rotations this year.
“The idea of coming to Nova
Terra really attracted people,”
she says.
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean,
spent the evening informally visiting with alumni, faculty, and
students. “The evening was
thoroughly enjoyable,” he says.
“Everyone who attended was
delighted to have an opportunity
to relax and enjoy each other’s
company.”
Dr. Krawet credits Daniel
Caruso ’03, a member of the
Alumni/Student Liaison Committee, with creating the Student/Alumni Happy Hour. “In
the long term,” says Caruso,
“we’re not just enhancing current student life, we’re growing
future alumni who will want to
make a difference to the students
and to the school.”
— K.O’N.
T
he RWJMS Alumni
Association held its 13th
annual Career Night on
January 9, 2001 in the Great
Hall on the Piscataway campus. The commitment of alumni to this program and the
enthusiasm of medical students
resulted in another great
evening.
The Alumni Association
greatly appreciates the generous support of Novartis
Pharmaceuticals Corporation
and Pfizer Inc. A special thank
you to David S. Kountz, MD,
associate dean of postgraduate
education, for his enthusiastic
assistance and support.
1. Alumni Association past
presidents Hank Lubin, MD ’83 (left)
and Neal Collins, MD ’83 (right),
enjoy their conversation with
Harold L. Paz, MD, dean.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
2. Yulia Gray, MD ’95, left, who
traveled from Providence, R.I., talks
to Phillip Cohen, MD ’95.
3. Judith Amorosa, MD, clinical
professor of radiology, is an annual
participant.
4. Euton Laing, MD ’90, discusses
careers in family medicine.
5. Marie Trontell, MD ’76, associate
dean for academic affairs, talks
about career choices.
6. Joseph Costabile, MD ’86,
discusses careers in surgery.
7. Ernest Spann, top left, Novartis
Pharmaceuticals Corporation,
speaks with alumni.
8. David S. Kountz, MD (center),
associate dean for postgraduate
education, and Pfizer Inc. team.
9. Internist James Brody, MD ’83,
shares his experiences.
10. Alan Zaccaria, MD ’86, presents
his annual slide show on plastic
and reconstructive surgery.
11. Urologist Michael Solomon,
MD ’71, exchanges ideas
with students.
12. Lisa Chou, MD ’98, discusses
her pediatrics residency.
13. David Seiden, PhD, associate
dean for admissions and student
affairs, counsels students.
14. Paul Stein, director, Kessler
Teaching Laboratories, reminisces
with students and alumni.
15. Francine E. Sinofsky, MD ’81,
shares her experiences in OB/GYN.
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You’ve (Always) Got Mail!
Email Forwarding Is Available
to RWJMS Alumni
N
either snow
nor sleet nor a
change of ISPs
shall stay your email
from its appointed
rounds.
Thanks to email
forwarding, a new service from UMDNJ
Academic Computing
Services, many alumni
from the Classes of 1996–2001
use their umdnj.edu address to
forward email to an ISP
(Internet Service Provider) of
their choosing. With
umdnj.edu as their central
email forwarding address, they
have uninterrupted access to
their email no matter how
many times they change ISPs.
Many people switch their
home ISPs, from America
Online to Microsoft Network
or AT&T/WorldNet, for
instance. Often new jobs bring
new email addresses. Changing
ISPs or addresses is easy. Email
forwarding can make it equally
easy to post the new address to
everyone in one’s address book.
Alumni who choose UMDNJ’s
email forwarding option obtain
a new email address or ISP to
which their email will be forwarded. Any time they change
their ISP or preferred email
address, they notify Academic
Computing Services, using the
designated Web form, and their
email continues uninterrupted.
A forgotten PIN (Personal
Identification Number) is
quickly retrieved by answering
several simple questions.
50 Robert WoodJohnson
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E
On Cal
l
KidsHealth Pediatricians Are
Always at Your Fingertips
“T
he work I do
In addition to convenience,
there are other advantages to
using RWJMS email forwarding. There is a certain status to
using a dot-edu address, even if
one’s home or office ISP is a
dot-com. In addition, email
forwarding makes it much easi er to stay in touch with classmates and the Alumni Office,
and vice versa.
Email forwarding was first
offered to members of the
Class of 2000. Many graduat ing students took advantage of
the opportunity. Their response
encouraged the university to
include alumni from the
Classes of 1996 to 2001.
“We look forward to
extending this service to alumni
in classes prior to 1996,” says
Roberta Ribner, coordinator of
alumni affairs. “We'll be in
touch with them soon about
the details of setting up their
own email-forwarding
accounts.”
— K.O’N.
is one part
Benjamin Spock, one part
Steven Spielberg — only
the medium we use
is the Internet,” says
Neil Izenberg, MD ’76,
associate professor of
pediatrics at
Thomas Jefferson
Medical School and
chief executive and
founder of the
Nemours Foundation’s
Center for Children’s
Health Media.
R
ecruited by the Nemours Foundation in 1992, Dr. Izenberg founded
the center and developed it into a
major producer of multimedia health
resources for families.
With his lighthearted reference to Dr.
Spock, Dr. Izenberg highlights the role of a
new health care consumer: the family.
Starting in the 1940s, Dr. Spock’s dogeared Baby and Child Care would guide
several generations of parents through the
child-rearing years. Today, the Center for
Children’s Health Media, along with its parent organization, the Nemours Foundation,
takes a new-millennium approach. Its goal
is multimedia education of whole families
— not just parents — to help them make
informed decisions about a child’s physical
and emotional health.
The center produces a comprehensive
library of health-related media, used by parents, children, teens, and clinicians. Videos,
print publications, and educational board
games are available for distribution by hospitals, private physicians, and corporations.
Dr. Izenberg has written or co-written much
of the material. His award-winning educational videos for parents as well as children
B
Y
K
A
T
E
include How to Talk to Your Doctor, Your
Child’s Anesthesia, and Late Breaking
News, in which Muppet-like characters use
humor to explain broken bones, casts, and
cast care. The center has just published a
new multi-volume encyclopedia for
Scribner’s, Human Diseases and Conditions
— the first of its kind directed toward teen
O
’
N
E
I
L
Neil Izenberg, MD ’76, founder of the
Nemours Foundation’s Center for
Children’s Health Media, relies on user
feedback and response panels to evaluate
his KidsHealth.com Web site.
L
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readers. Other informational online sites are
in the works.
This July, the Center for Childre n ’s
Health Media will open a slot for its first
Fellow in Health Media — the first of its
kind in the nation. “We’re excited about the
chance to help train the MD educators of
the future,” says Dr. Izenberg.
KidsHealth.org
is on call 24/7
T
he farthest-reaching, most accessible
outcome of Dr. Izenberg’s work is
his five-year-old brainchild, KidsHealth.org.
Last fall a new sibling, Te e n H e a l t h . o rg,
joined the KidsHealth family.
Dr. Izenberg also served as
founding editor of Kids Health
at t h e A m e r i c a n M e d i c a l
Association, which for three
years was part of the AMA
Web site.
“Health is one
of the most popula r top ic s o n
the Internet,” he
says. “To many
of us, the Web
still seems amazing, but this generation of kids
and their parents
take it for granted. Pare n ts
arrive at appointments with
sheaves of downloaded information.”
The award-winning KidsHealth site contains well over
a thousand original articles. It
averages 1.5 million daily hits
an d 1 4 0 , 0 0 0 p a g e v i e w s.
“Because the Web is at a consumer’s fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it’s
ideally suited to our mission,” says Dr.
Iz e n b e rg. “Where else can a family find
interactive, up-to-date, medically reviewed
information on demand?”
As editor-in-chief, Dr. Izenberg sets rigorous standards for the sites. Helping him
meet these high criteria is a professional
editorial staff that specializes in developing
and presenting material for different age
and interest levels. Before a new online fea ture is launched, all its content is reviewed
52 Robert WoodJohnson
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by a team of specialists and generalists.
A s a m o d e r n - d a y D r. S p o c k , D r.
Izenberg is concerned not only with words
but also with creating an age-appropriate
design and approach for each page in the
site. Whether an article addresses the management of asthma, depression, or fungal
infections, its tone and look welcome and
engage the reader for whom it is designed —
a young child, a teenager, or an adult.
Children can explore serious topics by playing with interactive elements that enliven
reading and reinforce understanding. The
pages illustrated with sound-filled animations about the body’s inner works are irresistible for children — and perhaps for
many pare nts as well.
Adults looking for in-depth,
up-to-the-minute informati o n c a n g o t o “ N e w s
Parents Can Use.” This page
takes important pediatric
research from medical journals and translates it into
clear abstracts for the lay
reader.
E
Hard work earns
a great report card
D
r. Izenberg invites and receives comments from kids and parents visiting
the site. And he reads every one. He also uses
response panels that critique the information
and presentation on each site. “We’re not there
to sell a product; this is not advertising in disguise,” he says. “It’s consumer-oriented, professionally presented information that must
be usable by family members of all ages.”
The KidsHealth sites have received recognition ranging from user comments to juried
national awards. The site elicited a 12-exclamation-point salute from an eight-year-old
visitor: “Thank you for telling me what a
belly button is!!!!!!!!!!!!”
A young teen with scoliosis wrote, “I started to feel better knowing I’m not the only one
with this problem. I don’t feel alone anymore.” At the other end of the family order,
Netmom® Jean Amour Polly, author of
Internet Kids and Family Yellow Pages, called
KidsHealth.org “the best health site on the
Net for and about kids.” M
An Interest in
Communication
D
r. Izenberg, a Columbia University anthropology
major, has long been interested in human communication. His current position allows that interest to
complement his knowledge of medicine.
After graduating from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, he did his
pediatric residency followed by subspecialty fellowships in pediatric
endocrinology/diabetes and in adolescent medicine. He subsequently served
as director of the section of adolescent medicine in the Department of
Pediatrics at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. Later, he
would serve as pediatrician-in-charge in the department’s Behavioral Pediatrics Program,
then as program director of its Adolescent Family Planning Program.
With its mission to educate families and help them make informed decisions about
children’s health, the Nemours Foundation is a good match for Dr. Izenberg’s background and interests. The foundation was established in 1936, a legacy of industrialist
Alfred I. DuPont. Before the advent of managed care, it provided free pediatric orthopedics at its hospitals in Delaware and Florida. A non-grant-making foundation, it
remains one of the largest nonprofit organizations devoted to children’s health and has
the largest physician practice delivering subspecialty pediatric care. It also provides
selected health care for the elderly. Its academic affiliation with the Mayo Clinic in
Jacksonville, Florida, and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia allows Nemours
physicians to hold academic appointments at both of these institutions. M
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Left: Hang Minh Ngo, center, visits
her children at RWJMS. Left to right are
Minh Chau Tran ’01, Diem Quynh
Tran, Ngoc Quynh Tran, MD ’99, and
Bao Chau Tran ’04.
E
Inset: As young children, far left, the
Trans arrived in New Jersey, refugees
from Vietnam.
LBeuck,
aLady!
T
he Trans’ story
could be told as one of extreme
hardship. But
Mrs. Ngo kept telling
the children how
lucky they were.
Their mother’s
unflinchingly positive
outlook left no doubt
in their minds: their
lives are filled with
good fortune. Now they
want to share it with others.
By Kate O’Neill
54 Robert WoodJohnson
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MEDICINE
L
ying quietly in a narrow
pit covered by mats, the
four Tran children waited
through the night. In the
dark, their mother heard patrol dogs sniffing and footsteps crunching as soldiers
passed by. “You are lucky to be so small
and quiet,” their mother, Hang Minh Ngo,
told them in the morning.
They left the hut and hitched a ride with
fishermen, joining other Vietnamese
“boat people” who fled the war’s aftermath in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Transferring to a larger
boat, packed with refugees, they drifted for days in the South
China Sea. Pirates attacked and took all their belongings, their
food, and their water. Around them, people were drinking seawa-
ter and dying, but eventually the survivors were picked up by the
Indonesian coast guard and towed in to land. Throughout the
experience, Mrs. Ngo kept reminding the children — ages five
through eight — of their good fortune.
Eventually the family arrived in the United States, where they
were adopted by a church in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. They later
moved to a series of nearby towns, “looking for our niche,” says
Minh Chau Tran, the second youngest. Their indigence led to difficulties in finding medical care, but Mrs. Ngo emphasized that
good can come from hardship. She never let her children forget the
generosity and good humor of a physician who accepted
Medicaid, treated them as first-class patients, and made sure they
got necessary medication. “Always be kind like him,” she told her
children, “and give back to the community around you.”
The Trans’ story could be told as one of extreme hardship. But at
all times, Mrs. Ngo kept telling the children how lucky they were.
Their mother’s unflinchingly positive outlook left no doubt in their minds: their lives
are filled with good fortune. Now they want
to share it with others.
All the Trans graduated from Paramus
(N.J.) High School and Rutgers University. Diem Quynh Tran, the eldest, has
become a retail pharmacist; her three siblings are all at Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School. Ngoc Quynh Tran, MD
’99, is a resident in the OB/GYN residency program. Minh Chau Tran will graduate in June 2001 with an MD/MPH
degree. Bao Chau Tran is a member of the
class of 2004.
Initially, says Ngoc Quynh, she was on
track to do pediatrics, but she changed her
mind. She found that “most of pediatrics
is dealing with parents, and it’s so sad
when anything bad happens to a child.”
Obstetrics, she finds, combines her love of
surgery with a generally happy time in
people’s lives. Her new dream is to teach
OB/GYN in a hospital setting. She would
also like to be in private practice with her
brother Minh Chau, who plans on a residency in anesthesiology and a career
focused on pain management. In July,
Ngoc Quynh will marry James Hoppe,
MD ’97, in a ceremony that will blend
Vietnamese and American traditions.
“We are so lucky to be at RWJMS,” says
Minh Chau, whose love of the school
should be familiar to alumni who hear
from him during Phonathons. Roberta Ribner, coordinator of
alumni affairs, says, “Minh Chau is a Phonathon genius! He is
absolutely one of our top fund raisers because, in his quiet way, he
conveys so much enthusiasm for the medical school and the alumni loan and scholarship programs.”
Bao Chau Tran, the youngest of the children, donned his white
coat last September. At the White Coat Ceremony, he heard a familiar theme in the welcoming words of David Seiden, PhD, professor
of neuroscience and cell biology and associate dean for admissions
and student affairs. Dr. Seiden said sheer luck often separates
accepted students from those who don’t make it into medical
school. “In many cases, you not only earned the privilege, you were
given the privilege by good fortune.” For this reason, he added,
physicians must always be willing to give generously to others.
“Lucky again!” Bao Chau must have thought. “My mom could
have written that!” M
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The Alumni
Association Honor Roll
of Donors
2000 Annual Fund Total: $167,173
C
and volunteers are committed to serving our communities.
F. Charles Brunicardi, MD
’80
Joseph H. Kahn, MD ’79,
& Nancy Hochberg
Kahn, MD ’79
Debra A. Cipriani, MD ’85
Robert C. Mackow, MD ’79
Jay A. Cohen, MD ’75
Thomas J. Nordstrom,
MD ’78
Joseph P. Costabile, MD
’86
Patrick F. Zazzaro, MD ’75
totaling $167,173, an increase of 17.6 percent
Caduceus Club
($1,000 to $1,999)
over the total for the 1999 Annual Fund.
Neal T. Collins, MD ’83
David E. Conston, MD ’77
Association proudly reports, it has awarded
Thomas R. Eanelli, MD ’86
more than $1 million in student scholarships
Richard W. Harbison, MD
’73, & Doris I.
Lundberg, MD ’72
and loans. For the upcoming 2001–2002
academic year, the Board of Trustees has
awarded $110,000 in scholarships and low-
Mary I. Holowinsky, MD
’84
interest loans, including a new $20,000-per-
Karyn J. Israel, MD ’84
year academic scholarship for an incoming
Terrence H. Jones, MD ’76
student.
Daniel Y. Kim, MD ’80
Se Duc Kim, MD *
Nicholas J. Dudas, MD ’86
Frederick J. Duffy, Jr., MD
’87
David C. Minton, MD ’88
John C. Morgenstern, MD
’87
Peter J. Pappas, MD ’87
Amy S. Pappert, MD ’89
Mark A. Raifman, MD ’74
Linda R. Roe, MD ’74
Michael A. Rosenberg,
MD ’87
Robert C. Rothberg, MD
’80
Stephen M. Schmitz, MD
’82
Michael S. Sofman, MD ’85
Orysia N. Tresznewsky,
MD ’80
James W. Turner, MD ’81
Robert Eidus, MD ’74
Nicoletta A. Turner, MD
’95
Stephen M. Felton, MD
’76
William M. Unwin, MD
’85
Eduardo E. Fernandez,
MD ’89
Mary A. Venezia, MD ’81
Robert R. Ford, MD ’83
William A. Wainwright,
MD ’74
Robert S. Freid, MD ’83
Janice Warner, MD ’83
David R. Grossman, MD
’82
Nancy E. Weissbach, MD
’85
Jay A. Grotas, MD ’74
Carol A. Wool, MD ’75
Bernard F. Hearon, MD
’75
Mary C. Yankaskas, MD
’86
Carolyn Horowitz, MD
’81
Joseph C. Yarze, MD ’86
Euton M. Laing, MD ’90
Elizabeth A. Hosmer, MD
’90
the Richard Harvey Professorship in
Bernard Lenchitz, MD ’85
Saleem Husain, MD ’90
Innovative Teaching, and the fund raising cam-
Marc E. Lieberman, MD ’81
paign for this new professorship in honor of
Bruce J. Quinn, MD ’89
Leonard A. Jokubaitis,
MD ’81
Dr. Harvey yielded $163,500 from our alumni.
Stephen C. Rabin, MD ’74
In addition, the Alumni Association con-
Donald J. Rose, MD ’80
the opportunity to participate in supporting
Michael D. Karoly, MD
’79
Scott R. Zeigen, MD ’82
Kenneth J. Zemanek, MD
’86
Gregory Zollner, MD ’88,
& Paula Grasso Zollner,
MD ’88
Patrons Club
($250 to $499)
tributed $5,000 toward its $25,000 pledge to
Nancy Sierra, MD ’89
Gregory J. Kauffman, MD
’87
the Dr. James W. Mackenzie Chair in Surgery.
Francine E. Sinofsky, MD
’81
Allen J. Kern, MD ’78
Lawrence E. Adler, MD
’76
Luis Villa, MD ’68
David Kirschenbaum, MD
’86
Eldridge T. Anderson, MD
’77
Fund. The Alumni Association and the entire
Robert R. Wolf, MD *
Prudence P. Kline, MD ’78
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School family
Steven J. Zuckerman, MD
’80
Steven H. Krawet, MD ’89
Constantine Audeh, MD
’88
The Honor Roll of Donors highlights those
thank you all for your generous contributions
and continued support.
Eduardo Fernandez, MD ’89
President, RWJMS Alumni Association
www.meridianhealth.com
Jersey Shore Medical Center • Medical Center of Ocean County
Riverview Medical Center
Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD ’83
Kevin Davey, MD ’85
who have contributed to the 2000 Annual
We’re proud to be a caring neighbor.
Paul A. Bergh, MD ’83
William P. Brotherton, MD
’76
Jennifer Delikat, MD ’81
It was especially rewarding this year to have
physicians, award-winning nurses, dedicated staff, and loyal auxilians
University Club
($2,000 to $4,999)
Edward P. Riuli, MD ’82
Over the last 18 years, the Alumni
services and treatments...and the employer of 8,000 renowned
Mark A. Bloomberg, MD
’74
The Wayen Charitable
Foundation
past year. In 2000, alumni made contributions
right here at home...the source of the broadest possible diagnostic
Ernest S. Biczak, MD ’77
mary fund raising campaign of the Robert
Association, have increased dramatically in the
We’re proud to be known for the finest health care anywhere,
Barbara A. Bernstein, MD
’87
ontributions to the Annual Fund, the pri-
Wood Johnson Medical School Alumni
More than medicine,
Caring takes many forms
Dean’s Academy
($5,000 or more)
Ernest S. Biczak, MD ’77
Chair, Development Committee
David R. Kurish, MD ’72
Joel C. Labow, MD ’73
Founders Club
($500 to $999)
Robert A. Latimer, MD ’73
Sofia H. Anthony, MD ’77
Katherine T. Lovello, MD
’84
Davill Armstrong, MD ’74
Gloria A. Bachmann, MD
’72
Andrew Beloni, MD ’78
Hank Lubin, MD ’83
Barbara A. Marroccoli,
MD ’82
Lloyd A. McPherson, MD
’82
Gary J. Balady, MD ’79
Frank E. Barber, MD ’77
Scott F. Bateman, MD ’72
Stephen M. Bloomfield,
MD ’80
Catherine M. Bodnar, MD
’82
Mamie S. Bowers, MD ’85
Claude A. Brachfeld, MD
’82
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Karen C. Bresnahan, MD
’86
James D. Brody, MD ’83
David D. Bullek, MD ’87
William M. Byra, MD ’78
Peter A. Chirico, MD ’86
Joan W. Chisholm, MD ’81
Mark Choi, MD ’87
Katherine J. Chou, MD ’87
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Michael G. Huss, MD ’91
Russell G. Sarver, MD ’90
Joel S. Bass, MD ’84
Carol A. Dennis, MD ’85
Karen M. Ingram, MD ’78
Alan I. Schwartzstein, MD
’78
Kathleen C. Bel Bruno, MD
’83
Donald F. Derse, MD ’76
Ann L. Shallcross, MD ’79
Vera Ann M. Bennett, MD
’91
Elliot W. Jacobs, MD ’68
Paul B. Jenkins, MD ’86
Judith A. Johnson, MD ’89
Peter Shamamian, MD ’89
Ruth S. Feldman, MD ’74
Marcia L. Fennell, MD ’81
Alan T. Glass, MD ’92
Robert L. Glicini, MD ’84
Katherine A. Godfrey, MD
’84
Peter M. Goldsmith, MD ’85
Fern Gotfried, MD ’80
Eli J. Hammer, MD ’86
Joseph M. Koziol, MD ’83
Lon M. Dubey, MD ’79
Jeffrey M. Bernstein, MD
’83
Dona J. Hills, MD ’77
Frances J. Dunston, MD
’78
Veronica Hlibczuk, MD ’97
Christine H. Llewellyn, MD
’80
John W. Peterson, MD ’85
Michael Honor, MD ’87
Drew M. Locandro, MD ’84
Bernard A. Pfeifer, MD ’73
Peter M. Howley, MD ’70
Debra M. Loeb, MD ’88
John D. Pilla, MD ’84
Raymond Hsia, MD ’87
Anne E. Pinou, MD ’81
Margaret Hsieh, MD ’96
Sabato J. Lombardo, MD
’79
Keith S. Hughes, MD ’78
Carl H. Lopez, MD ’81
Peter Hyans, MD ’86
Michael J. Lucas, MD ’95
Frank Iannetta, MD ’87
Jacqueline S. Lustgarten,
MD ’77
Emmanuel D. Lerner, MD
’91
Frederick Licciardi, MD ’86
David R. Maizel, MD ’74
Susan J. Margolin, MD ’78
Anthony F. Mayer, MD ’74
John H. McGowan, MD ’71
Kevin McGuigan, MD ’86
Mark A. Menegus, MD ’81
Arthur E. Middleton, MD
’77
Alan L. Miller, MD ’74
Michael Miller, MD ’83
John L. Mottley, MD ’78
Daphne M. Norwood, MD
’93
Stephen L. Pinals, MD ’89
David A. Strumpf, MD ’83
Richard C. Szumel, MD ’89
John L. H. Tamminen, III,
MD *
Judith E. G. Braun, MD ’91
Joseph P. Tassoni, Jr., MD
’83
Carol A. Terregino, MD ’86
Catherine C. Ulasewicz,
MD ’81
Edwin M. Villalobos, MD
’81
Benjamin Weinstein, MD
’76
Agnes H. Whitaker, MD
’76
William P. Braun, III, MD
’82
Julio Hip-Flores, MD ’76
James C. Salwitz, MD ’81
John E. Agens, MD ’86
Cathy D. Angell, MD ’91
Raymond F. Anton, Jr., MD
’76
George C. Apostolou, MD
’89
John T. Capo, MD ’92
Mitchell L. Ferges, MD ’75
Richard E. Carlino, MD
’84
Leonard Ferreira, MD ’87
Emma L. Cataldi, MD ’88
Wesley V. Forgue, MD ’73
Laura A. Charette, MD ’89
Paul F. Barratt, MD ’72
Felix M. Barte, MD *
Matthew P. Basara, Jr., MD
’88
Michael J. Malkowski, MD
’88
Charles T. Pu, MD ’89
Richard J. Jackson, MD ’71
Elizabeth L. Jacobson, MD
’90
Robert F. Mancuso, MD ’89
Howard M. Regenbogen,
MD ’74
Adolph W. Johnson, MD
’82
Jeffrey M. Reinkraut, MD
’75
Arthur A. Frazzano, MD
’75
Leo Kahn, MD ’87
Smita Kasat, MD ’97
Andrew A. Martin, MD ’88
Christopher T. Retajczyk,
MD ’93
Ann M. Furgiuele, MD ’76
Richard A. Kauff, MD ’80
Gregory A. Kaufmann, MD
’86
Donald R. Keir, MD ’95
Barbara A. Kelly, MD ’75
John J. Kelly, MD ’75
Michael Goldman, MD ’94
Anthony J. Delfico, MD ’92
Paul J. DeMartino, MD ’88
Helene Reich, MD ’88
Robert T. Mansfield, MD
’88
Christine A. King, MD ’96
Albert C. Dearden, MD ’84
Steven M. Manders, MD ’88
Cheryl A. France, MD ’88
Ira M. Klein, MD ’91
Mark R. Davis, MD ’79
Herbert E. Mandell, MD ’73
Susan C. M. Rakfal, MD ’81
Michael R. Manes, MD ’82
John S. Golden, MD ’85
David R. Dembinski, MD
’82
58 Robert WoodJohnson ■ MEDICINE
David W. Price, MD ’85
Thomas J. Giordano, MD
’90
Efthymios I. Daniskas, MD
’77
Laurel G. Porter, MD ’73
Dino Madonna, MD ’93
Neil A. Izenberg, MD ’76
Peter S. Cohn, MD ’87
Joseph D’Agosto, MD ’85
Sharon N. Pondek, MD ’86
James P. Lyons, Jr., MD ’82
Douglas Ivins, MD ’95
Jeffrey L. Gevirtz, MD ’86
Robert J. D’Agostini, MD
’80
Maria M. Plummer, MD ’90
Joanne B. Porway, MD ’75
John Ghazi, MD ’86
James P. Axford, MD ’78
Elliot M. Pittel, MD ’79
Sarah K. Potash, MD ’95
Robert M. Cohen, MD ’72
Richard L. Corson, MD ’83
Rama D. Peri, MD ’86
Richard E. Lyon, MD ’75
William L. Indruk, MD ’72
Henry D. Clarke, MD ’93
Waldo L. Avello, MD ’78
Jay B. Patel, MD ’95
Matthew B. Jones, MD ’87
Elizabeth A. Garreau, MD
’86
David J. Cordon, MD ’84
Wei-Chi Liao, MD ’87
James A. Paskow, MD ’86
Charles A. Joseph, MD ’76
Lori B. Cirangle, MD ’85
Erik D. Assarsson, MD ’89
Renee A. Levine, MD ’86
Dennis L. Parenti, MD ’76
Diane G. Forney, MD ’80
Richard F. Gargiulo, MD
’83
Mitchell I. Clarin, MD ’88
Elias A. Iliadis, MD ’92
Matthew L. Levine, MD ’83
Robert L. Reid, MD ’87
Kristina K. Ciccotelli, MD
’90
Stephen S. Cook, MD ’76
Anastasia T. Barna, MD ’83
Joyce D. Fingeroth, MD ’74
John P. Gallagher, MD ’83
Julie D. Asch, MD ’88
Mark B. Barettella, MD ’86
Evan Feibusch, MD ’93
Maurizio Cibischino, MD
’89
Eugene Coles, MD ’80
Lory E. Baraz, MD ’85
Benjamin Fand, MD ’79
Jonathan L. Fellus, MD ’95
Richard Arking, MD ’73
Ellen A. Bahtiarian, MD ’90
Jeffrey E. Epstein, MD ’85
Rene B. Esquerre, MD ’79
Joseph Canterino, MD ’91
Dalya L. Chefitz, MD ’90
Richard M. Abramowitz,
MD ’88
Nancy Egan, MD ’76
Paul Feldan, MD ’85
John A. Cece, MD ’81
David P. Reed, MD ’87
Michael W. Egan, MD ’72
Rudolph C. Camishion,
MD **
Martha Cebrian, MD ’79
Nancy C. Higgins, MD ’86
Gary A. Ebert, MD ’93
Elissa A. Favata, MD *
Robert E. Wold, MD ’86
Century Club
($100 to $249)
Craig P. Eberson, MD ’95
Teresa Ann Bridge-Jackson,
MD ’78
Leonard J. Zawodniak,
MD ’86
Thomas A. Rebbecchi, MD
’92
hank you so much for
the RWJMS alumni
loan. I am delighted and
honored by the kind
efforts of the RWJMS
Alumni Association. Your outstanding work is
greatly appreciated. It is a great feeling to
know that the alumni of RWJMS care so much
about students!
I am looking forward to participating in the
next Phonathon.
Yours truly,
Nicole Nevadunsky
Class of 2002
Joseph F. Binns, MD ’87
Alfred F. Tallia, MD ’78
Andrew Piskun, MD ’77
Dear RWJMS Alumni
Association:
Craig C. Berry, MD ’81
Jeffrey R. Bessette, MD ’84
Mark G. Blumenthal, MD
’87
Mitchell J. Heller, MD ’93
T
D. Merrill Hersey, MD ’72
Kevin T. Kelly, MD ’83
Robert Masci, MD ’83
Dear RWJMS Alumni
Association:
Jack H. Ostroff, MD ’82
Barbara B. Pacholec, MD ’86
William M. Hike, MD ’83
Christine L. Stoll, MD ’75
Mary B. Faulstich, MD ’86
Richard Levandowski, MD
’74
Judith E. Hersh, MD ’90
Francesco Labbadia, MD
’90
Chaim B. Eliav, MD ’89
Paul A. Heineken, MD ’71
Juan C. Orozco, MD ’94
Marc M. Dreier, MD ’89
Alan B. Compton, MD ’69
Alan D. Eisenberg, MD ’84
A. S. Lemansky, MD ’80
Ronny Drapkin, MD ’98
Jothan Staley, MD ’76
Charles R. Dinerstein, MD
’76
Stanley I. Hegg, MD ’70
Thomas F. Orman, MD ’73
Mordechai Bermann, MD
’87
Gary R. Spivack, MD ’74
Richard Day, MD ’93
Daniel J. Lee, MD ’89
Jessica M. Berlet, MD ’92
Paula S. Krauser, MD ’78
Dennis P. DeVito, MD ’78
Margaret E. Hegg, MD ’70
Gayle P. Orczyk, MD ’79
Arunan Sivalingam, MD
’85
Mark Konwiser, MD ’78
Henry R. Kranzler, MD ’82
Thomas D. Coyte, Jr., MD
’94
Connie M. Domingo, MD
’94
William E. Lawson, MD
’77
Robert A. Simpson, MD
’74
Laurence Karper, MD ’88
Andrew J. Collier, Jr., MD
’80
Miles R. Congress, MD ’75
Harry T. Berger, MD ’77
Dennis M. Destefano, MD
’88
Denise D. Hayward, MD
’96
I
am currently a thirdyear medical student
doing my clinical years at
the Camden campus. This
letter is to thank you for
choosing me as a recipient of one of the Alumni
Association’s low-interest loans. I very much
appreciate the support and acknowledgment —
every little bit helps!
I also wanted to mention that I participated
in numerous Phonathon drives during my first
two years. In addition, I worked closely with
Roberta Ribner to help organize the First
Annual Helping Hands Fun Run/Walk — an
initiative of HIPHOP and the Alumni
Association. This was a tremendous success,
and I want to thank the Alumni Association
for working hard to support and encourage
medical students.
I think that the Alumni Association and
RWJMS medical students have established a
really wonderful working relationship to
strengthen and support each other ’s efforts.
I hope that this will continue.
Sincerely,
Carrie B. Rubenstein
Class of 2002
Gregory S. Rihacek, MD ’82
Edith Goldie McCarthy,
MD ’92
Frank E. Robinson, MD ’86
Christopher Seidler, MD ’86
Daniel G. Swistel, MD ’79
Timothy B. McKinney, MD
’87
Ricardo E. Rodriguez, MD
’84
Michael R. Seidner, MD ’75
Eric P. Tamm, MD ’91
Tasneem F. Shamim, MD ’81
Robyn S. Tepper, MD ’83
Barbara A. Miller-Lines,
MD ’92
Melissa Roesly, MD ’94
Eileen M. Shanahan, MD ’88
Ronald F. Tutrone, Jr., MD
’87
Jacqueline F. Mislow, MD
’78
George E. Roksvaag, MD
’78
Brenda M. Shank, MD ’76
Kevin J. Shaw, MD ’95
Yves Morency, MD ’81
Andrew G. Rosenberg, MD
’81
James H. Morland, MD ’90
Marianne Ruby, MD ’73
Kenneth J. Shulman, MD ’90
Martin J. Moskovitz, MD
’89
Gregory J. Rumore, MD
’80
Amy Shute, MD ’85
Christo S. Klele, MD ’89
Joan M. Gopin, MD ’83
Sophia N. Kotliar, MD ’89
Gregory J. Mulford, MD ’85
Joseph S. Salay, MD ’85
Katherine C. T. Grimm,
MD ’69
Joseph W. Kozachek, MD
’81
Timothy J. Murtha, MD ’85
Louis F. Salazar, MD ’86
Lawrence A. Silverman,
MD ’87
Amy D. Gruber, MD ’88
Brijendra Kumar, MD ’98
Joseph F. Navoy, MD ’74
David R. Salowe, MD ’86
Joel H. Kurtz, MD ’83
Carole Sampson-Landers,
MD ’74
Carl A. Sirio, MD ’84
Stephen T. Grybowski, MD
’79
Edward J. Niewiadomski,
MD ’85
Sophia Kwo, MD ’83
Daniel B. Novak, MD ’83
James L. Scales, Jr., MD ’79
Jason O. Hall, MD ’85
Tamara A. La Couture, MD
’94
Dennis E. Novak, MD ’74
R. Walter Schlesinger, MD **
Michael J. Solomon, MD
’71
Brenda E. O’Brien, MD ’77
Helene K. Schwartz, MD ’73
Heidi Solz, MD ’80
Betty Hammond, MD ’80
Peter Y. Hannoush, MD ’92
Gerard T. Hart, MD ’83
William J. Hayes, MD ’89
David H. Kim, MD ’92
Theresa A. Lafranco, MD
’87
Stephen M. Land, MD ’86
David A. Laskow, MD ’81
Roger A. Shell, MD ’77
Elisabeth Siegert, MD ’87
Shawn D. Sieler, MD ’91
Sandra J. Smith, MD ’74
Jamie S. Ullman, MD ’89
Paul P. Vessa, MD ’85
Ann D. Vijums, MD ’79
Robert J. Vinci, MD ’80
Kevin E. Vitting, MD ’82
Frank E. Vogel, MD ’81
Manfred A. Von Fricken,
MD ’73
Diane Walder, MD ’80
Ira G. Warshaw, MD ’79
Marius A. Wechsler, MD
’85
Marvin A. Weinar, MD ’82
Timothy J. O’Grady, MD ’86
Stuart T. Schwartz, MD ’84
Gayle R. Spill, MD ’90
Donald S. Weinberg, MD
’74
Philip J. Olivieri, MD ’78
Paul Scoles, MD ’79
Kevin L. Sullivan, MD ’81
Kerry E. Weinrich, MD ’88
Robert O. Olson, MD ’74
Richard J. Segal, MD ’86
Marty D. Sweinhart, MD ’93
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Dennis Coffey, MD ’93
Eileen G. Hill, MD ’78
Mark N. Porway, MD ’75
Winfried G. Wieland, MD
’92
Leslie Coopersmith, MD
’85
Fred H. Hsu, MD *
Ravi K. Raheja, MD ’97
James H. Sloves, MD ’89
Garrett S. Hyman, MD ’97
Monica Rama, MD ’99
Elisabeth Spector, MD ’97
Austin O. Williams, MD,
’94
Elisa H. Cusati, MD ’88
Eytan Irwin, MD ’84
Nikita Rangwalla, MD ’98
Michael J. Spedick, MD ’78
Jennifer H. Jacobs, MD ’92
Mark S. Rappaport, MD
’88
Naum Spiegel, MD ’89
John M. Williams, MD ’81
William D. Williams, MD ’79
Barth L. Wilsey, MD ’71
Roger M. Wint, MD ’76
Caryn S. Dahl, MD ’86
James G. Dalzell, MD ’88
Martin H. Dauber, MD ’86
Anthony Del Piano, MD ’86
Barbara P. I. Karp, MD ’80
Susan R. Karp, MD ’75
Edward K. Katz, MD ’74
Mary E. Witt, MD ’72
Christopher Derivaux, MD
’93
Christopher C. Wright, MD
’87
Elizabeth Di Prospero, MD
’99
Barbara L. Wuehrmann,
MD ’76
Kim C. Dixon, MD ’97
James Kimball, MD ’98
Michael Donnelly, MD ’98
Scott K. Kindsfather, MD
’89
Grace C. H. Yang, MD ’77
Vincent W. Yang, MD ’84
Ann-Lee Yuan, MD ’84
Anthony P. Yudd, MD ’79
Lawrence R. Zukerberg,
MD ’86
Marie R. Durant, MD ’96
Dominick J. Eboli, MD ’95
Adam Elfant, MD ’89
Stephen D. Elgert, MD ’80
Kari E. Emsbo, MD ’94
Jeffrey A. Evans, MD ’99
Dellara F. Farmarah-Terry,
MD ’95
Contributors
(up to $99)
Michael Farrell, MD ’97
Mohammed-Tarek Al-Fahl,
MD ’96
Richard J. Feldman, MD ’84
Richard J. Angelo, Jr., MD
’86
Thomas W. Fowlie, Jr., MD
’92
Janice E. Aton, MD ’94
William C. Franckle, MD ’96
Kathi A. Aultman, MD ’74
Deborah Lynn H. Frey, MD
’96
Lila M. Bahadori, MD ’88
Lois M. Ramondetta, MD
’93
Ross Bauer, MD ’93
Robert E. Baumwoll, MD
’73
Robert A. Bazewicz, MD
’83
Philip Beattie, MD ’97
Patrick D. Beaty, MD ’83
Louis J. Berges, Jr., MD ’86
John Boldizar, MD ’96
Robert F. Brennan, MD ’90
Cindy M. Breznak, MD ’87
Philip F. Bronowitz, MD
’77
John B. Cahill, MD ’97
Kim Friedman, MD ’99
Jonathan Fuchs, MD ’97
Donald G. Ganim, II, MD
’91
Laurence M. Katz, MD ’87
Roger M. Kerr, MD ’79
Richard Kilker, MD ’97
John E. Kingsley, MD ’81
Shuchi Kiri, MD ’98
David Kroon, MD ’98
Barbara Lane, MD ’82
Roberta S. Lane, MD ’83
David Y. Lee, MD ’94
Ina Li, MD ’97
Glenn S. Lieberman, MD
’93
Donna P. Reger, MD ’95
Goerge H. Roenning, MD
’76
Michael L. Rosenberg, MD
’74
Mindy S. Rosenbloom,
MD ’85
Dwight J. Rosenstein, MD
’77
Michael P. Rosenthal, MD
’80
Jerome J. Rosman, MD ’75
Michelle S. Rovner, MD
’93
James Thomas, MD ’99
Stacey M. Vitiello, MD ’94
Mark J. Weinstein, MD ’85
Richard G. Welch, MD ’83
Todd Werner, MD ’94
Robin O. Winter, MD ’76
Ayanna Woltz, MD ’99
Richard Worth, MD ’99
Walter T. Rymzo, MD ’68
Scott Woska, MD ’97
Kenneth N. Sable, MD ’99
Joan D. Sage, MD ’84
Lisa L. Littman, MD ’92
Raymond A. Samatovicz,
MD ’95
Anjali A. Saini, MD ’93
Friends of
Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Foundation, Inc.
Petra Lukoschek, MD ’87
Raymond J. Sanders, MD
’85
Susan L. Martling, MD ’79
Osman R. Sayan, MD ’90
ITT Industries, Inc.
Sharon E. Schoenholtz,
MD *
Johnson & Johnson
James J. Matino, MD ’76
Janice M. Miller, MD ’94
Robert G. Gibson, MD ’78
Mark Mintz, MD ’84
Cadrin E. Gill, MD ’76
Gary S. Moak, MD ’82
Arthur F. Schroeder, III,
MD ’76
Thomas A. Schwartzer,
MD ’93
Hoffman-La Roche
Lipincott, Williams &
Wilkins
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Corporation
Pfizer, Inc.
James M. Gill, MD ’88
Bruno Molino, Jr., MD ’98
Robert Glasgold, MD ’97
Alba P. C. Moore, MD ’92
Ravi D. Goel, MD ’97
William J. Mullally, MD ’76
Jonathan G. Gold, MD ’96
Richard S. Murray, MD ’79
Ruben A. Gonzalez-Florin,
MD ’81
Hassan W. Nemeh, MD ’91
Constantine A. Serkes, MD
’87
William A. Norcross, MD
’72
Chirag Shah, MD ’97
SmithKline Beecham
Foundation
Kartik Shah, MD ’99
Telcordia Technologies
Srihari Gopal, MD ’95
Jeffrey C. Oppenheim, MD
’75
Pranav N. Shah, MD ’92
The Union Carbide
Foundation, Inc.
Robert C. Gorman, MD ’89
Rhoda B. Padow, MD ’68
Daniel Shalom, MD ’86
Eric Shen, MD ’99
Sandra B. Goodman, MD
’87
Karen Schumann Scoles,
MD ’83
Schering-Plough
Foundation
Thomas F. Seck, MD ’83
The Harris Shapiro
Foundation, Inc.
John J. Gregory, MD ’92
Carol Pak, MD ’99
Laura A. Grygotis, MD ’93
James F. Parker, MD ’98
Steven Sheris, MD ’88
Peter M. Pasley, MD ’95
Shailesh Sheth, MD ’87
Michael M. Caruso, MD
’92
Stacey Markowitz Hecht,
MD ’89
Lolita Chatterjee, MD ’93
William Heffernan, MD ’82
Steven A. Chernus, MD ’77
Jonathan Heistein, MD ’96
Kevin F. Clancy, MD ’81
Leonard H. Hellman, MD ’69
Jeanne M. Clark, MD ’92
Kathleen A. Hickey, MD ’95
MEDICINE
James J. Sullivan, Jr., MD
’95
Linda Y. Wong, MD ’99
Jonathan Carp, MD ’96
■
Sean R. Stetson, MD ’87
Mitchell P. Stokes, MD ’95
Karen G. Rubin, MD ’76
Keith D. Calligaro, MD ’82
60 Robert WoodJohnson
James A. Stansbury, III,
MD ’93
Edith B. Rubenstein, MD
’76
Raymond J. Litecky, MD
’87
Karen Vill W. Locker, MD
’87
Karen A. Spinelli, MD ’85
Jennifer Peos, MD ’96
Denise Shiu, MD ’95
Jeffrey R. Petrella, MD ’87
Gregg A. Shivers, MD ’90
Paul A. Piccini, MD ’73
Leon H. Shulman, MD ’86
Beverly A. Poelstra, MD ’88
Danielle M. B. Sieler, MD
’93
Walter Poprycz, MD ’72
Warner Lambert Company
* Completed Robert Wood
Johnson Residency
Programs
**RWJMS Faculty
’71
’72
’74
’75
Nineteen
Seventy-One
’76
’81
’83
Nineteen
Seventy-Six
Richard Jackson, director of the National
Center for Environmental Health at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
was the guest speaker at the Bloustein
Memorial Lecture at Rutgers University on
February 15, 2001. He spoke on “Why
Land Protection Is Child Protection: Smart
Growth and Public Health.”
Nineteen
Seventy-Two
Linda Fisher has been appointed director
of health of Fairfax County, Va. She writes:
“After 25 years in St. Louis, Mo., I am back
on the East Coast.”
Nineteen
Seventy-Four
Robert Eidus was recently appointed medical director of the faculty practice plan at
Albert Einstein in Philadelphia.
Nineteen
Eighty-One
Lloyd McPherson is proud to report that
his wife, Arlene McPherson, RN, is the current president of the Auxiliary North Jersey
Medical Society chapter of the National
Medical Association.
Michael Seidner was elected president of
the medical staff at North Penn Hospital in
Lansdale, Pa. He and his wife, Stephanie,
celebrated 25 years of marriage in May 2000.
Neal Collins has accepted a new position as
senior medical director, medical regulatory
services, at Pfizer Inc. in midtown Manhattan.
He writes: “I am recruiting for medical regulatory physicians to build a new team.
Please email at neal.collins@pfizercom.”
Michael Miller received a $1.2 million
grant to investigate “Molecular and clinical
evaluation of low HOL syndromes.” He
and his wife also announce the birth of their
second daughter, Ilana, on January 18, 2000.
Patrick Zazzar o is chairman of the Department of Radiology at Prince William Hospital in Manassas, Va. His daughter, Lori, a
graduate of the Class of 2000 of the University of Virginia, is working for Accenture, in
Reston, Va. His son Michael is a sophomore
at James Madison University, and his son
Mark is a freshman at George Mason
University.
Nineteen
Eighty-Five
S
2000. We also have a son, Evan Andrew,
and live in The Woodlands, Texas (near
Houston). I am the medical director of the
Emergency Department at Trinity Medical
Center and vice president of Brazos Emergency Physicians Association. This company
is the first in the country to provide emergency telemedicine service via videoconferencing to rural hospitals with mid-level
practitioners.”
Nineteen
Eighty-Seven
Frederick Duffy, Jr., is board certified in
general and plastic surgery. He is in private
practice in Dallas, and has a teaching
appointment at the University of Texas–
Southwestern. He is married to an ENT
surgeon. They have two boys, ages six and
three.
Weichi Liao began a new research position
at the Covance Company.
Grace Yang writes: “My son, George, is
now a second-year ENT resident at the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
My daughter, Jean, graduated from MIT in
June 2000 and is now living in San
Francisco. I recently received tenure at
NYU School of Medicine. My husband
enjoys his retirement.”
’88
’90
Julie Bouchard writes: “I recently relocated
to Boise, Idaho, after 15 years in the Portland,
Ore., area. I practice in an OB/GYN group
here. My husband, Glenn Beyerman, continues to be my lifeline after 25 years. We
have two children, Chelsea (11) and Jacques
(8). We spend our time enjoying all the outdoor pleasure of the Northwest, especially
skiing in the powder.”
Nineteen
Eighty-Six
S
’87
Francine Sinofsky is secretary-treasurer of
the New Jersey Section of the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
’85
’86
Gary Spivak writes: “I founded a new
executive coaching firm, Insight Coach Inc.,
for leadership and professional growth.”
Nineteen
Seventy-Five
Cadrin Gill is medical director of the IPA
Physicians Alliance Network in Los Angeles.
Nineteen
Eighty-Three
A
NOTES
Edward A. Skobac, MD ’80
James M. Weiss, MD ’88
L
Eli Hammer reports from Phoenix: “I
resigned from 11 years of family practice to
start a practice in anti-aging medicine.”
Frederick Licciardi is associate director of
reproductive endocrinology at the NYU
School of Medicine. He and his wife,
Josephine, have three children.
James Paskow reports: “My wife, Janet,
and I have a new arrival. Our daughter,
Lucy Lynn, was born on September 27,
Nineteen
Eighty-Eight
Chris Friedrich is an associate professor in
the Department of Preventive Medicine,
Division of Medical Genetics, at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in
Jackson, Miss. His wife is an assistant professor of pediatric cardiology there. They
have two children.
Nineteen
Ninety
Maria Maratta Plummer writes: “This
past year has been busy. Our son, Ian, was
born on December 14, 1999, and our
daughter, Gwen, began kindergarten on her
fifth birthday, September 5, 2000. I finished
my anatomic pathology boards and am
now board certified in clinical pathology
(1995) and anatomic pathology, and am
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NOTES
working as a part-time pathologist for the
time being at a local hospital.”
L
’91
9
’
6
’92
’97
’93
’95
Nineteen
Ninety-One
Vera Ann Meier-Bennett and her husband
proudly announce the birth of their fourth
child, Elizabeth Theresa, on April 28, 2000.
Eric Tamm is an assistant professor of diagnostic radiology at the Anderson Cancer
Center in Houston.
Nineteen
Ninety-Two
Jonathon Fellus was recently named directory of brain injury services at the Kessler
Institute for Rehabilitation. He writes: “Not
only am I still cracking jokes but my wife,
Ruth, still puts up with them!”
Alan Glass reports: “We just had a new
baby girl, Abigail Rose, born in October. My
wife, Shira, and our two other children,
Gideon (8) and Ruth (5), are living in
Woodmere, N.Y. I currently have three dermatology offices in Manhattan and Long
Island.”
Victor Gorloff is in practice with a pulmonary/critical care group in Englewood.
He and his wife have two sons, Alexander
and Matthew.
Elliot Semet and his wife are proud to
announce the birth of their son, Evan
Christopher, on November 26, 1999.
Nineteen
Ninety-Three
Christopher Derivaux completed his surgical residency at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital in Philadelphia. He is presently
doing a cardiothoracic fellowship at New
York University.
Nineteen
Ninety-Five
Albert DeNittis and his wife, Lisa, have two
children: Andrew (2 1/2) and Juliana (3 months).
62 Robert WoodJohnson
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MEDICINE
’98
’99
Kathleen Hickey writes: “Frank and I had a
beautiful baby girl over the summer, Jacqueline
Clare. We’re busy but all very happy!”
Raymond Samatovicz reports: “Named
associate director, Brain Injury Program at
Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center in
Vallejo, Calif. Enjoying life in Napa Valley
with my wife, Lisa.”
Nineteen
Ninety-Six
Kimberly Raymond (Friend) and John
Friend write: “After finishing our residency
in family practice in Charlotte, N.C., in June
1999, and backpacking through Scandinavia
that summer, we both joined a group practice in the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains in North Carolina. We also celebrated the birth of our daughter, Carly Anne
Friend, on September 7, 2000. We have lots
to be thankful for! We’d love to hear about
more of our classmates. Write in!”
Jennifer Peos is the 2000–2001 chief resident in internal medicine at St. Barnabas
Medical Center in Livingston.
Nineteen
Ninety-Seven
Garret Hyman writes: “I am a third-year
resident in the Department of Rehabilitation
Medicine at the University of Washington in
Seattle. My wife, Rachel, and I are enjoying
the great outdoors in the Northwest as much
as possible. Enjoyed seeing other alums, Scott
Woska and Jeff Heffler, at the November
2000 meeting of the Academy of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation.”
Elisabeth Spector writes: “Beautiful daughter, Maya, born April 30, 1999. Alas, the
marriage didn’t last. Now working as family
physician in Flemington, where it feels like
the deer outnumber the humans.”
Scott Woska reports: “Currently chief resident in rehabilitation medicine at Columbia
Presbyterian Medical Center, now known as
New York Presbyterian Hospital. Very active
in performing-arts medicine and experienced
in treating disorders of musicians and
dancers. Founding member of HARTS
(Healing Arts Club) at RWJ.”
Nineteen
Ninety-Eight
Jorge Romeu reports: “I am currently in my
third year of residency in pediatrics. I have
applied for a neonatology fellowship in the
military.”
Nineteen
Ninety-Nine
Brian Golden writes: “Please pass on warm
regards to everybody and spread the news.
Dee Dee Wu ’98 and I are now engaged
after dating for five years. Dee is finishing
her residency at Montefiore and will start a
rheumatology fellowship in 2002 at the
Hospital for Special Surgery. I am in my second year of residency at New York Hospital
and will do an endocrine fellowship at Mt.
Sinai starting in 2002.”
Sonia Garcia Laumbach and Robert
Laumbach ’97 proudly announce the birth
of their son, Robert Kevin Laumbach.
In Memoriam:
Martha Cebrian ’79
John Crofford ’87
Residents:
Sharon Schoenholtz writes: “My husband,
Lawrence Hanau , and I are the proud parents of a seven-month-old boy.”
Residents
In Memoriam:
James Brennan
What’s New?
Please send your professional and
personal news for C l a s s N o t e s
to: Roberta Ribner, Coordinator,
Alumni Affairs
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School Alumni Association
125 Paterson Street • Suite 1400
New Brunswick, New Jersey
08901-1977 • 732-235-6310
Fax: 732-235-6315
Email: [email protected]
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important. Now these concerns are of at least equal importance, and
people, funding for biomedical research already reflects strong
many argue that costs are the principal or only consideration.
beliefs in such arguments. Anyone who has ever attended the Senate
Regardless of where along this spectrum the truth lies, it is a fact
and House appropriations committees’ hearings on funding for
that health care now conforms much more to a business model
research will hear advocates argue such views both implicitly and
rather than a human services model. Decisions about what and how
explicitly, and members of Congress will avidly agree.
much treatment will be used, and what will be reimbursed, will be
No one would argue against expanded funding for biomedical
a function of how much a particular intervention costs, its effectiveand clinical research. Rather, the questions we face are what role
ness, and what savings to the system may accrue if it is used.
health services research should play and whether greater investThus, even clinical research decisions may be dictated by the same
ment helps the medical community achieve its overriding goal of
kinds of choices that any company might make on the development
improving health status. The answers are grounded in our changor manufacture of a product. If researchers and
ing health care system.
practitioners are to see new interventions become
Many remember the “good old days” of costp
art of the medical arsenal, they too will be relying
based reimbursement; of fee-for-service medicine;
here is an
on the health services researcher. There is an
of a system encouraging the growth and prosperity
of academic health centers. We now speak a differincreasing need to increasing need to demonstrate that investing in
the development and application of a new drug,
ent language that includes such chestnuts as market
demonstrate that
equipment, or procedure will yield benefits that
share, competition, PPOs, point-of-service, DRGs,
exceed its costs. In the same way, insurers want to
prospective reimbursement, capitation, utilization
investing in the
know whether the effectiveness of a more expenreview, and deep discounts. That is not to say that
sive intervention is worth the extra cost. Why, for
all that has changed is bad. Clearly, the health sysdevelopment and
example, should a purchaser pay for more expentem was out of control and new forces had to be
imposed to bring some order to a costly system that application of a new sive care in a teaching hospital than in a less costly community facility? Are the services so much
was leaving increasing numbers of citizens without
more effective? Can the purchaser reap economic
coverage and access to care. Whether the changes
drug, equipment,
benefits in terms of fewer rehospitalizations or less
imposed have responded to those needs is not yet
or procedure
follow-up care? Can we justify costly stem cell
known, but change was needed.
transplants in terms of their cost-effectiveness and
It is precisely this question of assessing the
will yield benefits cost/benefit for cancer patients?
impact of our current health system that justifies
One can already see a scenario emerging in
the need for health services research. The issue of
that exceed
which rigid practice standards and a Wall Street
whether recent changes have improved or hurt
investment/yield mentality take the place of clin the health care system is, in itself, an important
its costs.
ical innovation and physician decision making.
question that can be answered only through
Sounds far-fetched? Any physician who has dealt with the uninhealth services research. For example, the kind of epidemiological
terested voice of a Utilization Review clerk on the other end of the
research described above is critical to knowing whether changes
line dictating whether, where, and how long a patient can receive
such as managed care have increased or decreased access to this
treatment has already seen the reality of this.
new system. It also helps us understand whether these changes
What can the medical profession do to counter this trend? It
improve or hurt outcomes, and for whom. Further, we can examwill only be through solid health services research efforts that we
ine how these changes have affected the organization, financing,
will be able to monitor how the system is changing and how it is
and delivery of health care and what the implications of this are
affecting providers, patients, and society. This discipline will also
for quality, access, and improved outcomes. Finally, cost research
be the link between research and practice, letting us know what
can help determine whether the system is costing less or more,
works best and is most feasible. Most important, cost studies will
what elements represent cost savings, and whether these savings
be a major force in helping to justify and ensure the acceptance of
are related to decreased access, more efficient use of services, or
new technology. Without health services research, it may be
improved outcomes. Given all that has transpired, we must
increasingly difficult to sell and implement the scientific gains
answer these questions, and soon.
that basic and clinical research will continue to provide. M
Another contribution that health services can make in the mod-
T
ern managed care environment relates to a new way of thinking
about health care. At one time, finding and implementing new interventions was paramount, with cost considerations significantly less
— Jeffrey C. Merrill
Professor of Psychiatry and University Professor
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
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Health Services Research
What Is It and Why Is It So Critical an Adjunct to Biomedical Research?
Health
services research is an important, yet misunderstood, component of medical research. Both the current
and past presidents have urged Congress to appropriate significant increases in the budget for the National Institutes of
Health (NIH). However, despite its growing importance, the
health services research community will see little of this money.
A principal reason for the dissonance between the need for such
research and the amount of funds
devoted to it is the fact that so few,
even in the medical community,
understand what is meant by the
notion of health services research.
Even among the NIH institutes,
there is often great disagreement
about what is involved in this discipline and its value. Often, staff
members argue that it is simply an
extension of clinical effectiveness
research or believe that, since it
lacks the exactitude of controlled
trials or basic science, it has little
utility in the scientific community.
What do we mean by the term
health services research? The fact
is that it encompasses a wide
range of studies. Briefly, health services research can be summarized as:
1. Effectiveness research, which involves moving from the
security of the laboratory or controlled setting into realworld situations. Although this presents real methodological
questions, it also permits us to validate and replicate findings in situations other than under the most optimum of
conditions.
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2. Infrastructure
research, which examines the impact of the
organization, delivery, and financing of services on a given
intervention or on a mode of practice. For example, it allows
us to look at how changes such as managed care or cuts in
Medicare funding affect the outcomes of medical-care
delivery.
3. Epidemiological re s e a rc h,
wh i c h a s s e s s e s h o w t h e
access to and outcomes of
treatment may be diff e re nt,
based upon such variables as
race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and age. As the
health system continues to
un d e rgo dramatic changes,
these issues become increasingly important.
• Friday, October 19:
Cocktail Reception
Clinical Academic Building, New Brunswick
Invited speaker: Congressman Rush Holt
12th Congressional District, New Jersey
• Saturday, October 20:
Morning Continuing Medical Education
Conference
“Breakthroughs in Medicine: New Discoveries
and Applications to Clinical Care at RWJMS”
Clinical Academic Building,
New Brunswick
4. Cost research, which address-
• Afternoon Tours
Piscataway and New Brunswick campuses
es such questions as how
much a service or series of
services cost, whether they
are cost-effective and cost
beneficial, and what an illness like substance abuse is
costing the nation.
In an environment where we search for greater understanding of the genetic and bio-physiological markers of diseases and
their treatments, one might ask why we should worry about
such issues as costs or access. Should we not find the cures for
such problems as cancer, AIDS, heart disease, and schizophrenia before we worry about how to organize, finance, and deliver them? While such arguments may seem spurious to many
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• Gala Dinner Dance
Honoring the Following Anniversary Classes:
30th: 1970, 1971 • 25th: 1975, 1976
20th: 1980, 1981 • 15th: 1985, 1986
10th: 1990, 1991 • 5th: 1995, 1996
Brunswick Hilton, East Brunswick
F OR M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N C O N T A C T:
Roberta Ribner, Coordinator, Alumni Affairs
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Alumni Association
125 Paterson Street • Suite 1400
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-1977
Phone: 732-235-6310 • Fax: 732-235-6315
Email: [email protected]
• Sunday, October 21:
Alumni Brunch
Brunswick Hilton
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A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF UMDNJ-ROBER
RobertWood
MEDIC
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The very image of 21st century medical science.
Behind every technological advancement, every research
innovations. The first hospital in New Jersey to offer two
discovery, every refined medical procedure, and every
revolutionary imaging techniques to our patients – PET
successful treatment, there is a face. A face of knowledge. A
scanning and Cardiac MRI – that will advance the way we
face of technology. A face of compassion. Robert Wood
diagnose and treat cancer and heart disease. We are the face of
Johnson University Hospital is the face of 21st century
health care. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, one of
medicine, pioneering the latest medical advances and
the nation’s leading academic health centers.
P R O U D T O B E PA R T O F N E W B R U N S W I C K , A M E R I C A’ S H E A LT H C A R E C I T Y.
Principal hospital for UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School • Member, University Health System of New Jersey, The Robert
Wood Johnson Health System and Network members include: Bayshore Community Hospital, CentraState Healthcare System, Children's
Specialized Hospital, Rahway Hospital, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson
University Hospital at Hamilton, Warren Hospital, UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Presbyterian Homes & Services, Inc.,
Chandler Health Center, Henry J. Austin Health Center, Plainfield Health Center and VNA of Central New Jersey Community Health Center
w w w. rw j u h . e d u
O n e R o b e r t Wo o d J o h n s o n P l a c e • N e w B r u n s w i c k, N J
08 903 -2 601 • 1- 80 0-2 42 -00 22
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P A I D
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Permit No. 44
125 Paterson Street • Suite 1400
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903-0019
Breaking
New Ground in Surgery
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