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Congratulations to Adrienne Viola, MPH , an MD/PhD student, currently pursuring her PhD, who has received a National Institute of Health Fellowship from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in support of her research, “The Feasibility of a Medical Student Mentoring Program to Improve Transition of Care Among Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease.”



According to an announcement by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Viola is studying the feasibility and benefits of a mentoring program for adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease who are transitioning from pediatric to adult care, with the goal of developing a program that will address the gap in care with medical students who can serve as mentors to young-adult patients.

Read more about Viola’s research here . 

The International Congress of Infant Studies presented Michael Lewis, PhD , University Distinguished Professor of pediatrics and psychiatry, and director of the Institute for the Study of Child Development, with a Founders Award for the field of infancy, and a Distinguished Contribution Award for his lifetime of study on infant development. The awards were presented at the organization’s 21 ^st Biennial Congress in June, at which Dr. Lewis participated in the group’s 40 ^th Anniversary Celebration Panel. 

A team of Rutgers scientists found among the first and perhaps only hard evidence that simple protein catalysts – essential for cells, the building blocks of life, to function – may have existed when life began. The study, co-authored by Vikas Nanda, PhD , associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, used computer modeling to explore a primordial peptide, or short protein, and what it may have looked like, as well as its possible chemical functions. The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society .

Read Rutgers Today's feature story on Dr. Nanda's research here .

The American Parkinson Disease Association (ADPA) granted two awards to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as part of its 2018-2019 funding cycle. Congratulations to Eunsung Junn, PhD ( pictured at left ), associate professor of neurology, who was awarded a research grant in support of his study: “In vivo identification of microRNAs associated with alpha-synuclein mRNA.” Read more about Dr. Junn’s research.

The APDA also provided funding support to the ADPA Center for Advanced Research at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, which is overseen by M. Maral Mouradian, MD , William Dow Lovett Professor of Neurology and director, Center for Neurodegenerative and Neuroimmunologic Diseases.

The funding supports the center’s research program, which includes i nvestigations into the molecular and genetic underpinnings of Parkinson's disease; discovery of new pathways that can be targeted for the purpose of slowing down disease progression; and identifying new compounds that have the potential to be developed as treatments for modifying the course of the disease, among many others. 

A team from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School recently participated in the latest meeting of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Accelerating Change in Medical Education consortium. The medical school is one of 32 schools that have received a grant from the AMA in support of transformative and innovative programs to change medical education. Dean Sherine E. Gabriel, MD, MSc , and Carol A. Terregino, MD , senior associate dean for education and academic affairs, are the principal investigators on the grant.

Dr. Terregino; Joyce Afran, MD , assistant dean of the regional medical campus at Somerset; and Paul Weber, MD, RPh, MBA , associate dean, Continuing Medical Education , presented at the conference, including a case study, "Curriculum Enhancement to Achieve Health System Improvement,” which chronicles the implementation, successes and challenges of TeamSTEPPS within the medical school curriculum and the RWJBarnabas Health system. In addition to Dr. Terregino and Dr. Afran, the authors of the study include fourth-year students Kevin Fitzpatrick and Richard Lang ; first-year student Stephanie Latham ; Robert Like, MD, MS , professor and director, Center for Healthy Families and Cultural Diversity, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health; Karen Wei-ru Lin, MD, MS , professor and assistant dean for Global Health; and Gregory Peck, DO , assistant professor of surgery and a ssociate director, Acute Care Surgery Fellowship.

Eric B. Chandler Health Center has once again been recognized for achieving quality in providing health care services. The federal Department of Health and Human Services recognized Chandler Health Center with the 2018 Quality Improvement Award, recognizing all of the center’s staff who who play a vital role in its continuous quality improvement program.



In its award letter, the department said, “As a Health Center Quality Leader, Eric B. Chandler Health Center achieved the best overall clinical performance among all health centers, placing in the top 30 percent of the adjusted quartile rankings for Clinical Quality Measures.” Thank you and congratulations to everyone at Chandler Health Center who made this award possible. The medical school is very proud of the dedicated work you do for our community members every day! 

All students are invited to participate in the first-ever “Great Alumni Hunt” Phone-a-thon! The two-day calling period takes place at the Dean’s Conference Room in Piscataway on the following evenings:

 

Monday, Sept. 24, 6 - 8:30 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 27, 6 - 8:30 p.m.

 

We welcome students to join us on any or both of these dates. Your role will be calling alumni to ask for their email addresses and answer questions they have for students. You will NOT be asking for donations. The phone-a-thon is a great opportunity to network with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School alumni. Alumni love hearing from students!

 

Students will receive a $10 Amazon gift card and can also win other gift card prizes that evening. Dinner will be provided. FYI, students will be making these calls on their cell phones.

 

To RSVP, or for questions, email Jillian Prior, MPA, manager of alumni affairs.  

Upcoming Events at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Reminder to Save the Date for the combined Departments of Medicine and Surgery quality improvement-focused Grand Rounds on Wednesday, Sept. 26 in CAB 1302. The joint presentation by Payal Parikh, MD; Adrian Balica, MD; and Juana Hutchinson-Colas, MD, MBA , from the medical school, and Maureen Bueno, PhD, RN , senior vice president, organizational effectiveness at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, is titled "The Main Course: Bringing Everyone to the Table to Promote Safety Together."

 

I also would like to acknowledge Dr. Theodore (Ted) Eisenstat's Department of Surgery Grand Rounds presentation this past Wednesday (Sept. 12) that highlighted his 50-year career in surgery--a wonderful accomplishment!

Click here to view all upcoming CME activities.

-- Paul Weber, MD, RPh, MBA , associate dean, Continuing Medical Education

Targeted Oncology™ Launches its Latest Virtual Tumor Board on Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer -- Greg M. Riedlinger, MD, PhD -- businesswire.com

Prostate Cancer PSA Screening: Finding Clarity in Confusion --  Biren Saraiya, MD -- cinj.org

Despite Bedsharing, Indian-Americans Have Fewer Sudden Infant Deaths -- Barbara Ostfeld, PhD – sleepreviewmag.com

Presenting your first M&M conference? 5 things you need to know -- Christina Duzyj Buniak, MD, MPH -- AMA Wire

Dr. Denalee O'Malley on Follow-Up Care for Cancer Survivors -- ajmc.com

14 Surprising Things You Shouldn’t Do if You Have the Flu -- Patricia Whitley-Williams, MD

-- Reader’s Digest



New Tools and Facilities Greet Students, Faculty and Alumni this Fall -- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School -- jerseytribune.com , among others

As Anderson takes reins of RWJ-Rutgers medical group, he aims to train top pros … and keep them in N.J. -- Andy Anderson, MD -- ROI-NJ.com

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