Alumni @ UMDNJ

Full and Part-time Positions Working with Veterans

2011-11-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

If you have relatives or friends who’ve served in the military or have worked with veterans, they may be interested in rewarding work available helping men and women who’ve served in the military. UMDNJ’s highly regarded peer-to-peer veterans helpline is actively searching for compassionate men and women to be trained for both full- and part-time positions as peer support counselors.

The helpline is an innovative support system for veterans returning from military service and attempting to resume their civilian lives. Many encounter challenges with this transition – such as mental health, financial, marital, employment issues – that they can address effectively with the confidential support of peer veterans or others with appropriate experience.

If you know someone who may be interested, encourage them to check the job requirements and apply online at

umdnj.hodesiq.com/ by entering Job Number 11PS917151.

An Artist in the OR

2011-11-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

Anthony Berlet, MD '86
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School

Anthony Berlet approaches his specialty—plastic surgery—with the passion of an artist. A trained architect, he specializes in the structure of the human body rather than a building. His creations are the planes of the face, the contour of a nose, the reconstruction of a breast. His materials are skin, bone and tissue; his tools are scalpels, clamps, lasers and probes.

As an undergraduate, Berlet majored in architecture in addition to pre-med. He classifies plastic surgery into two types of procedures: those that can be taught, like breast augmentation and tummy tuck; and the more creative three-dimensional procedures, such as rhinoplasty and breast reconstruction, “which are like sculpting.”

He’s illustrated and written many medical textbooks, and in 2009, was asked to curate an exhibition of plastic surgery: “I Am Art—An Expression of the Visual and Artistic Process of Plastic Surgery.” As curator, Berlet selected his own work and that of three colleagues, including photos and videos taken before, during and after surgery. When asked how he does it all, the physician smiles. “I don’t know,” he says. “I wake up every morning with so many great ideas. I just want to make it all happen.”

Recognition for Nursing Alum

2011-08-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Cathie Jones, RN, MSN
UMDNJ-School of Nursing ’08

As a finalist in the teaching category of the 2011 Greater Philadelphia/Tri-State Nurse Excellence Awards, sponsored by Nursing Spectrum magazine, Cathie Jones, a graduate of the Master of Science in Nursing program in Mental Health, was among the 30 finalists recognized for the extraordinary contributions nurses make to their patients, other nurses, and the community.

Jones was singled out for her work as a clinical adviser, liaison and resource to the clinical staff at Kennedy’s Health System’s Behavioral Health Services in Cherry Hill, where she serves as clinical director. With a focus on patient safety and clinical excellence, she has taken a leadership role in several key initiatives, including patient safety rounds, behavioral health’s personal assessment/patient search procedure (aimed at identifying potentially dangerous items), and the establishment of the Tier 1 Alert psychiatric emergency response team that has resulted in a substantial reduction in behavioral disturbances within the hospital setting.

Earlier this year, she was the recipient of a quality award at Kennedy for her leadership role in developing and implementing the Tier 1 Alert program.

Meet Gabby Giffords' Doctor

2011-08-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

Gerard Francisco, MD, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '94

His training at NJMS, UMDNJ-University Hospital (UH), and Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation prepared Gerard Francisco, MD, for almost anything but especially helping U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords recover from her gunshot wound. When Francisco learned that he’d be leading the team responsible for Representative Giffords’ physical therapy at TIRR Memorial Hospital in Houston, TX, he was surprised but not overwhelmed. “I’ve had high-profile patients before,” he says. At TIRR, one of the premier brain injury treatment centers in the country, Francisco is the chief medical officer of the Brain Injury and Stroke Program as well as Chair and Clinical Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Medical School.

Francisco graduated from medical school in the Philippines and at first, he thought he wanted a career in hematology and oncology. He soon discovered that he was more interested in physical medicine and rehabilitation and under Joel DeLisa, MD’s mentorship at UMDNJ, he flourished in the NJMS Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and at UH. “Here was a Level 1 trauma center. The doctors treating traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries were doing an excellent job and were just as committed to education and research as they were to caring for patients. In a sense, we were taking the disabled and making them abled.” When dealing with the press, he walks a fine line now trying to provide appropriate information without violating privacy rules.” But Francisco reports that Giffords is doing very well and he’s proud of the work he and his colleagues have done. He completed the two year residency at UMDNJ-NJMS in 1994 — where he was chief resident that last year — went off to Texas, and returned to New Jersey to become Director of the Brain Injury Program at Kessler before being lured back south to TIRR Memorial Hospital. “Every day I am grateful for the training I received at UMDNJ. Dr. DeLisa was a great mentor and he’s become a good personal friend.”

Road Trip Circa 1959

2011-06-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

Roger Cracco, MD, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School ’60
Leo Pisculli, MD, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School ’60

Nowadays, med students can take virtual road trips on the internet to “see” where they might want to spend their futures. Back in the summer of 1959, Cracco and Pisculli, members of the charter class, then Seton Hall College of Medicine, had no such luck. “Roger and I drove across the country to check out all the great medical centers before we made decisions regarding internships,” says Pisculli, a neuro-psychiatrist. In Cracco’s 1956 Buick, “We started out in June, the same day I got my driver’s license and our first stop was the American Medical Association convention in Atlantic City.” The cost of gas, food, and motels was so low that they could eat breakfast, have dinner at a restaurant and sleep for about $300 the entire summer. “Of course, we stayed in places that charged $2 to $4 a night,” Pisculli recalls.

“It was a real Lewis and Clark expedition,” remembers Cracco, vice-dean of the College of Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Neurology. Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Little Rock and Los Angeles were all stops on their journey. Pisculli says, “I was most impressed with Los Angeles County Hospital, a 3,000 bed facility at the time. For me the trip was a great transition from being a student to becoming a doctor and it opened my eyes to the world beyond the shores of the Hudson River. I went west to that Los Angeles hospital and never came back.” Cracco stayed true to the east coast choosing a Philadelphia hospital first before landing in Brooklyn.

Author Explores Surviving Cancer

2011-06-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Roger B. Granet, MD, FAPA
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '74

Working with cancer patients and their loved ones and educating medical students, residents and fellows are Roger Granet’s true passions in life, along with his love of writing. Over the years, he has published a number of poems in oncology journals, and he has been the editor of the Dell Mental Health Series, a compilation of 10 books that began publication in 1999.

This prolific author and editor blends cutting edge academic psychiatry with years of empathic clinical practice. He has published more than 20 books, including “If You Think You Have Depression” and “Surviving Cancer Emotionally.” He is also the co-author of “Why Am I Up, Why Am I Down?: Understanding Bipolar Disorder” and “If You Think You Have Depression.” Both have been translated into Polish and Spanish editions.

In 2001, he wrote “Surviving Cancer Emotionally: Learning How to Heal,” which led him to establish The Center for Psychiatry and Psycho-Oncology to deal directly with this issue.
Granet is a consulting psychiatrist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; a clinical professor of psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University; a lecturer of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; and an attending physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Morristown Memorial Hospital. He maintains private practices in both New York City and Morristown, New Jersey. “My bottom line is this: I will do anything I can to help those with cancer.”

Drowning Prevention

2011-05-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

Peter Wernicki, MD
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School ’84

Peter Wernicki, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, gave the keynote address at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention on May 10 in Vietnam. He is medical advisor to the International Life Saving Federation and a member of the American Red Cross advisory council on first aid, aquatics, safety and preparedness.

A native New Jerseyan, he worked as a lifeguard at the Jersey shore as a young man. “Most of a lifeguard's work is preventing drowning, not saving people from drowning, which they also do. If you are a lifeguard and make a whole lot of rescues, you probably aren't doing your job,” he states.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, he is the son of a pharmacist who served in the Medical Corps in an evacuation hospital during World War II. “My father’s amazing stories of what went on in surgery fascinated me. I always knew I wanted to be a surgeon,” Wernicki says. He and his wife, Joanne, a radiologist, practice in Vero Beach, FL.

Wernicki explains that 95 percent of the drownings in the world are in underdeveloped countries, where there are no lifeguards and there is not a culture of swimming. Even in Florida, he says, drowning is the second-leading cause of death in those younger than 15.

“Teaching people how to swim and having them teach others is a low-cost remedy,” he advises. “We have to get the knowledge out.”

Where Family Medicine Matters

2011-05-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

Theodore A. DaCosta, Sr., MD, ’60
Theodore DaCosta, Jr., MD, ’89
John DaCosta, MD,’91
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School

and
Judith DaCosta, PhD, UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences ’91

In the DaCosta family, medicine matters very much. Father, mother, sons, daughters, daughter- and son-in-law, and a grandson are all following in the family footsteps, and many can thank UMDNJ. Eighty-year-old Dr. DaCosta, Sr, who still practices gastroenterology part-time in Orange, NJ, says, “In an afternoon, we’ll sometimes see 50 patients.” His wife, Johanne DaCosta, RN, is “the life support of the practice.” Oldest son Ted, Jr., says that all of them have chosen this career path because of “the passion for patients we learned from our parents.” Second son John spent last year in an area of Kentucky where the nearest gastroenterologist was hundreds of miles away but he’s back now. His wife, Judith, who veered just slightly away from the MD route, earned her doctorate in microbiology at UMDNJ and daughter Anna Maria is an MD who jumped states and went to the University of Pennsylvania where she met her husband, John Choi, an MD as well as a PhD. John’s wife, Maryann, is also an RN who has been a part of the family practice. Youngest daughter, Nancy Giten, PhD, is a clinical psychologist at Hahneman University and in private practice. Even grandson Teddy is a pre-med major at Seton Hall University. (In photo: Ted Sr., Johanne, Ted Jr., Teddy and Nancy DaCosta Giten)

Ted Sr. believes that being in the charter class of 1960 prepared him for almost anything on the job – and in family life too. “By the time I graduated I had already delivered more than 100 babies.” What’s next for this long line of healthcare-givers? Collaborating on a weight reduction center that will combine nutrition and exercise interventions with endoscopic and bariatric surgery. “Obesity is one of the most serious problems facing healthcare today,” says Ted Jr. To get in touch, email tdacosta1@comcast.net.

One of Six RWJ Foundation Fellows

2011-05-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Echezona Ezeanolue, MD, MPH
UMDNJ-School of Public Health,’05

Last year, Echezona Ezeanolue was one of only six physicians selected nationwide to serve as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow by the Institute of Medicine. He is currently spending the 2010-2011 term in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.

Before his fellowship, he was director of pediatric research and associate professor of pediatrics and public health at the University of Nevada’s School of Medicine.

“I joined the faculty after completing my fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases in the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in 2005,” he explains. “At the same time, I graduated with an MPH degree in Epidemiology from the School of Public Health. That was a very busy year.”

Honor for World War II Vet

2011-05-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Maurice Meyers, MD,’60

UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School

Sixty years after serving in the U.S. Army in France, Maurice Meyers was one of 19 World War II veterans to be appointed a chevalier (French for knight) of the Legion of Honor by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The ceremony was held on November 11, Veterans Day, at the Lycée Français in New York City.

While the award is generally reserved for French nationals, it is sometimes given to foreigners. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, General David Petraeus, Julia Childs, and Miles Davis are among the other Americans given this honor. The letter Meyers received says: “This prestigious distinction underlines the deep appreciation and gratitude for your contribution to the liberation of our country during World War II. We will never forget the commitment of American heroes like you to whom France owes so much.” He also earned the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart from the U.S. Army.

This is a red banner year for Meyers: His first book, entitled Reflections on My War, was recently published by Bluewood Publishing Ltd. Meyers, who lives in Watchung with his wife of 61 years, Ruth, earned his MD from NJMS in 1960 and worked for 40 years as an attending physician at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield. He has two children and a grandson.

ACD Fellowship for NJDS Alum

2011-03-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

Howard Ehrenkranz, DMD
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '72

Howard Ehrenkranz was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists last fall in Orlando, in recognition of his contributions, leadership, and fine example as a professional person.

In addition, Ehrenkranz is one of only seven general dentists worldwide to receive fellowship status in the Academy of Osseointegration, an international dental implant organization with just 90 fellows among its 5,600 members He is also a fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, and a member of the Academy of Periodontology, the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Northeastern Gnathological Society. He serves as a full attending in the Department of Dentistry at St. Barnabas Medical Center. He has also been appointed to the North American Corporate Advisory Board of Nobel Biocare, the world’s leading dental implant company.

Ehrenkranz has lectured and published internationally on the subject of dental implants, including his paper in the January 2008 Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, “Complete-Arch Maxillary Rehabilitation using a Custom-Designed and Manufactured Framework: A Clinical Report” and his 2002 Quintessence of Dental Technology article, “The Incorporation of Teeth into the Full-Arch Implant Reconstruction.” He maintains a full-time family and restorative dental practice in Livingston, New Jersey. He has been recognized as a New Jersey Monthly Top Dentist for the last four years, one of only two general dentists in the state to be so honored.

Johnson Named NJMS Dean

2011-03-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Robert L. Johnson, MD

New Jersey Medical School '72

President William F. Owen, Jr., announced this week the appointment of Robert L. Johnson, MD, FAAP, as the Sharon and Joseph L. Muscarelle Endowed Dean at New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Johnson has been interim dean since 2005. Dean Johnson is the first alumnus to serve as the school’s leader. A member of the NJMS graduating class of 1972, he did his residency at Martland Hospital in Newark, then the principal teaching hospital for the medical school. After a two year research fellowship in adolescent medicine at New York University Medical Center, he returned to NJMS as an assistant professor in 1976.

His clinical expertise and research focus on adolescent physical and mental health, especially adolescent HIV and AIDS. Dean Johnson currently chairs the Governor’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and Related Blood Borne Pathogens and the Newark Ryan White Planning Council. He is a board member of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academies of Science and member of the Community Prevention Task Force of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

He has served as president of the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners, chair of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Council on Graduate Medical Education, a member of the National Council of the National Institute of Mental Health and member of the NIH AIDS Research Council.

Alum Heads UMDNJ Board

2011-03-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Kevin Barry, MD, MBA
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School ’87

The first alum to claim the top leadership position at UMDNJ, the nation’s largest public health science university, is Kevin Barry, a confident, calm, successful anesthesiologist at Morristown Memorial Hospital who was first appointed to the University’s Board of Trustees in 2007 by then Governor Jon Corzine. Last September, current Governor Chris Christie gave him the top spot on the Board. “It is both a privilege and an honor, especially returning to the Stanley S. Bergen Building which I still reflexively refer to as Martland Hospital.”

In an interview for the winter 2011 issue of Pulse magazine, Barry recalled completing his clinical rotations a few floors below the Board’s offices in the building that was once a hospital. “I received a set of vaccines here before heading off to Kenya for a medical mission,” he adds. “This is home. I’ve come full circle.” Barry was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in biochemistry from Rutgers in 1983 and interned at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before going for his anesthesia residency at The New York Hospital and Hospital for Special Surgery. He also received his MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business in 1995. A member of the Board of Directors at UMDNJ-University Hospital, president of Anesthesia Associates of Morristown since 1994, and on the healthcare transition team for the Christie administration, he believes, “This University is positioned to make greater strides towards becoming a national leader in health education and research.”

Plenty of Stamina

2011-02-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

Marjorie Jones, MD, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School ’60

Fifty years ago, when she started medical school at Seton Hall College of Medicine, which is now NJMS, Marjorie Jones’s male classmates told her she was taking a spot that should have gone to a man. “All we women – there were nine out of a class of eighty – were going to do was get married and have children. We were never going to practice medicine.” She can laugh about this now, especially because she is still practicing pediatrics.

Born in Harlem, this mother of three, who married just before residency, opened her own practice in 1966 and still works from her home in Bergen County four days a week. In addition, Jones runs a clinic at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck for children whose parents can’t afford medical care, is on staff at Englewood Hospital and serves as physician for the Hackensack school system. “I cover five elementary schools and one middle school, doing physicals, testing and immunizations.” She even found time and energy to go to Haiti last year on a medical mission. “There was so much trauma there.” Still in love with medicine after all these years, she says, “I have plenty of stamina.” Those poor guys back in 1956 had no idea who they were dealing with.

Bringing Dead Science Writing to Life

2011-01-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

James Netterwald, PhD
UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, ’05

Two roads diverged in his professional world and James Netterwald decided to take the path less traveled by scientists with PhDs in microbiology and molecular biology. He spent six years earning that doctorate from GSBS in Newark and working in a research laboratory. After graduation, he decided that life in the lab was not exactly his final destination. “My new career was born out of a desire to live the life of a college professor without having to obtain a fulltime faculty position. I wanted to perform life science research without having to write grants…but I wanted to spend the lion’s share of my time writing articles, and books,” he admits.

So, with his new doctorate in hand, Netterwald took his first professional writing job as an associate medical director at Medical Knowledge Group in New York and a year later, left to pursue an editorial position at a pharmaceutical trade publication called Drug Discovery & Development magazine. In April 2009, he founded BioPharmaComm, LLC, to provide writing, editing and consulting services to life science industries.

“My clients include science trade publications, medical education, pharma-biotech and public relations companies. As a seasoned writer and editor, I know what it takes to clearly communicate science to the world,” he says. “I can bring previously dead, ineffective writing back to life.” Even a quick reading of Netterwald’s sample stories posted on his website, http:www.nasw.org/users/netterjr/ demonstrates his ability to make scientific topics soar journalistically. Imagine a story about polymerase chain reaction (PCR), for instance. Netterwald invites readers with the question: “Was Kerry Mullis insanely brilliant or brilliantly insane?” Everything from epigenetics to autism and neuroimaging receive this expert treatment.

Last October, an essay by Netterwald titled “Back to the Lab” and published in The Scientist, Magazine of the Life Sciences, caught our attention. This science-writer missed that life in the lab. “I was told that it couldn’t be done – a writer could never return to the lab after a five-year hiatus. Part of me wanted to prove them wrong,” he explained in his published piece. And he did. Netterwald has been doing research in the laboratory of William Ward, PhD, a Rutgers University professor and president of a small biotechnology company, Brighter Ideas, Inc, specializing in the production of antibodies against green fluorescent protein. “I’m a visiting scientist. Returning to the lab is possible; it just takes a little adjusting.” But he’s also a writer and entrepreneur, proving that it is possible to choose more than one professional road. To reach Netterwald, email: james.netterwald@yahoo.com

Moving Up, Moving On

2010-12-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

Peter J. Pappas, MD, FACS

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '87

Kudos to Peter J. Pappas on his recent appointment to the position of chair of the Department of Surgery at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, the 653–bed, Brooklyn academic and clinical affiliate of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Following his graduation from RWMS, Pappas completed an internship and residency in surgery at Cooper Hospital University Medical Center in Camden and subspecialty training in vascular surgery at New Jersey Medical School, where he served on the faculty for 15 years. He was a professor in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, and served as residency program director for the general surgery residency program and the vascular surgery residency. He was also director of the Division of Vascular Surgery and the Vascular Laboratory.

The author of more than 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts, Pappas is a member of the New Jersey Vascular Society, Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society, American Venous Forum, Society for Vascular Surgery, American Association for Vascular Surgery, and the Eastern Vascular Society. He is the current president of the American Venous Forum, a nationally and internationally recognized society dedicated to improving the care of patients with venous and lymphatic disorders.

Big Talker Takes Action

2010-12-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Anthony J. Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '02

Anthony Mazzarelli, or “Dr. Mazz” as he is known to his radio audience, is the host of his own program on CBS Radio’s The Big Talker, 1210 AM in Philadelphia, where he offers all sides of major issues and current events of interest to his radio fans. He has impressive qualifications: in addition to his MD, he graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and earned a Master’s Degree from the Penn’s Center for Bioethics in 2003. But more than talk, there’s plenty of action. Mazzarelli is the Medical Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Cooper University Hospital in Camden as well as an of-counsel attorney with Long and Marmero, LLC in South Jersey.

Earlier this year Cooper sent a medical team to Haiti within days of the earthquake, headed by Mazzarelli. The team of 18 healthcare professionals, a mixture of physicians, nurses, and technicians, took care of hundreds of patients at three different locations and led the transformation of a Haitian orphanage into a fully functional transfer hospital.

In 2002, Mazzarelli was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce for his work in starting a clinic for uninsured patients in Camden as an RWJMS student. Last year, Philadelphia Magazine recognized Mazzarelli as one of the area’s Top Physicians Under 40. This year, he was named one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Most Talented, and was awarded the South Jersey Young Professional’s Association Halo Award.

Academic Leadership for PA

2010-11-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

William Kohlhepp, PA'79

UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions Physician Assistant Program

William Kohlhepp of North Haven, Connecticut, was appointed associate dean of the School of Health Sciences at Quinnipiac University. Kohlhepp, who joined the faculty of the Physician Assistant Program at Quinnipiac in 1996 and holds the title of associate professor of physician assistant studies, has held several leadership positions across campus, including chair of the Faculty Senate. He continues to maintain his clinical expertise in occupational health and has been active in both the state and national physician assistant organizations. In 2000, Kohlhepp served as president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. In 2006, he served as chairman of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Nursing School Grad Heads Hospital

2010-10-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Deborah Zastocki, RN, DNP

UMDNJ-School of Nursing '08

Deborah Zastocki, president and CEO of Chilton Memorial Hospital, was named one of New Jersey’s 2010 Best 50 Women in Business by NJBIZ. An administrator, nurse, teacher, and author, she has been commended for transforming the hospital's financial performance in her first year as CEO and implementing organizational strategies that dramatically impacted employee satisfaction.

She began her nursing career in 1974. Zastocki was a member of UMDNJ-School of Nursing’s first Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduating class in 2008 and received the doctoral student Excellence Award for Outstanding Academic Performance.
She came to Chilton as vice-president of patient care services in 1990 and became the hospital's CEO and Chief Nurse Executive in 2000.

In 2002, she was elected president of the Association of Health Care Executives of New Jersey (AHENJ). With the organization's backing, she worked closely with graduate schools to provide education, networking and mentoring opportunities to new and prospective health care leaders. In 2005, she was presented with the AHENJ Annual Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her significant contribution to, and impact on, healthcare in New Jersey and the field of healthcare in general.In addition to her duties as Chilton’s President and CEO, Zastocki has served on the boards of numerous community and professional organizations, including the New Jersey Hospital Association Policy Development Committee and the American College of Healthcare Executives Programs, Products & Services Committee; taught a graduate course at William Paterson University on leadership styles, conflict management, team building, and ethical and legal issues; and contributed to nursing textbooks and co-authored Home Care: A Technical Manual for the Professional Nurse and Home Care: Patient and Family Instructions. An advocate for women, she speaks with and mentors women in the community on career development, professional growth and work-life balance.

A Marriage Made at RWJMS

2010-10-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

Vanita Kamath Braver, MD
Joel Braver, MD
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '91

Vanita Braver is the psychiatric medical director at Bonnie Brae, a residential treatment center for adolescent boys, located in Liberty Corner, New Jersey. She completed her psychiatric training at Cornell’s New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

A nationally renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist, Braver is often called upon to offer her expertise on topics related to children and parents. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Child Magazine and Parents Magazine. She is
also the best-selling author of a children’s picture book series, called “Teach Your Children Well,” designed to teach important life lessons about values and to serve as a positive teaching tool for parents and educators. “Writing these books was a natural extension of who I am and what I do. I was inspired by the child within me, but more so by my work as a child psychiatrist and mother of three children.”

She is married to Joel Braver, a radiation oncologist at Steeplechase Cancer Center at Somerset Medical Center, who also has a private practice in Somerville. He was listed as a Top Doc in the 2009 spring issue of Inside Jersey Magazine. They met as medical students in1987.

The bottom line for Vanita Braver is that she loves all her roles — wife, mother, psychiatrist, educator and author — and feels passionate about each of them. “If you really want to do something, the key is to have your priorities straight,” she says, “Have support, and maintain balance.” Both doctors note that over the years, they have learned not to strive for perfection but to define success on their own terms.

Baltimore's New Health Commissioner

2010-09-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Oxiris Barbot, MD
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School

Baltimore’s mayor announced in early July that the city’s next health commissioner would be Oxiris Barbot, who has served for seven years as medical director of New York City’s Office of School Health. As head of the program, which was run jointly by the health and education departments, she was in charge of implementing health policy in the nation’s largest school system. While there, she created an electronic medical records system for more than a million students.

Barbot, who began her life in the South Bronx projects and is fluent in Spanish, graduated from Yale before coming to UMDNJ and did a pediatric residency at George Washington University/Children’s National Medical Center.

Finding his Passion

2010-09-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

Shaum Kabadi, PhD, MPH '09
UMDNJ-School of Public Health

Shaum Kabadi discovered his research passion while using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] cross-sectional data to look at the relationships between specific vitamins and minerals and the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
A biochemistry major as an undergrad, Kabadi took a different route at SPH, where he focused on epidemiology. He says that studying associations at a population- based level is likely to have larger implications in the future.

Although his current coursework consumes most of his time — he is working on a PhD at Drexel University — Kabadi is working with data from NHANES to assess the effect of obesity on diabetic peripheral neuropathy risk. Collaborating with a neurologist, he hopes to publish this research soon. His ultimate goal is a position with the Chronic Disease Department of the Centers for Disease Control as a practicing epidemiologist.

An Aspirin A Day

2010-09-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Edward J. Petrus, MD

UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '66

Every graduate of NJMS this May received a gift from Edward Petrus: a copy of his book about aspirin called Aspirin, The Golden Pill. This board-certified ophthalmologist who received training in neurology lives in Austin, TX, chose aspirin because it’s the most popular drug in the world. “There are about 29,000 research and medical articles on aspirin but I felt there was a need for a concise review of the uses and consideration for taking aspirin,” he explains. Petrus is more than a physician-author, however. This doctor invented and patented Fasprin, a low-dose aspirin tablet that dissolves quickly in the mouth, gets into the bloodstream within five minutes and avoids irritation to the stomach. “Rapid absorption is important when you are having a heart attack or stroke,” he says. Long-term use of aspirin may double the chance of living a healthy life into your 90s, according to Petrus. “When you swallow an aspirin tablet, it sits in the rugae of the stomach, causing ulcerations and possible bleeding. All swallowed tablets are absorbed by the liver with only about half the drug reaching circulation. I am currently working on other analgesics to be orally absorbed.”

Petrus, who founded Advanced Medical Instruments and Nobel Laboratories, holds 13 patents and will soon be awarded a 14th. His inventions and products are as varied as topical ibuprofen cream, insect repellent, sun screen and a computer-generated program that determines an individual’s dietary supplement profile. “I file patent and trademark applications and prosecute them myself,” he says.After graduating from NJMS and completing an internship in San Francisco, Petrus became a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Later, his residency in ophthalmology took him to Temple, TX. “I was in private practice in Texas for years and taught laser surgery until my retirement which was when I started developing medical products. As an ophthalmologist, I had the honor of operating on my grandmother and aunt for cataract surgery.” Feel free to get in touch: DRPETRUS@NOBELLABS.COM

Keeping Athletes in the Game

2010-08-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

F. Kennedy Gordon, MD
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '87

Sports have certainly been a prime factor in Dr. F. Kennedy Gordon’s life-plan. The “Elite” in the name of his company, Gordon Elite Sports Medicine, P.C. was inspired by his father-in-law, Charles Biot, who played as a centerfielder with the Newark Eagles, New York Black Yankees and Baltimore “Elite” Giants of the Negro Leagues from 1939 to 1941, when Word War II cut short his athletic career. “My father-in-law was integral to the struggle of African-Americans to be accepted as professional athletes,” Gordon states proudly.

Following his graduation from NJMS, Gordon completed a four-year Internal Medicine residency at Newark’s UMDNJ-University Hospital, followed by a year as Chief Medical Resident at East Orange Veterans Administration Medical Center. It was in 1992, during his Sports Medicine fellowship at Kaiser Permanente in California, that he became interested in acupuncture to alleviate pain and return athletes to the field quicker. He advanced his knowledge by studying medical acupuncture at New York Medical College, and in 1999, he established Gordon Elite Sports Medicine in Union, NJ, where he incorporates acupuncture into many of his treatments.

In 2000, Gordon was honored with an invitation to be a staff physician at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY, where athletes were preparing for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In 2002, his expertise was recognized again when the NY Giants football team hired him to treat their players. Since that time Dr. Gordon currently treats many members of different teams in the NFL. He is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and the Medical Director for the NJ division of USA Tae Kwon Do. He is also a competitive USA Track and Field Masters runner, specializing in the 400 meters.

At NJMS, Gordon was mentored by Dr. Robert Johnson, now acting dean, “who had a big impact on me.” He shares his own life-philosophy with high school and college athletes under his medical care: “Focus on what’s important—faith, family, schooling, and thinking outside the box. Be clear on your personal route to happiness.” His own education, he says, has prepared him to do exactly what he wants to do.

Gender, Race and Healthcare

2010-08-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Dawne Harris Mouzon, MPH
UMDNJ-School of Public Health ’04

Dawne Mouzon will defend her doctoral dissertation in August 2010. Her undergraduate double-major in psychology and Africana Studies set the stage for her future academic and career paths. While studying for her MPH, she served as a graduate assistant for the Center for State Health Policy, and, after graduating from SPH, worked for three years as a research associate at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School/University Hospital, where she helped design and supervise community-based research projects for the Division of Academic Medicine, Geriatrics, and Community Programs. She co-authored five journal articles during that time.
In 2006, Mouzon returned to school at Rutgers to pursue a PhD in sociology. She examined how notions of masculinity affect healthcare seeking behaviors among middle-age men and how socioeconomic factors play into this. She also began researching the effect of race in mental health.

In 2008, Mouzon was awarded a two-year American Sociological Association/National Institutes for Mental Health Minority Fellowship; and in 2009, she won the Mental Health Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems’ Graduate Student Paper Competition for her research on the effect of race and gender on marital status and mental health. She found that marriage has a strong protective effect on the mental health of white men and white women, but that for black men and black women, the positive effect is weaker, or nonexistent.

For her dissertation, Mouzon studied the largest paradox in mental health literature: why African-Americans generally have better health outcomes than whites. She examined two of the most common attributions for this paradox in past literature—the quality and quantity of family and church relationships. She found that these relationships did little to explain the race paradox in mental health. Next, she plans to assess the extent to which the race paradox in mental health can be attributed to cultural bias in measurement tools.

Mouzon’s future plans include further exploring how race, gender and social class affect social relationships and health outcomes. Following her two-year National Institute for Mental Health-funded fellowship at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University—beginning this fall—she will seek a faculty position at a major research university.

Premies at Risk from Plastics in Medical Devices

2010-08-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

Anna M. Vetrano, PhD
UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences '02

Anna M. Vetrano, an adjunct assistant professor in the RWJMS Department of Pediatrics, is the lead author of a study identifying a direct link between phthalates (the substances that make plastics more pliable and durable) and inflammation in newborns. The exposure of premature infants to phthalates is particularly high since many tubes and catheters are used in their care. The study was published in the August 2010 issue of the journal Pediatric Research.
The study suggests that high exposure to phthalates might contribute to the development of serious inflammatory diseases in premature infants. “Many of the diseases unique to premature babies, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic lung disorder, and necrotizing enterocolitis, an intestinal ailment, are triggered by, or associated with, excessive inflammation,” she explained.

The researcher and her colleagues compared the effects of phthalate exposure on neutrophils from newborn infants and adults. The normal role of neutrophils is to help fight infections by promoting inflammation. In their research, the team found that the neutrophils of newborns were more affected by phthalates than the neutrophils of adults.

Prompted by these findings, the research team is conducting a clinical study that will examine babies’ exposure to phthalates through the placenta during pregnancy. This study will measure the concentration of phthalates and other environmental toxins in the urine of pregnant women during mid- to late-pregnancy and analyze their effects in the cord blood of the babies.

Because of concerns about potentially damaging effects of phthalate exposure, many U.S. hospitals have started phasing out the use of phthalate-containing tubes and catheters. "Understanding the inflammatory effects of phthalates in neonates may support efforts to limit the use of phthalate-containing medical devices in their care," Vetrano states.

International AIDS Award for Whitescarver

2010-08-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Jack Whitescarver, PhD
UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences '74

During the closing session of the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna , Austria, on July 23, Jack Whitescarver became the first-ever recipient of the International AIDS Society Presidential Award for his outstanding commitment to the global fight against HIV/AIDS and his pioneering work in the field.

The award recognizes the achievements of an individual with a long history of leadership and excellence as a pioneer or advocate at the forefront of the response to HIV and AIDS and highlights an individual's contribution to increased knowledge, skills, creative solutions or evidence-based policies and programs to enhance the global response to AIDS.

Whitescarver serves as both the NIH Associate Director for AIDS Research and as Director of the Office of AIDS Research. He earned his doctorate degree in medical microbiology from GSBS, followed by post-doctoral research at the Harvard School of Public Health. In 1977, he completed a year in the NIH Grants Associates Program. Upon completion of the program, he had 15 job offers—the record number. He started his NIH career as Special Assistant to the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He was on assignment in 1981 in Los Angeles when the first cluster of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was identified and recognized as bizarre and unusual. He helped develop the initial federal response for research on HIV/AIDS.

In 1988, Whitescarver was recruited as the Deputy Director of the newly established Office of AIDS Research at the NIH under Anthony Fauci. He served as Acting Director of the OAR from October 2000 until June 2002, when he was named its permanent Director. During his tenure, he has launched visionary domestic and international research and training initiatives to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

One of Only Two

2010-08-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Debbie Salas-Lopez, MD, MPH

UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '96

Pursuing her dream has taken Debbie Salas-Lopez to heights she never dreamed possible. In June 2009 she was named chair of Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) Department of Medicine. She’s one of only two Latina chairs of medicine in the U.S., according to data from the American Association of Medical Colleges, and also associate chief medical officer for LVHN.

How did a young girl from the housing projects of the south Bronx find her way to medical school? It’s a Cinderella story. Growing up, she’d always wanted to help people, just like her father, a minister. She got an associate’s degree in medical technology from a community college, then went to college at night for nine years to obtain her bachelor’s in biology. When her family decided to buy a home in New Jersey, she obtained her real estate license and worked full-time as a Realtor before enrolling at New Jersey Medical School at the age of 38. “I was pretty good at selling real estate and it helped pay the bills,” she says with a laugh. “But I knew I wanted more.”

Graduating at the top of her class, she remained on the faculty at NJMS for several years, becoming the Department of Medicine’s division chief of academic medicine. Along the way she found time to get a master’s degree in health administration and public policy. She was recruited by Lehigh Valley three years ago, partially because of her commitment to community service and helping the underserved. She’s backed policy aimed at reducing inequities in healthcare and improving cultural competency. Salas-Lopez is the principal investigator for a $2 million National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Center program grant awarded to LVHN. She's also a professor of medicine for the College of Medicine at the University of South Florida in the LVHN/University of South Florida affiliation.

Salas-Lopez still sees patients once a week at the hospital. “That’s where I feel the pulse of our community, hear the needs of our patients and get ideas for the future,” she says.

For Kids' Sake

2010-07-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Neil Izenberg, MD

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '72

The founder and chief executive of KidsHealth, Neil Izenberg is a pediatrician who remembers when patient education consisted of a quick conversation and a Xeroxed piece of paper. Those days are gone and he should know. KidsHealth.org is the number one most visited website about children’s health both in English and Spanish with almost 200 million visits a year. “Hundreds of organizations around the nation use the healthcare content we develop for their websites,” he says. Also chief executive of The Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media and a board-certified pediatrician at the Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, Izenberg says, “Thanks to digital interactive media, families are much more empowered and active, routinely learning about their health, making decisions, and participating in their care.” KidsHealth develops a wide range of print projects, creates software and other communication applications and works with organizations like Sesame Street Workshop, the NBA, Cheerios and the Michael Phelps Foundation developing family-friendly, health media about children. “One particularly exciting long-term project we’re involved in is the development of almost 200 short information-packed video programs about a wide range of important health conditions that parents and kids can see at their hospital bedside or at home.”

Back in the sixties, Izenberg, who is also a professor at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia now, was considering a PhD in anthropology at Columbia before going with the MD program at RWJMS. “I always had an interest in communications and messaging,” he explains. “During my residency, I was struck by the examples of great and less-than-great doctor-family communication.” Along with a child psychologist colleague at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, he began to tape patient-resident interactions to help future pediatricians understand how their words and actions affect families and children. His focus on media and teaching has made him a better clinician, he believes. Izenberg has even co-authored children’s board games including Not So Scary Things, for kids ages 4 to 8, and has collaborated with famous actors like Lynn Redgrave. “There were a lot of crazy moments during those early video production days. I had a helicopter land on the hospital roof for a dramatic newborn scene straight out of ER. That may have been a little over the top.”

His Baby Talk for new parents became a best-selling program and has won numerous awards. “I regularly look back to my days at RWJMS. I owe them a great deal of thanks for admitting an anthropology major. That was unusual at the time.” He recalls Chris Hansen, MD, who died just this past year at age 77. He was a professor with “the right sense of wacky humor who helped me understand that you can — and should — follow your passion. Chris was a great model of caring, creativity and courage. I’m a lucky guy.” To touch base with Izenberg, email: izenberg@KidsHealth.org.

Multiple Areas of Expertise

2010-07-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Ellen D. Mandel, DMH, PA, RD
UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions
Dietetic Internship '80; Physician Assistant Program, '96

Ellen D. Mandel graduated twice from SHRP—from the Dietetic Internship Program and from the Physician Assistant Program—and also earned a DMH (Doctor of Medical Humanities) from Drew University in 2007. While her 30 years in healthcare include work as a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and hospital administrator, she currently weaves her multiple areas of expertise into a career educating future PAs while “moonlighting” in a large multispecialty physician practice. She also publishes articles on an array of topics including nutrition, behavioral medicine, alternative and complementary medicine, and endocrine disorders.

Google CliniciansCME on the Web to become more conversant on dietary supplements, their possibly good and potentially hurtful effects—in a module authored by Mandel—or read her national Paragon Writing Award-winning article (winning the award in the photo above) published recently in the peer-reviewed PA journal, JAAPA, on the “many faces of fifth disease.” This “Distinguished Faculty of the American Academy of Physician Assistants” (2009) truly seems to have a Renaissance scope. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled “The mythic image of the American physician,” calls for a return to more humanistic patient care by “stressing patients’ narratives” in medical education and helping new doctors recognize the validity of patients’ “emotions of pain and sadness.”

She still finds time to travel (to more than 30 countries) and to spend time with family. Scotland is on the horizon. Becoming a PA, she says, was “among the best decisions of my life.”

Fighting Fires, Saving Lives

2010-07-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ray Estrada, RN
UMDNJ-School of Nursing ‘02

Says registered nurse Ray Estrada after completing five medical missions to Central America: “Nothing makes me feel better than helping people. It’s addictive.”

As a full-time firefighter with the Perth Amboy Fire Department, he’s had plenty of opportunity to serve others. But he wanted more. “I worked as an EMT in the late 1990s. That’s what got me interested in nursing.” So he enrolled in an Associate of Science program then offered by the School of Nursing and Middlesex County College. As a veteran, his education was paid for by the GI bill.

He finds that his two careers dovetail nicely. “I put in 40-plus hours week as a firefighter. We work 24 hours on, then 3 days off.” The schedule leaves him plenty of time for his second career as an emergency room nurse at Jersey Shore University Hospital.

Estrada’s medical missions, which he pays for himself, take him around the globe. His last mission was to Honduras. He volunteers with MEDICO, an organization sending teams of healthcare professionals to remote areas where the need is great. “I do whatever is needed,” he says. “It’s pure nursing—no red tape.”

Connect with Ray Estrada at ffemtray@aol.com.

Caring for Patients and Community

2010-07-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Jacqueline Walford, DPT

UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions ’09

“I am very happy with my career choice,” Jacqueline Walford says. “Each morning I love to get up for work and feel fulfilled at the end of the day. It is a rewarding career and the people you help are so grateful.” And she knows from her experience as a staff physical therapist at Nova Care Rehabilitation in Mt Laurel, New Jersey.
At work, she evaluates all types of pathologies from orthopedic injuries, surgeries, neurological and balance deficits. She creates comprehensive treatment programs including functional exercises and manual techniques to help her patients return to maximal daily functioning at home and in the community.
At SHRP, where she won the Bergen Medal for overall excellence when she graduated, Walford was very involved in community projects. In the world of work, she plans to be a part of her company’s upcoming projects that include volunteering at food banks, helping with food drives, being involved with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, and going to the USO in south Jersey to greet returning troops.

On Her Own, Serving Patients

2010-07-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

Virginia Cox, RN, APN, C
UMDNJ-School of Nursing ‘07

Virginia Cox has spent a lifetime caring for patients with kidney disease—first as a dialysis nurse and now as a nurse practitioner running a clinic for patients with chronic kidney disease in West Orange. The clinic is owned by Comprehensive Kidney Disease Center of NJ and operated by Fresenius Medical Care, a major provider of kidney dialysis services.

Cox’s patients come to her via referrals from local nephrologists. “People with kidney disease need intensive education and diet information which physicians don’t have time to give them,” she says. “We educate our patients to understand their disease and their choices, which may include dialysis or transplant surgery.” Her team includes a dietitian and a social worker.

Some 26 million Americans suffer from kidney disease. “Hypertension and diabetes are high risk factors,” Cox explains. “Our patients, most of them elderly, are not on dialysis. We teach them how to manage their disease, which may slow or stop its progression.” Many of the patients are also anemic and require intravenous therapy to boost red blood cell production. Early referral is important so they see patients before disease becomes too advanced.

Cox, who holds a post Master's adult nurse practitioner certification from the school of nursing, conducts group support sessions and monthly seminars for patients. She says proudly that of the 100+ patients she’s treated, only four have had to progress to dialysis. “We’re thrilled that so many of our patients have seen an improvement in kidney function.”

Contact Virginia Cox at vvcox1@aol.com

Working to Cure Cancer

2010-07-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hiral Patel, MD
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School ‘07

To do research at the NIH is every aspiring scientist’s dream. For Hiral Patel, MD, the dream came true. As a third-year student, she was chosen as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar. “Conducting clinical and translational research at the NIH was such a rewarding experience,” she says. “Knowing that my work could ultimately lead to better treatments for cancer patients kept me on track on days when nothing seemed to go right in the lab.”

At NJMS, Patel had the opportunity to do research with Pranela Rameshwar, PhD, professor of medicine at NJMS. “Dr. Rameshwar has been a very influential mentor,” says Patel. “She introduced me to basic science research and the rewards of an academic career. She encouraged me to pursue the Hughes program, which has shaped my career and scientific goals.” Time spent in the lab of Edouard Azzam, PhD, associate professor of radiology, further sparked her interest cancer pathology.

She says she made “lifelong friends” with many of her classmates, and also met her husband, John Fontanilla ‘06, at NJMS. He’s currently doing a fellowship in nephrology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Patel is a resident in radiation oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “I’m focusing on clinical training and engaging in clinical radiation oncology research,” she says. “It’s fascinating and challenging.” Ultimately she plans to have an academic career combining clinical practice and research.

To contact Hilal Patel: hiral80@gmail.com

Peter Carmel President-elect of AMA

2010-06-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) neurosurgeon Peter W. Carmel, MD, who has been named president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation's largest and most influential physician organization. Following a year-long term as president-elect, Carmel will assume the office of AMA president in June 2011. He is the first neurosurgeon to assume these positions.

Carmel, a pioneer in neurosurgery, is co-medical director of the Neurological Institute of New Jersey and chair of the department of neurological surgery at NJMS. He is well known for his work with brain tumors. During his 40 years as a neurosurgeon, Carmel has made it a point not only to provide excellent care for his patients and their families, but also to devote his energies to improving healthcare in this country.

Carmel's research, often focusing on childhood brain tumors and congenital abnormalities of the nervous system, has resulted in the publication of more than 100 scientific articles and 25 books and chapters. He has lectured extensively on neurological surgery and has a distinguished record of service and leadership in organized medicine. He was first elected to the AMA Board of Trustees in 2002, and re-elected in 2006.

Dental Detective

2010-05-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Dobrin, DMD ’75
UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School

One of the first things Lawrence Dobrin will tell you about his job as chief forensic dentist in the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office is that it’s not exactly like what you see on television. “Things may happen quickly on CSI and Bones, but not in real life,” he says. “It can take weeks, or even months, just to get permission to make a dental impression of a victim, and DNA analysis takes at least two weeks, not two hours.”

What is the same are the fascinating cases that come up, and after 25 years in the field, Dobrin has seen his share. He’s helped identify victims of Hurricane Katrina, both World Trade Center disasters, last year’s mid-air collision of a helicopter and a private plane over the Hudson River and several plane crashes near LaGuardia and JFK airports, to name only a few. The work is so fascinating, that A&E recently featured him on their television show Take This Job. A camera crew followed him throughout the day, beginning at his Roselle Park, NJ, dental office and then to the ME’s office.

Being a forensic dentist entails more that working at disaster scenes. Dobrin often examines the facial and dental injuries of children to determine if they are being physically abused, and he sometimes helps determine medical causes of death. He admits the work is very demanding—there is absolutely no room for errors—and it can be quite disturbing at times, but it’s also extremely rewarding. “You help grieving families put their loved ones to rest; you help solve crimes; and you get children out of abusive homes,” he says. “There are almost no better ways than that to give back to your community.”

Happy in Hawaii

2010-05-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

John M. Pezzuto, PhD
UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences '77 (Distinguished Alum Award '03)

With a professional path that “really defines coast-to-coast,” John Pezzuto may hold a UMDNJ record for illustrious stops along the way from New Jersey to Hawaii. This GSBS graduate, who is a professor and Founding Dean of the University of Hawaii (UH) at Hilo College of Pharmacy, can look back on career stops at MIT, University of Virginia, University of Illinois, Purdue , and even the University of Munich “and feel content that I was able to give more than I received. I helped to shape three important institutions.” In Hawaii where he has been since 2006, he is happy that his research has been cited more than 10,000 times since 1995 and proud of his contributions to cancer chemoprevention and natural products. Always engaged in research and scholarship even while fulfilling obligations as a dean, he says, “When we started drug discovery programs in cancer chemoprevention, the field was scarcely known. Now it is well established with pockets of excellence throughout the world. When I look at a carrot, I see beta-carotene. When I look at broccoli, I see sulforaphane. When I look at a bottle of red wine, I see resveratrol. I believe cancer chemoprevention will make a huge difference in helping to defeat this dreadful disease.”

Pezzuto finds Hawaii to be “an exquisite, unique place. “I’m proud of our students, the rapid progress here and our strong feeling of ‘ohana’ (family) that has developed.” He admits, however, that getting to Washington, DC, for instance, can take 18 hours, and he knows intimately “the full impact of ‘shipping included except to Alaska and Hawaii.’ ” To get in touch, email: pezzuto@hawaii.edu.

Medical Missionaries

2010-05-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

John F. Bertagnolli, Jr., DO
UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine '83

Sondra M. De Antonio, MD
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '86

Fourteen years ago, John Bertagnolli began what has become an annual journey to Jamaica – not to sunny beaches but to Kingston’s ghetto. He first became involved in “this medical missionary trip,” through his church. “Once in Jamaica,” he explains, “I saw a need that wasn’t being met, serving the indigent and physically and mentally challenged population there.” His parish community continues to subsidize the room and board of the medical students who accompany Bertagnolli in this work. He is assistant professor of family medicine at SOM and says that selecting which students to go is very difficult, so many are interested. His most important criterion: Their desire to learn has to be balanced by a genuine desire to help others in medical and non-medical ways.

Bertagnolli realizes that it is easy for those in the U.S. to take simple things like running water for granted. “This year, while in Kingston, we had to deal with the consequences of a drought,” he reports. “Several times, we did not have water to wash up after a long day in the shelters. Experiences like this make us remember our blessings, and we are a little more appreciative of all our gifts.”

This work has become a family affair. Bertagnolli (above right) for the last five years has been joined by his neurologist wife Sondra De Antonio (standing behind Bertagnolli) in this effort. Not only do they pay their own way, but they don’t arrive empty-handed. “We take thousands of dollars of medications with us,” De Antonio adds. “Most are donated; some we purchase. Parishioners and friends send clothes, toiletries, books, toys, cookies – whatever is needed.” Rounding out the Bertagnolli family, John, 15, (far right) and Angelo, 14, ( standing in front of his mother) are important participants with this outstanding group of volunteer workers.

Flour Power

2010-04-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Jacqueline Gomes, MBA, RD
UMDNJ-SHRP Dietetic Internship Program '03

Nutritionist Jacqueline Gomes is no wall flower. Spotted just over a year ago at the Martha Stewart Center for Living Gala in Manhattan side by side with none other than the star and featured on CNN.com’s list of America’s healthiest grocery stores, Gomes has a talent for capturing the spotlight. Her flair for being seen and heard—in both English and Spanish—won her the three-year position of media representative for the New Jersey Dietetics Association, as well as her full-time position as corporate nutritionist for Pathmark Stores. She is determined to raise consumer awareness of better nutrition—and the role of nutritionists —to a whole new level.

Radio, TV, the Internet and in-person appearances are all within her comfort zone. She’s done live television segments on back-to-school nutrition, a daily radio spot with “health tips of the day” for four weeks running, and braved the enormity of Madison Square Garden to lecture on healthy heart eating for a “Sister to Sister” conference. Money magazine featured her in “Tips for Healthy Dieting on the Run” and lest you think her communications are limited to the “pop” variety, her bylined article, “Grocery Shopping 101: Shopping Smart to Manage Your Diabetes,” was published in the peer-reviewed, clinical journal INSULIN.

Go to her website at http://www.jacqueline-gomes.com/ to pick up her tasty recipes. Her website also highlights a wide variety of professional services, including home visits to advise on kitchen makeovers or to teach healthy cooking, and nutrition counseling for concerns such as weight management, heart disease, pre- and type 2 diabetes, pregnancy, digestive disorders, low energy and alertness, and “picky eater” kids. And if you were wondering why she was featured on CNN.com, her “creative and healthy menu ideas” on the Pathmark Website are cited as one of the assets of the supermarket, named #9 of the top 10 healthiest grocery store chains nationwide.

Educating for Better Health

2010-04-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Kathryn S. Meier, MPH, CHES
UMDNJ-School of Public Health '89

Kathryn Meier just completed her term as president of the Society for Public Health Education, which she describes as a “capstone event” in her career. She is currently associate director at the Cancer Prevention Research Center (CPRC) at the University of Rhode Island. The primary mission of the Center is to improve the quality of life by preventing cancer, other chronic diseases and premature death through research and the dissemination of the most effective behavior change technologies. These goals mesh perfectly with Meier’s professional interests.

In addition to her training as a health educator, Meier has 15 years' experience developing tailored cancer prevention programs for health promotion and disease prevention for special populations. Her research interests include adolescent health, multiple behavior changes in parents and teens, and the development of print and multimedia tailored cancer interventions. Her favorite population to work with? Adolescents. “I love being part of the moment when teens ‘get it’,” she explains. She has worked on projects to help teens and their parents live healthier lifestyles by not starting or quitting smoking, decreasing sun exposure, decreasing fat in their diets, reducing stress, not using alcohol, and increasing physical activity. A new project she is working on will use a multimedia computer-based intervention to increase the number of college-age women seeing HPV vaccination.

You can connect with Kathryn Meier at kmeier@uri.edu. To read more about the CPRC click here. http://www.uri.edu/research/cprc.

In The Media

2010-04-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Robert M. Bernstein, MD

UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '78

Check out the March issue of Oprah Magazine to catch a UMDNJ-NJMS alum in “The Truth About Hair Loss.” Robert M. Bernstein, one of New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors in New York” for 10 years, a clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and a respected New York City hair restoration specialist, was tapped for his expertise on transplantation. The author of numerous scientific and clinical research articles, Bernstein also appeared on The Today Show in February discussing eyelash enhancement medication. No stranger to media spotlights, Bernstein has appeared on Good Morning America, The Discovery Channel, CBS, Fox News, National Public Radio and in numerous publications, including The New York Times. Link to Bernstein’s website via the NJMS Alumni Association, http://njms.umdnj.edu/alumni/websites.cfm#alumniwebform, or email: contact@bernsteinmedical.com

Emergency Medicine and Older Patients

2010-04-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

Jon Sugarman, APN, MSN, GNP, DNP
UMDNJ-School of Nursing, BSN '05, MSN '08, DNP '10

Jon Sugarman, a geriatric nurse practitioner in the Emergency Department at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ, recalls handing a towel to a restless 98-year-old emergency patient and asking her to fold it. The simple task kept her busy for nearly an hour and calmed her down, averting the need for a sedative that someone less familiar with the care of elderly patients might have used to achieve the same result. “My role is to be an advocate for older patients,” Sugarman says. “I want to make sure these patients are being treated the same way I’d want my own family to be treated.”

People 65 and older are not only the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, they also use the most resources in emergency departments and are the most likely to be admitted to the hospital, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. A published study concluded that emergency department visits by patients 65 to 74 could nearly double from 6.4 million in 2003 to 11.7 million by 2013.

(Excerpted with permission from the Gannett Healthcare Group. http://news.nurse.com/article/20090615/NJ02/106150050)

Meet Smarty the Robot

2010-04-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

Satyan Shah, MD
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '02

Satyan Shah and “Smarty” are bringing a new dimension — literally — to the treatment of urologic cancers at the University of New Mexico’s Health Science Center. Named by pediatric patients in UNM’s children’s hospital, “Smarty” is actually a state-of-the-art daVinci robot, armed with a high definition camera and 3-D vision, and operated by Shah, director of laparoscopic and robotic surgery. “Possibilities are endless for robotics,” he says. “The surgeon does not even have to be at the same location as the patient.”

Shah specializes in the minimally invasive treatment of urological cancers, especially prostate and kidney cancer. His interest in surgery and urology developed during his “amazing time” at RWJMS. He recalls David Seiden’s anatomy class, which first sparked his interest in surgery. Then the outstanding faculty in the urology department helped him as a third year student in search of his medical future to embrace that specialty. During his residency he saw that urologists were among the first to recognize the potential of robotics; they saw the future, and Shah wanted to be part of that. He envisions nothing but good things coming in the future for laparoscopic surgery and robotics and recounts a recent cancer surgery in which the diseased kidney was removed through a one-inch incision.

Shah is the only fellowship-trained robotic surgeon of this kind in New Mexico. You can meet him online (http://www.roboticsurgerynm.com/meetdrshah.html and see a video of Smarty or email to uroshah@yahoo.com.

A Garifunamerican

2010-04-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Cadrin Gill, MD

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '72

St. Vincent and the Grenadines: A British Commonwealth nation of 32 Caribbean islands more than 2,000 miles south of New Jersey. A vacationer’s paradise now; a pirate’s haven then, if one can believe “The Pirates of the Caribbean,” which was filmed there. But it was a refuge of another sort that links the island-nation to Cadrin Gill.

Nearly 300 years ago, St. Vincent was the destination for formerly enslaved Africans who escaped from plantations on neighboring islands. There they intermarried with the native Caribs, became known as Garifuna, or Black Caribs, and developed their own language and culture. In 1775, however, the Garifuna revolted against British rule of the island. Cadrin Gill, a “proud Garifuna,” notes an important historical footnote. “St. Vincent was important enough to the British empire for two regiments of troops that had been fighting the American colonists to be sent there to put down the rebellion.” The British won the fight in St. Vincent, but we know what happened in the American colonies. “I like to think that was a turning point in their War of Independence,” Gill adds. Back on St. Vincent, the British “deported” the rebels to Central America, and over the years they scattered throughout the hemisphere.

Gill’s family found its way to New Jersey, where Gill eventually attended medical school after undergraduate work at Columbia, did a residency in Los Angeles, and practiced family medicine there for more than 20 years. Through the years, he continued to celebrate his roots and maintain a meaningful connection to St. Vincent. In 2002 Gill was named honorary Consul General of St Vincent and the Grenadines – or Yurumein in the Garifuna language. His jurisdiction is the entire western half of the United States, and his responsibilities include trade, tourism and other business development activities as well as solving problems between citizens of that island nation and the U.S. He was recently honored by the island’s government for his many contributions and invited back to share his knowledge of his people’s history.

Adventures in Greece

2010-04-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

Donald Greydanus, MD,
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '71

Greece may have been wracked with riots in mid-March, but Donald Greydanus (center) would never have skipped his journey there to receive the highest honorary title awarded by the University of Athens, Doctor Honoris Causa, for international work especially his commitment to the Greek Pediatric Society. Greydanus, a specialist in adolescent medicine and professor of pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University College of Medicine, traces his roots back to the Netherlands where many ancestors — doctors, ministers and professors — were trained in Greek. “The namesake of the family was Johannes Greydanus, a philosopher who edited a Greek-Dutch dictionary in 1654.” A visiting professor in Greece for years, Greydanus left NJMS for a pre-surgical internship at the Mayo School of Medicine but found his calling in adolescent medicine after being drafted into the Vietnam War where he took care of hundreds of young men, “adolescents,” on U.S. warships and at a California military base.

“I followed Dean Robert Johnson in his fellowship at New York University Medical Center and went on to the University of Rochester to teach pediatrics. I’ve pursued a ‘professor’s track,’ writing and traveling, teaching adolescent medicine to pediatricians around the world, encouraging them to care for this age group, one which is usually ignored by most physicians.” Even the way home was quite an adventure, reports Greydanus. “The Athens airport was closed since the country was on strike.” Eventually, he and his wife Kathy made it back to Kalamazoo. To get in touch, email greydanus@kcms.msu.edu.

Alumni Resources

2010-04-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '98
UMDNJ-Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences '96

“Tap into alumni as resources,” suggests Ronny Drapkin, assistant professor of pathology, Harvard Medical School. Drapkin, who is a principal investigator/scientist specializing in ovarian cancer, remembers, “When I was looking for a job, two friends gave me this advice: The more people you talk to, the better off you will be.” Use mentors, professors and even senior students who do know best. In fact, Drapkin will never forget Robert Trelstad, MD, who died just recently on Feb. 15. Trelstad, who had a remarkable medical career, was founder of the Child Health Institute of New Jersey and former chair emeritus of the RWJMS Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department. “He was one of my favorite professors, mentors and friends. I will truly miss him.”

When Drapkin was wrestling with a career decision, Trelstad arranged for him to spend a day at Harvard with “the guy who wrote the bible for pathologists everywhere, Ramzi S. Cotran, MD.” Later in his senior year, the formal interview and application to Harvard for a residency went smoothly because of that day. And on Match Day, he was in. To read more about Drapkin’s career, go to the spring 2010 issue of RWJ Medicine, “Shifting the Paradigm of Ovarian Cancer Research.”

Email: Ronny_Drapkin@dfci.harvard.edu

A Mother-Daughter Team in Haiti

2010-04-01T00:59:00.000-07:00

Julia Morrison PT, DPT
UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions '09

Susan H. Morrison, MD
UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School '81

Commitment to Haiti for the Morrisons came well before the recent earthquake. In fact, for the past ten years, Julia Morrison and her mother, Dr. Susan Morrison, an allergist and infectious disease specialist, provided healthcare on the impoverished island under the aegis of the Haiti Parish Twining Program, a nonprofit organization focused on creating lasting sister parish relationships between the U.S. and Haiti.

“I started going to Haiti when I was 15 years old,” Julia Morrison, says. “For weeks prior to each trip I would help consolidate and pack the donated medicine that we would use during the trip. Once there, I would assist my mom and the other physicians, and help run the pharmacy.” Their work is centered in the city of Dame Marie, a small seaside town on the western tip of the island. They usually see about 2,000 people in the one week period that they are there.

“Physical therapy is sorely lacking in Haiti,” she notes. “I planned to return after graduation and apply my education to our medical trips.” But then there was the devastating earthquake; and when they returned to Haiti, it was to participate in the rescue mission. “We were not able to get into the hospital so we had to work at a neighboring tent city,” said Dr. Susan Morrison. “I did what I could, and my daughter performed wound care and rehabilitated the amputees and orthopedic patients.”

Back stateside now, both women plan to return to Haiti in the near future.

Bookmarks

2010-04-01T00:58:00.000-07:00

Mark Fesen, MD
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School '87

Mark Fesen, an oncologist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Kansas, wrote Surviving the Cancer System: An Empowering Guide to Taking Control of Your Care to help patients understand the importance of fostering a bond with their physicians. There’s a message for both doctor and patient.

“It’s important to know that the chemistry is good with your oncologist,” Fesen says. “Both spoken and body language are important clues. The attitude in my office is very forgiving. Terms like ‘you need to’ are discouraging,” he explains. “Frequently patients are upset about their diagnosis. They aren’t in the best of moods, but when treated with kindness and reassurance, they become our friends.”

According to Fesen, the book has made a mark on many of those who have read it, empowering them and helping to turn the fear that accompanies a cancer diagnosis into a plan. “The anecdotes in the book have been very helpful,” he reports. “People can see themselves in those stories.”

One reader purchased several copies for his employer’s human resources department. He wanted to be sure it was available if anyone else at work had a family member diagnosed with cancer. Another bought ten books for patients at a local cancer center who couldn’t afford to buy it themselves.

Fesen also shared comments he received from one cancer patient who had initially, like so many others, refused to even consider cancer treatment because he remembered the unfortunate side effects of marginal therapies from years ago. The book made the process easier.

“It is very refreshing to know that medical schools are trying to impress on future physicians the importance of patient/oncologist relationships,” Fesen says. “Those who have been through a serious illness know all too well that the attitude of the doctor and team makes a tremendous difference.” He adds that the temporary relationships that develop in medical school and residency are misleading. “If students were assigned a handful of patients to follow long term, they might begin to see the importance of the bonding that happens.” To connect with Fesen: markfesen@yahoo.com. Surviving the Cancer System is available at Amazon.com.

Dental Ambassador

2010-04-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

Anthony Volpe, DDS
UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School '60

Anthony Volpe is known all over the world as a leader in oral health care. As vice president of scientific affairs at Colgate-Palmolive Company, he acts as a liaison among the dental profession, manufacturers, researchers and numerous dental organizations. Because of his extensive background, he was recently called in as an intermediary when the American Dental Association wanted to expand its relationship with the Chinese Dental Association. Volpe also has the distinction of being a member of New Jersey Dental School’s first graduating class.

Before going into industry, the Newark, NJ, native ran a private practice in Nutley. He now lectures and teaches at his alma mater and helped develop and helps run the New Horizon’s program there. The only one of its kind in the country, the program includes a series of lunchtime talks given by dentists whose careers are in areas other than, or in addition to, general dentistry. Volpe “stays tuned” to what’s happening in the dental field through continuing education programs and maintains licenses to practice in New Jersey, New York and New Hampshire.

An Advocate in Action

2010-04-01T00:42:00.000-07:00

Anne Jones, DO
UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine '08

Anne Jones was recently appointed to serve on the Advisory Committee on Primary Care Training in Medicine and Dentistry, a long title for a group with an important goal. The group, supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is charged with making recommendations to the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary on issues relating to the health professions, ranging from family medicine to pediatric dentistry to physician assistant programs. Prior to her work with HRSA, Jones was actively involved with health policy and advocacy at the state and national level while a student. She was President of the Student Council and on the Executive Board of the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents.

Jones is currently a resident at the Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine Program in Augusta, Maine. Born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, her ultimate goal is to practice in a rural area and continue to be actively involved in political advocacy, community medicine, medical education and the development of primary care and prevention in our nation's healthcare system.

"I often have fond memories of my times at UMDNJ-SOM," she says. "Everything from studying together in the anatomy labs, to our community projects in Camden, to the Medicine Balls. My education prepared me to be the life-long learner I will always hope to be."

Rewarding Moments

2010-04-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

Michael Ahmadi, MPH
UMDNJ-School of Public Health '01

A close second on the top of Michael Ahmadi’s list of “most rewarding” life events was becoming an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Ahmadi, who majored in health education and behavioral science, did fieldwork while a grad student for the National Cancer Institute, planning, developing, implementing and evaluating their Live Help Web chat service, “designed to provide real-time cancer information to health professionals, patients, and their families,” he explains. After graduation, he spent four years at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute managing a cardiovascular disease prevention and education project before joining the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration where he leads a team developing, distributing, promoting and evaluating health education materials and communications products. “In May, I will be here four years. UMDNJ provided an excellent foundation for me to enter the public health workforce. One of the most memorable courses was called Group Dynamics and Interpersonal Relations — extremely valuable skills that I use every day in the workplace.” But what’s the most rewarding thing that has happened to him since graduation? “I got married and I’m the proud father of a four-year-old son.” To touch base, email: Michael.Ahmadi@SAMSHSA.hhs.gov.

Beauty is Only Skin Deep

2010-04-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

Michele Meinhart, MSN
UMDNJ-School of Nursing '97

Facials, peels, and body wraps are just a few of the services offered by Michele Meinhart at Starkey Medical PC, her thriving cosmetic services practice in Roanoke, VA. “We offer facials, chemical peels, massages, laser hair removal, nail care and a variety of other services. The response has been wonderful.”

Meinhart originally began her business as part of a primary care practice that offered comprehensive healthcare, including physicals, care for acute illnesses, routine gynecology and pediatric care, and weight management. She later expanded her practice to offer cosmetic services. In January, she sold the primary care practice to the Healthcare Corporation of America, where she continues to work as a nurse practitioner.

There’s yet another side to her business. Meinhart’s success in the cosmetic arena has inspired her to launch the Starkey Medical School of Esthetics—a school for cosmetologists. Students learn to give massages, facials and other body treatments, including waxing, hair removal and exfoliation—all services women typically obtain at a spa. The 600-hour training program, based on recommendations from a state governing board, prepares students to take a certification exam and become licensed estheticians.

“I was privileged to be part of the first graduating class at the Stratford campus,” she says. “My education gave me the skills to provide excellent primary care and the confidence to ‘think outside the box’ and launch my new endeavors. I’m having fun.”