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About the Medical School Integration

Find the latest updates on our progress and process, learn about the benefits of integration, and read past updates and communications.

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Potential Benefits

An integrated model of medical education will position Rutgers School of Medicine as one of the largest and leading public medical schools in the country and create an unparalleled hub of biomedical and health sciences education, research, and clinical care.

When complete, the integration envisions a medical school that enjoys a national reputation greater than the sum of its parts, amplifying Rutgers University’s role as a leader in twenty-first century medical education.

Further potential benefits to an integration include:

  • Closer collaboration on the educational mission offers a broader scope and scale of teaching talent, learning content, and clinical experiences that will benefit educators and learners.

    A unified medical school accreditation within Rutgers provides the opportunity to think big, innovate, and enhance education, as well as attract more outstanding applicants from New Jersey and across the United States.

  • Leveraging our tremendous capacity as an integrated medical school will more accurately reflect our growing impact on clinical, translational, and basic biomedical research placing Rutgers at the forefront of the innovation economy attracting more federal and industry funding.

    • Elevation in rankings – The impact of an integrated medical school on research rankings is substantial, whether looking at the ranking of individual departments or the medical school overall, and across all types of funding (e.g., federal and state funding among others), and this impacts other ranking systems (e.g., U.S. News & World Report). For example, our federal fiscal year 2021 National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding institutional rankings among 143 US medical schools are:
      • Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) at #62 with $68 million.
      • New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) at #74 with $51 million.
      • Combined RWJMS/NJMS at #47 with $119 million.
      The potential impact on our research rankings across the medical schools of the Big 10 is noted in the section below on reputational considerations.
    • The sum is greater than the parts – Combining complementary strengths, expertise, and resources from both schools will make the integrated medical school more competitive for external research and training grants. Similarly, a larger Rutgers-oriented patient base will make us more competitive for clinical trials.
    • Attracting and keeping talent – An enhanced reputation and national prominence will help to attract and retain the best research faculty and trainees.

  • A single medical school has the potential to expand our portfolio of tertiary and quaternary services and launch new services to a wider patient base this platform will help us save lives, maintain health, improve outcomes and patient satisfaction, reduce health care inequities and disparities, and create competitive fellowship programs.

    • Strength and stability in the market – Current populations in each city are relatively small, especially when compared with New York or Philadelphia, making it impractical to offer as wide an array of specialized services. Additionally, our current service lines are too fragile, with the departure of one faculty member often hampering the ability to continue to offer a clinical service at the involved school. An integrated medical school provides the opportunity for greater breadth, depth, and coordination of services. This will increase our ability to offer the most specialized care, establish regional and national clinical destination programs, and better compete for market share locally and regionally.
    • Improved service to our communities – Increasing our ability to offer the most specialized clinical services will better serve our communities, as patients will not need to travel to New York or Philadelphia to receive them. This minimizes, if not eliminates, barriers related to inconvenience, and expense (e.g., out-of-network care is much more expensive to the patient and the state). It also helps to address health inequities, as the most needy in our communities cannot afford to make such trips and pay for such care.
    • Access to clinical trials – A larger Rutgers-oriented patient base, combined with a burgeoning research ranking and reputation, will make us more competitive for clinical trials and gain access for our patients to more cutting-edge treatments, therapeutics, and procedures.
    • Attracting and keeping talent – An enhanced reputation and national prominence (see below) will help to attract and retain the best clinical faculty and trainees.

  • An integrated medical school strongly identified with Rutgers University has the potential to broaden the recognition of the excellent medical education programs and growing research portfolios than each school has individually.

    • Connection to Rutgers brand – Potential faculty and students and the public may not necessarily associate NJMS and RWJMS with Rutgers. An integrated medical school provides the opportunity to tie more closely to and benefit from the stronger, nationally recognized Rutgers brand.
    • Alignment with more common medical school organizational models – Excluding large university systems (e.g., University of California and University of Texas), we know of only four universities in the country that have more than one autonomous medical school (i.e., Rutgers, University of South Carolina, New York University, and University of Arizona), and at least one of those (University of Arizona) is reconsidering its organizational model.
    • Advancement within the Big 10 – Each of our schools now is small, relative to other schools. In part for this reason, of the 14 Big 10 medical schools (Rutgers’ individual schools are counted separately), Rutgers now ranks only #12 (RWJMS) and #13 (NJMS), above only Michigan State University’s medical school. A combined medical school would rise to #9 in the Big 10 and be more closely comparable to the University of Iowa and Ohio State University.
    • Improvement in other rankings – Published rankings are driven substantially by research, and while NJMS and RWJMS are already artificially combined in Blue Ridge’s NIH rankings, US News & World Report evaluates schools separately based on their individual accreditations (which also divides and weakens the rankings of clinical and basic science departments). It is recognized that many institutions (e.g., Columbia, Harvard, Mt. Sinai, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford) have decided to discontinue their participation in the U.S. News & World Report medical school rankings, given concerns about how those rankings are determined. Our expectation is that the rankings will continue, as the public desires them, and we hope that U.S. News & World Report will revise its formulae to address some of the objections (as it has done for its law school rankings). At the least, they may be based more on publicly available metrics, which would make NIH funding even more important.
    • More philanthropic support – Enhanced national prominence is more likely to garner philanthropic gifts to support scholarships, selective research efforts, and endowed professorships.

  • Processes and systems that inhibit faculty productivity and employee satisfaction can be streamlined.

    • Increased simplicity – Structures and processes will be simpler and more straightforward, after an anticipated transition period. Examples include:
      • Faculty appointment processes will not need to be repeated for someone to teach at the other campus.
      • Best practices from one campus can be identified and applied in the other.
      • There will be a single accreditation process.
      • Rutgers Health will not need to start new centers/institutes simply to foster inter-medical school programs.
    • Limiting duplication – Combining the medical schools will identify and remove redundancies in many administrative structures, mobilizing personnel and other resources to enhance the school’s primary missions.

Integration Update

Dean Murtha and Dean Johnson have created a series of messages designed to inform the communities at both medical schools regarding the latest integration news and initiatives.

Read the latest update

Latest Updates

The New Rutgers School of Medicine Releases Mission, Vision and Values Statement Focused on Advancing Health Equity

November 19, 2024
University officials say the school will become a national model aiming to curb health care disparities.

Integration Update: October 2024

October 15, 2024
Dean Murtha and Dean Johnson share an update on the thought and planning that has gone into the process of developing draft bylaws for the new Rutgers School of Medicine.

Integration Update: September 2024

September 24, 2024
Dean Murtha and Dean Johnson invite members of the community to join several new integration task forces focusing on cross-cutting areas of importance such as global health, faculty recruitment, medical student research, and more.

Integration Update: August 2024

August 19, 2024
The integration presents an exciting opportunity to create a new admissions process that draws on the strengths and expertise of both schools. Learn how both schools are working together to ensure that the new admissions process is the best it can be.

Integration Update: July 2024

July 16, 2024
Look back at key moments from our June 2024 Integration Summit, where we celebrated the progress that has been made, launched the LCME self-study for accreditation, planned the next steps in creating Rutgers School of Medicine, and more.

We’re Listening: One Year into the Rutgers School of Medicine Integration

July 15, 2024
Dean Murtha and Dean Johnson look back at a year of outreach efforts and collaboration between the RWJMS and NJMS communities in planning the merger for the new Rutgers School of Medicine.

Rutgers School of Medicine Founding Dean Appointment

July 9, 2024
Chancellor Strom announces Amy P. Murtha, MD, will serve as Founding Dean of the new Rutgers School of Medicine.

Leadership Summit Regarding the Integration of the Medical Schools: Follow-up and Link to Presentation

July 2, 2024
Update on this important leadership summit concerning the journey toward the future Rutgers School of Medicine.

Integration Update: June 2024

June 25, 2024
Dean Murtha and Dean Johnson address the ongoing work to build trust and community across the two campuses throughout the medical school integration process.

In the News
   

More Integration News

Past Events

Board of Governors Update – October 17, 2024

A slide thumbnail for the Medical School Integration board of governors presentation in October 2024

The presentation to the Board of Governors focused on our continued progression and projected pathway toward a single LCME accreditation, highlighting the positive work that has been done through the participation of joint task forces.

View the Presentation

Watch: Virtual Town Hall – August 26, 2024

Rutgers School of Medicine Integration Town Hall slide deck preview for August 29, 2024

NJMS Dean Robert Johnson and RWJMS Dean Amy Murtha discuss the June 2024 launch of the LCME self-study for accreditation, share the progress of the integration committees and task forces, and provide more updates to the community.

View the Presentation

Integration Summit – June 2024

A thumbnail image of artist renderings of RWJMS and NJMS buildings

Integration task force and committee members and department chairs from NJMS and RWJMS came together to celebrate our progress, build community and engagement, officially launch the LCME self-study for accreditation, and plan next steps.

Read About the Summit | View the Presentation

Images from the Integration Summit

Task force and committee members and department chairs from NJMS and RWJMS came together for the Integration Summit on June 26, 2024.

Participants listen to a presentation in a lecture hall during the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Participants listen to a presentation in a lecture hall during the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Dean Amy Murtha speaks into a microphone during the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Two speakers give a presentation during the integration summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Dean Robert Johnson speaks into a microphone during the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit
Participants talk in groups at the Integration Summit

Watch: Virtual Town Hall – September 19, 2023

Medical School Integration September 19, 2023, virtual town hall event poster

Faculty, staff, students, residents, and fellows took part in a virtual discussion on September 19, 2023, about the LCME accreditation process and the medical education curriculum, with Dean Johnson, Dean Murtha, and speakers from both medical schools.

Watch: Virtual Town Hall – August 29, 2023

Medical School Integration August 29, 2023 virtual town hall event poster

NJMS Dean Robert Johnson and RWJMS Dean Amy Murtha invited faculty, staff, students, residents and fellows to the first in a series of town hall discussions on August 29, 2023, to examine our individual schools' mission and vision, and respond to inquiries.

Town Hall – March 2023

Cover slide of a PowerPoint presentation about the RBHS Envisioning the Future of Academic Medicine process

Rutgers Health leadership invited members of the public to two town halls that presented an overview of the Envisioning the Future of Academic Medicine process and provided opportunities for the public to offer input.

View the Presentation

Guiding Our Work

Significant milestones have been reached in shaping the new Rutgers School of Medicine. These foundational elements, crafted through input from committees and task forces across both schools, will guide our path forward. We’re excited to share ongoing progress on this transformative integration—check back here regularly for updates on all aspects of Rutgers' new, unified medical school.

The Model

Red and yellow outline of the number 1

One:

  • School​
  • Dean​
  • ​Set of bylaws
  • Joint committee structure​
  • ​Curriculum​
  • ​Standard for graduation​
  • ​Committee for admissions, curriculum, and student promotion​
  • ​Approach to student services​

Two:

  • Comparable campuses in Newark and New Brunswick

Mission, Vision, Values

Charting our course for the integration, we’ve been hard at work developing new mission, vision, and value statements for Rutgers School of Medicine. Much care and thought has gone into developing these statements, but we did not do it alone. More than 400 individuals from both schools participated, serving on committees and task forces with dedication and enthusiasm and making their voices heard.

Mission, vision, and value statements are essential elements of any successful institution. The mission statement articulates an organization’s purpose, while the vision statement outlines its long-term goals and the kind of organization it strives to be. Serving as a framework for strategic decision-making, the statements are empowering to leaders and employees alike, inspiring everyone to work together to achieve shared objectives.

Mission: We develop physicians and scientists to advance health through compassionate care, innovative research, and transformative education, fostering health equity and engagement across diverse communities.​

Vision: To be a national leader in academic medicine and health equity by reimagining medical education, discovery, patient care, and service to the community to improve outcomes for all.​

Values:

  • Excellence
  • Integrity
  • Dignity
  • Kindness
  • Collaboration
  • Equity
  • Diversity
  • Belonging

Areas of Progress

Curriculum

Several key decisions have been made for the single Rutgers School of Medicine curriculum by multiple working groups of the Curriculum Subcommittee.   

The school will have a single set of schoolwide competencies and objectives. A clerkship curricular schedule has been developed. All preclerkship courses will be identical in content and learning modalities. Assessment and grading decisions are under deliberation. 

We have identified eight core competencies for the curriculum:

  • Patient care*
  • Medical knowledge*
  • Professionalism*
  • Interpersonal and communication skills*
  • System-based practice*
  • Practice-based learning and improvement*
  • Social Justice and health equity
  • Discovery and dissemination

*Existing Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies

Admissions

A working group of the Medical Student Subcommittee has created a new policy on admissions. Members of the working group included admissions experts from both schools.

Applicants will apply to one school with a single set of admissions requirements (Medical College Admission Test, prerequisite courses, experiential preparation, and letters of recommendation).  Applicants will have the opportunity to apply to the Newark and New Brunswick campuses or to a single campus. All applicants will complete the multiple mini interview and a traditional one-on-one interview.

The admissions process includes:

  • Standard MD Applicant Process*, which involves:
    • One Rutgers School of Medicine
    • One Admissions Committee
    • One set of medical school admissions requirements
    • One American Medical College Application Service submission to one school
    • One secondary application
    • One Interview Committee
  • Taking best practices from each of the current admissions approaches 
  • Single Executive Admissions Committee

*Pathway program admissions will be overseen by the single admissions committee. The campuses can retain the unique aspects of their respective pathway programs.​

Bylaws 

We have determined the following foundational elements and standing committees:

  • Develop one new school with new bylaws
  • Implement a shared governance
  • Keep it simple: only include what is foundational
  • Allow for flexibility and innovation
  • Ensure representation
     

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Overview

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) and New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) are committed to a transparent, collaborative process. 

NJMS Dean Robert L. Johnson and RWJMS Dean Amy Murtha will be leading the process to achieve single accreditation for Rutgers School of Medicine from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), conducted in a manner that promotes equitable representation and allocation of resources and allows many opportunities for medical school community members to contribute to the vision. 

There will be continued consultation with the University Senate, faculty, staff, students, community members, and outside organizations on matters such as admissions, curriculum, campus culture, accreditation, residency placements, fiscal matters, administrative structure, governance, nomenclature, and branding. 

The medical school communities will continue to be updated on developments and opportunities for them to contribute to the reconfiguration of medical education at Rutgers.

Framework for Integration

Together, medical school leadership created a planning structure that will guide the integration process. The framework is outlined below:

Guiding Principles

The following principles provide a guide for how we intend to pursue the integration planning process and will help to inform our decisions and actions:

  1. Do no harm.
  2. Value and respect our faculty, staff, and trainees.
  3. Demonstrate a commitment to excellence in each of our mission areas.
  4. Remain steadfast in our obligation to our patients' safety and well-being.
  5. Lead with kindness, active listening, and compassion.
  6. Create extensive opportunities for inclusive and participatory dialogue throughout the planning process.
  7. Respect the unique history, culture, and diversity of our institutions as we create an integrated Rutgers School of Medicine.
  8. Seek to advance the shared values of our communities.

Download the Framework Presentation

Timeline

  • July 2024: Launch LCME Self-Study, including the Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and Independent Student Analysis (ISA) for Rutgers School of Medicine
  • July 2024–April 2026: Completion of LCME self-study
  • May 2026–July 2026: DCI and ISA preliminary review by consultant prior to submission​​
  • September 2026: Submission of LCME documents for full accreditation visit​
  • January 2027: Full LCME survey visit
  • June 2027: Anticipated accreditation of Rutgers School of Medicine​
  • July 2027–June 2028: Admission activities for the Rutgers School of Medicine charter class; governance and bylaws in place and establishment of standing committees
  • Summer 2028: Matriculation of Rutgers School of Medicine charter class
  • Spring 2032: Graduation of charter class

*Timing subject to change

Committees and Task Forces

Committees

  • Co-chairs: Deans Robert L. Johnson and Amy P. Murtha

    • Consists of designated leaders representing each of the mission areas from both NJMS and RWJMS.
    • Provides strategic oversight of the integration planning process, addresses emergent questions and areas of concern, and ensures successful completion of the various tasks associated with the integration.
    • Rutgers Office of Organizational Leadership will provide this committee with consultative support regarding the integration planning process.

    Members

    • Maria Soto-Greene, NJMS
    • Carol Terregino, RWJMS
    • Céline Gélinas, RWJMS
    • William C. Gause, NJMS
    • Ana M. Natale-Pereira, NJMS
    • Shawna Hudson, RWJMS
    • Beth Salamon, RWJMS
    • LaCarla Donaldson, NJMS
    • Justin Sambol, NJMS
    • Keith Lewis, RWJMS
    • Michael J. Petti, NJMS
    • Carla Hailey Penn, RWJMS

  • Co-chairs: Carol Terregino and Maria Soto-Greene

    Organized around LCME domains/standards, with faculty, staff, and student representatives from both NJMS and RWJMS:

    • Governance and Administration
    • Academic Environment
    • Faculty
    • Curriculum
    • Medical Students

    Committee Details and Membership

    • Members in subcommittees will include a co-chair and vice chair from each school, in addition to faculty, staff and students.
    • Chairs and vice-chairs of each subcommittee will serve on the Integration Advisory Committee.
    • The Integration Advisory Committee will report to the Integration Executive Committee.
    • The charge will be to engage in the work associated with the completion of the LCME self-study process.
    • ECG will provide this committee with project management support.

    Members

    Governance and Administration
    • Shawna Hudson, RWJMS (Chair)
    • Marc Klapholz, NJMS (Chair)
    • Lisa Gittens, NJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Keith Lewis, RWJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Renee Riggs-Fiesseler, RWJMS
    • Christine Gerula, NJMS
    • Utz Herbig, NJMS
    • Nina Glass, NJMS
    • Ram Mani, RWJMS
    • Nell Maloney Patel, RWJMS
    • Novneet Sahu, NJMS
    • Alfred Tallia, RWJMS
    Academic Environment
    • Celine Gelinas, RWJMS (Chair)
    • Ana Natale-Pereira, NJMS (Chair)
    • Phil Messica, RWJMS (Vice Chair)
    • David Roe, NJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Charletta Ayers, RWJMS
    • Manasa Ayyala, NJMS
    • Iris Herrera, NJMS
    • Eric Jahn, RWJMS
    • Franz Smith, NJMS
    • Pat Whitley Williams, RWJMS
    • Susannah Wise, RWJMS
    Faculty Subcommittee
    • Pat O'Connor, NJMS (Chair)
    • Archana Pradhan, RWJMS (Chair)
    • Diane Calello, NJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Rhonda Smith, RWJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Paul Copeland, RWJMS
    • Michael Kelly, RWJMS
    • Maral Mouradian, RWJMS
    • Anupama Nehra, NJMS
    • Amariliz Rivera-Medina, NJMS
    • Michael Steinberg, RWJMS
    • Harsh Sule, NJMS
    • Andrew Thomas, NJMS
    Curriculum Subcommittee
    • Liesel Copeland, RWJMS (Chair)
    • Christin Traba, NJMS (Chair)
    • Sophia Chen, NJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Sarang Kim, RWJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Sara Dunn, NJMS
    • Alla Fayngersh, NJMS
    • Diana Glendinning, RWJMS
    • Malvika Kaul, RWJMS
    • Robert Lebeau, RWJMS
    • Archana Pradhan, RWJMS
    • Kei Wong, NJMS
    • Ian Whitehead, NJMS
    Medical Student Subcommittee
    • James Hill, NJMS (Chair)
    • Daniel Mehan, RWJMS (Chair)
    • Sonia Garcia Laumbach, RWJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Michael Shapiro, NJMS (Vice Chair)
    • Luis Alzate-Duque, NJMS
    • Liesel Copeland, RWJMS
    • Kristen Coppola, RWJMS
    • Sharon Gonzales, NJMS
    • Shilpa Pai, RWJMS
    • Hanin Rashid, RWJMS
    • Mercedes Rivero, NJMS
    • Cheryl Slaughter-Hurst, NJMS
  • Graphic representation of the integration framework reporting structure

Task Forces

  • Each task force is co-chaired by individuals from both NJMS and RWJMS. Carla Hailey Penn and Michael Petti provide project management support to the task forces to ensure consistency of goals, deliverables, and timelines.

    Task forces are organized around cross-cutting issues of importance. The Integration Advisory Committee will rely on these task forces to provide meaningful input to the LCME self-study process and to other important areas (additional task force groups to be added as needs arise):

    • Alumni
    • Clinical/Health Services Research
    • Communications
    • Global Health
    • Graduate Medical Education
    • Faculty Promotion Improvement 
    • Faculty Recruitment
    • Medical Student Research

    Composition and Responsibilities

    Each task force will have equal representation from each campus. They will be populated by faculty, staff, and students. A peer- or self-nominated slate of candidates would be presented to leadership for selection. Leadership will select the final roster for task forces, and additional task forces will be added as needed.

    Role of Task Forces:

    • Informing integration leadership on key issues related to them/their area
    • Reviewing and providing feedback to the Integration Advisory Committee and subcommittees
    • Setting agenda for their work
    • Identifying areas for reconciliation
    • Sharing existing practices
    • Identifying best practices
    • Considering pathways for areas for reconciliation

    Members

    Alumni Task Force
    • George Heinrich, NJMS
    • Kristen Echanique, NJMS
    • Elias Iliadis, RWJMS
    • Paul Weber, RWJMS
    Clinical/Health Service Research Task Force
    • Mirela Feurdean, NJMS
    • Ping-hsen Chen, NJMS
    • Reynold Panettieri, RWJMS
    • Shawna Hudson, RWJMS
    Communications Task Force
    • Mercedes Rivero, NJMS
    • Natalie Colimon-Fitzgerald, NJMS
    • Lauren Marshall, RWJMS
    • Steven Wen, RWJMS
    Faculty Promotion Improvement Task Force
    • Andrew Berman, NJMS
    • Debra Pittman, NJMS
    • Manuel Jimenez, RWJMS
    • Salma Jabbour, RWJMS
    Faculty Recruitment Task Force
    • Joshua Lubin, NJMS
    • Yu-Lan Mary Ying, NJMS
    • Ibiyonu Lawrence, RWJMS
    • Kameswari Maganti, RWJMS
    Global Health Task Force
    • Ziad Sifri, NJMS
    • Rajita Bhavaraju, NJMS
    • Karen WeiRu Lin, RWJMS
    • Richard Marlink, RWJMS
    Graduate Medical Education Task Force
    • Christine Gerula, NJMS
    • Jared Walsh, NJMS
    • Michael Kelly, RWJMS
    • Sara Lubitz, RWJMS
    Medical Student Research Task Force
    • Arman Sawhney, NJMS
    • Samantha Weber, NJMS
    • Leela Biswas, RWJMS
    • Todd Mowery, RWJMS
  • Clinical Task Force
    • James Guarrera, NJMS
    • Juana Hutchinson-Colas, RWJMS
    • Manish Patel, RWJMS
    • Kristin Wong, NJMS
    Communications and IT Task Force
    • Maged Mohamed, RWJMS
    • Beth Salamon, RWJMS
    • Courtney Terry, NJMS
    • Alfonso Waller, NJMS
    Community Task Force
    • Damali Campbell-Oparaji, NJMS
    • Michelle Dalla Piazza, NJMS
    • Susan Giordano, RWJMS
    • Eric Jahn, RWJMS
    Faculty Task Force
    • Andrew Berman, NJMS
    • Cheryl Dreyfus, RWJMS
    • Ashley Wackym, RWJMS
    • Yu-lan Mary Ying, NJMS
    Grad School Task Force
    • John Chan, NJMS
    • Carol Lutz, NJMS
    • Kathy Scotto, RWJMS
    • Nancy Walworth, RWJMS
    Research Task Force
    • Marty Blazer, RWJMS
    • William Gause, NJMS
    • Amariliz Rivera-Medina, NJMS
    • Derek Sant'Angelo, RWJMS
    Staff Task Force
    • Natalie Colimon-Fitzgerald, NJMS
    • Francesca Escaleira, NJMS
    • Amy Smith, RWJMS
    • Roger Thornton, RWJMS
    Student Task Force
    • Monica Hanani, NJMS
    • Isaac Huang, RWJMS
    • Brooke Phillips, RWJMS
    • Samantha Weber-Fishkin, NJMS

Community Input

Our Future:
Rutgers School of Medicine

We encourage and welcome comments on any aspect of transitioning to a single medical school accreditation, including perceived advantages and challenges of this organizational model, recommendations, and other areas of concern and opportunity that should be considered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some frequently asked questions and answers about the medical school integration.

  • Medical school integration is being pursued to create a stronger, more innovative institution that offers enhanced educational and research opportunities. By aligning and not competing, we create a hub of biomedical and health sciences education, research, and clinical care that will allow us to better serve our communities. With one Rutgers School of Medicine, we can expand academic programs, improve infrastructure, and enrich learning environments.

    In the past, the two medical schools have been competitors for talent and resources. Now, we can be allies in attracting students, grants, and faculty who are pioneers in their fields.

    Additionally, as the state university we have an obligation to the residents of New Jersey to lead in transformative healthcare delivery. Through the creation of Rutgers School of Medicine, with campuses in Newark and New Brunswick, we will have an academic healthcare delivery enterprise that will better serve all New Jersey communities.

  • An integrated model of medical education will position Rutgers School of Medicine as one of the leading public medical schools in the country and create an unparalleled hub of biomedical and health sciences education, research, and clinical care.

    When complete, the integration envisions a medical school that enjoys a national reputation greater than the sum of its parts, amplifying Rutgers’ role as a leader in twenty-first-century medical education.

    • First, it will enhance our ability to attract top talent with an enhanced national reputation and elevated ranking.
    • Second, by leveraging research opportunities, the Rutgers School of Medicine will become a leader in innovation and attract more federal and industry funding for competitive clinical trials.
    • Third, it will allow Rutgers to expand specialty hospital care and offer more patient services to reduce health care inequities. Aligned medical schools will expand opportunities for students, providing innovative experiences on both campuses.

    Read more about the benefits of integration.

  • Rutgers School of Medicine envisions a single Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation with comparable campuses in Newark and New Brunswick.

    Learn about the progress and components of the new school. Growth and investment in clinical care, research, and education is the priority. In addition, each campus would remain committed to their communities.

    Each campus would remain committed to their communities. We would look to combine only those components of each medical school that yield a positive outcome for all, enhancing collaboration. Growth and investment in clinical care, research, and education is the priority.

    Each school would maintain its current affiliation with its principal teaching hospital. Decisions about departmental structure and leadership would be based on the size and complexity of the departments, and we would seek input from the communities they serve.

    The structure of medical education will be formulated with wide input from our internal and external communities over the next few years.

  • The decision to integrate the two medical schools is complete. We are now in the next phase of the process, which is to seek combined accreditation. The first class of the new Rutgers School of Medicine is anticipated to be enrolled in the 2027 academic year. Over the next five years, we will align our work to achieve accreditation from the LCME. Our work will be conducted in a way that promotes equitable representation and allows opportunities for all medical school community members to contribute to the vision.

    An Integration Executive Committee, led by both deans, has been formed and will provide ongoing strategic oversight of the integration planning process and successful completion of integration tasks. The Integration Advisory Committee, organized to fulfill the necessary LCME work, has faculty, staff, and student representatives from both schools. In addition, Integration Task Forces are organized around cross-cutting issues of importance. The Integration Advisory Committee will partner with the relevant task forces to provide meaningful input and actively seeks participation from faculty, staff, and students from both schools.

    Read more about the process.

  • Regular updates and communications regarding the integration will be provided through official channels, including email notifications, the school websites and integration website, and town hall meetings and events. We encourage all members of the medical school communities to stay engaged and share their feedback during this transformative process.

    We are seeking faculty, staff, and students volunteers to participate in task forces and focus groups organized around issues of importance. There are also opportunities to provide feedback through surveys, town halls, committee participation and ongoing one-on-one virtual meetups with the deans.

  • Our commitments to University Hospital in Newark and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick remain strong, and our relationship with these institutions will remain unchanged.

    University Hospital will continue as the principal teaching hospital of New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). Similarly, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) will maintain its ties with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, subject to associated contractual agreements, and remain the principal teaching hospital of RWJMS.

    The integration will only enhance our community impact in Newark and New Brunswick.

  • The physical locations of the medical schools will remain the same with two, comparable campuses in Newark and New Brunswick. No one campus will be subordinate to the other.

  • The specific implementation of the envisioned medical schools still requires more detailed planning about admissions, curriculum, campus culture, accreditation, residency placements, fiscal matters, administrative structure, governance, nomenclature, branding, and faculty affairs practices. Stay updated on the progress.

    As we embark on the five-year LCME accreditation application process, there will be additional planning and faculty committee work, consultations with LCME and Association of American Medical Colleges, and continued consultation with the university senate, faculty, staff, students, and community members including alumni via town halls, focus groups, and other avenues for contribution to determine admissions and curriculum.

  • Closer collaboration on the educational mission offers a broader scope and scale of teaching talent, learning content, and clinical experiences that will benefit educators and learners. A unified medical school accreditation within Rutgers provides the opportunity to think big, innovate, enhance education, and attract more outstanding applicants from New Jersey and across the United States.

    Once integrated, students will not be forced to attend one campus over another, nor will they be forced to rotate at the other campus for clerkship.

    With an estimated integration finishing in the fall of 2027, current medical school students will not be impacted by the integration. Throughout the duration of the five-year process, students will experience a smooth transition into the new integrated medical school. Curriculum, academic calendar, and clinical rotations will continue as planned.

  • The results of the data collected by Rutgers Health and ECG consulting firm indicate that the risk of negatively impacting student placement is low. In this process, they collected and reviewed detailed residency match data for NJMS and RWJMS graduates for 2018 through 2022 and surveyed GME programs. Given this initial review, integrating NJMS and RWJMS in and of itself would not limit GME opportunities for graduating medical students. Despite this review, we share this as a priority area that must be considered as we create the structure of the medical school.

    The bottom line is that competition for students graduating from U.S.-based allopathic schools is fierce and focused on individual qualifications, with no explicit or implicit limits on the number of residents selected from a given school.

    We would engage with you, our community stakeholders, to create a structure that would minimize this concern and modify as necessary with stakeholder input.

  • The integration will continue with the same day-to-day commitment to research, patient care, leadership in education, and community service on both campuses of Rutgers School of Medicine.

    NJMS is not moving to New Brunswick or vice versa, nor are we allocating resources from either medical school inequitably.

    The integration aims to retain and integrate the talented faculty and staff from both institutions. The combined expertise will foster collaboration and create a more dynamic and supportive academic environment.

Single Accreditation

To create a stronger medical education program that is well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future, the Rutgers University Board of Governors voted on July 10, 2023, to pursue a single medical school accreditation between New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). The integration of the medical schools will create two, comparable campuses under a single accreditation to be known as Rutgers School of Medicine. 

The decision to integrate the medical schools was not made lightly, and it entailed a period of thorough evaluation, thoughtful consideration, and collaboration with our internal and external communities.  

The primary objective of single medical school accreditation is to create a stronger, more innovative institution with enhanced educational opportunities, expanded research endeavors, and improved patient care. Simultaneously, this endeavor aims to elevate the reputation of the school. 

 The integration presents opportunities for growth, efficiency, and improved collaboration—and, most importantly, it will significantly enhance medical education for students. Integration will also improve and expand clinical care for our communities. Rutgers School of Medicine will continue to have a strong commitment to University Hospital in Newark and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, with the relationship remaining unchanged.

Background

The delivery of health care continues to change and become more complex, and institutions that train the next generation of health care workers must not only be attuned to these changes, but be nimble enough to adapt to changes yet to come and ensure its students are positioned to meet the demands in this decade and beyond. 

These dynamics, coupled with an ever-increasing health care worker shortage, represent the foremost reason why Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS), now known as Rutgers Health, began to evaluate the educational structure of its medical schools. 

In 2019, a 12-member Future of Academic Medicine Committee with equal representation from NJMS and RWJMS was formed to assess options and recommend ways in which further integration might benefit the medical schools and their students, and what the optimal structure might be. 

After a year of deliberations, a thorough report on the future of academic medicine at Rutgers University was completed and presented to the Rutgers University Senate Executive Committee. Thereafter, the University Senate forwarded an extensive series of questions to prompt further deliberation and analysis. 

In early 2022, following a postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RBHS formally adopted a new strategic plan — “One RBHS: The Way Forward” — to guide the next five years. The plan’s Unifying Theme Goal 4: Enabling Systems and Structures focuses on assessing the effectiveness of our enabling systems, structures, and processes, with a specific call to “Evaluate options for further collaboration and potential consolidation of medical schools to synergize efforts and maximize outputs.” 

With this prompt, along with the University Senate’s questions and a request from university senior leadership and governance bodies to reach some resolution, a logical starting point was established to revive the inquiry into the optimal structure for Rutgers’ medical schools.

University Senate Questions

    1. How would an integrated medical school handle student applications, admissions, tuition, and fees?
    2. Will student enrollment increase?
    3. What are the metrics for success in a proposed integration?
    1. What is the vision for a transformational undergraduate medical education curriculum/program?
    2. How would integration of the two medical schools align, reconcile, or reimagine the curriculum?
    3. How will an integrated medical school address clinical placements, pre-clerkship rotations, and clerkships?
    4. Will students be able to enroll in core classes and/or electives across campuses?
    5. Will there be a greater emphasis on distance/remote learning?
    6. Will students be expected to travel between campuses?
    7. How would an integrated medical school impact the current MD/PhD program?
    8. What are the metrics for success in a proposed integration?
    1. How will the integration of the medical schools ensure the campuses are co-equal?
    2. What will the impact of an integrated medical school be on our relationships with our primary hospital affiliates, namely University Hospital and the RWJBarnabas Health system?
    3. How will each campus retain its unique identity and strengths?
    4. How will faculty governance be implemented?
    5. What are the metrics for success in a proposed integration?
    1. How will an integrated medical school impact faculty recruitment?
    2. Nomenclature: What will be the name of the new school? The individual campuses?
    3. What will diplomas say?
    4. Will school departments be integrated under single chairs or will each campus retain a local chair?
    5. Will the integration result in higher medical school rankings?
    6. What is the anticipated cost of integrating the medical schools?
    7. What is the process to review and approve an integration of the medical schools?
    8. Who will be consulted: Students? Faculty? Alumni? Government officials? Senate? Boards? The Liaison Committee on Medical Education? Local communities? Hospital affiliates? Donors?
    9. Will each school/campus budget be held harmless and receive comparable funding once integrated, as in prior years?
    10. What are the budget, revenue, revenue cycle, and funds flow models for an integrated medical school?
    11. How will administrative systems such as information technology and grants management be integrated?
    12. What is the proposed administrative structure of an integrated medical school?
    13. What is the appropriate role and reporting relationship between medical school departments and RBHS research-based institutes vis-à-vis the integrated medical school?
    14. Will there be more or less faculty and staff in an integrated medical school?
    15. How will the integration improve administrative infrastructure on the two campuses?
    16. How will the clinical practices be organized in an integrated medical school?
    17. Will clinical services be provided locally, regionally, or both?
    18. What is the role of the dean?
    19. What is a proposed timeline to accomplish a medical school integration?
    20. How will parking and transportation between the two campuses be addressed?
    21. Will faculty be expected to travel between campuses?
    22. How will faculty promotions and tenure decisions be implemented?
    1. How will the integration improve research infrastructure on the two campuses?
    2. What is the appropriate role and reporting relationship between medical school departments and RBHS research-based institutes vis-à-vis the integrated medical school?
    3. How will access to research cores be addressed?
    4. Will integration enhance faculty competition for research funding or inhibit it as limited submission National Institutes of Health grant applications will only be one school applying versus two?
    5. What will be the impacts on federal grants and any limitations on aid for a larger school?

Evaluation Process

In September 2022, an announcement was made regarding the revival of an inquiry started in 2019 to determine the optimal level of integration between NJMS and RWJMS. 

Committees of faculty, students, and staff from both schools were assembled to address key questions posed by the University Senate related to admissions, curriculum, and maintaining campus identity and culture. The current set of questions was derived from the original 350 University Senate questions presented in March 2020. Some of the original questions were duplicates, overlapped with other questions, and in some cases were related to topics timely only for 2020. The questions were consolidated, refined, and categorized in collaboration with the leadership of the University Senate during the summer of 2022.

The committees received RBHS Chancellor Brian Strom’s charge in October 2022 and began their work assessing ways in which enhanced cooperation and coordination might be advantageous for the medical schools, students, patients, and host communities.

NJMS Dean Robert L. Johnson, RWJMS Dean Amy Murtha, and Chancellor Strom were tasked with developing responses to those questions that are administrative in nature, and worked with the RBHS Office of Research to answer those questions particular to research.

ECG Management Consultants, a national consulting firm with expertise in academic health centers, was retained to facilitate the committees’ work. Janis Orlowksi, an expert on medical school administration who until recently was the chief medical officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges, also consulted on the project.

The committees completed their work and on January 31, 2023, Chancellor Strom presented the University Senate with the report that further develops a vision for the future of academic medicine at Rutgers University. This report represents the collective work product of numerous faculty, staff, students, community members, and administrators of NJMS, RWJMS, and RBHS and provides responses to the questions posed by the University Senate.

Evaluation Committees

Committees of faculty, students, and staff from both schools were assembled to answer key questions posed by the University Senate related to admissions, curriculum, and maintaining campus identity and culture.

  • Members

    • Co-Chair: H. Liesel Copeland – Assistant Dean for Admissions, RWJMS
    • Co-Chair: George F. Heinrich – Associate Dean, Admissions, NJMS
       
    • Gloria A. Bachmann – Associate Dean, Women’s Health, RWJMS
    • Joshua M. Kaplan – Associate Professor, Medicine, NJMS
    • Natalia L. Kellam – Student, RWJMS
    • Sonia C. Laumbach – Assistant Dean, Student Affairs, RWJMS
    • Payal V. Shah – Student, NJMS
    • Maria Soto-Greene – Executive Vice Dean, NJMS
    • Carol A. Terregino – Senior Associate Dean, Education and Academic Affairs, RWJMS
    • Danitza M. Velazquez – Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, NJMS

  • Members

    • Co-Chair: Maria Soto-Greene – Executive Vice Dean, NJMS
    • Co-Chair: Carol A. Terregino – Senior Associate Dean, Education and Academic Affairs, RWJMS
    • Rashi Aggarwal – Vice Chair Residency Training Director and Professor, Psychiatry, NJMS
    • Alla Fayngersh – Assistant Professor, Medicine, NJMS
    • Meigra (Maggie) Myers Chin – Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, RWJMS
    • Amir George – Student, NJMS
    • Brooke K. Phillips – Student, RWJMS
    • Archana Pradhan – Associate Dean for Clinical Education, RWJMS
    • Monica Roth – Professor, Pharmacology, RWJMS
    • Michael E. Shapiro – Professor, Surgery, NJMS
    • Ranita Sharma – Executive Vice Chair and Associate Professor, Medicine, and Residency Program Director, RWJMS
    • Christin Traba – Associate Dean for Education, NJMS

  • Members

    • Co-Chair: Charletta A. Ayers – Associate Professor, RWJMS
    • Co-Chair: Melissa B. Rogers – Associate Professor, NJMS
    • Shareif Abdelwahab – Student, RWJMS
    • Bill Arnold – President and Chief Executive Officer, RWJMS
    • Detlev Boison – Professor, Neurosurgery, RWJMS
    • Alison L. Clarke – Program Coordinator, RWJMS
    • C. Roy Epps – President/Chief Executive Officer, Civic League of Greater New Brunswick
    • Carmen L. Guzman-McLaughlin – Senior Director, Administration, NJMS
    • George Hampton – Retired Vice President, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
    • Michael Kelly – Associate Dean, Graduate Education, RWJMS
    • Neil Kothari – Associate Dean, Graduate Medical Education, NJMS
    • M. Chiara Manzini – Associate Professor, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, RWJMS
    • Mary Maples – Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, University Hospital
    • Ana M. Natale Pereira – Associate Professor, Medicine, NJMS
    • J. Patrick O’Connor – Associate Professor, Orthopedics, NJMS
    • Jon L. Oliver – Assistant Dean, Information Technology, School of Communication and Information
    • Timothy Pistell – Student, NJMS
    • Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos – Professor and Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, NJMS
    • Arnold Rabson – Director, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, RWJMS
    • Frank Sonnenberg – Chief Informatics Officer, RWJMS
    • Ian Whitehead – Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics, NJMS

Evaluation Process Timeline

    • January 2020: Future of Academic Medicine report explores the integration of NJMS and RWJMS
    • Spring 2020: University Senate responds to the report with questions about integration. COVID-19 pandemic pauses the discussion
    • January 2022: ONE RBHS 2022–2027 Strategic Plan calls for further evaluation
    • October 2022: RBHS assembles three committees to address key University Senate questions
    • November/December 2022: Committees develop related responses and recommendations for assigned questions with input from medical school communities
    • January 2023: RBHS leadership synthesizes committee outcomes and presents report to University Senate
    • Spring 2023: University Senate reviews and responds to report
    • July 2023: University Board of Governors votes to pursue single accreditation

Documents and Reports

Chancellor's Letter to the Rutgers University Senate

July 7, 2023
Chancellor Strom addresses questions from the University Senate regarding the integration of Rutgers' two medical schools.

Attachments:

Report to the Rutgers University Senate: Envisioning the Future of Academic Medicine

January 31, 2023
Read the report presented to the University Senate on the future of academic medicine at Rutgers University.

Report to the RBHS Chancellor: The Future of Academic Medicine at Rutgers

January 10, 2020
Read the report to RBHS Chancellor Brian Strom from the Future of Academic Medicine Committee.