Integration Update: May 2024

May 21, 2024

In addition to supporting internal communication efforts for the integration of New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) toward the creation of Rutgers School of Medicine (RSOM), both deans have also led external communications efforts in Newark, New Brunswick, and other New Jersey communities.

In the News

NJMS Dean Robert L. Johnson, MD, FAAP, and RWJMS Dean Amy P. Murtha, MD, conducted an interview with WBGO/Newark Today with Michael Hill and NJ Spotlight News with Lilo Stainton on Thursday, March 21. Newark Today airs once a month and focuses on social, economic, and political topics. NJ Spotlight News aired on April 18 and was broadcast on 88.3 FM the following Sunday and reaches many key stakeholders in New Jersey.

On Wednesday, May 1, the deans participated in a Facebook Live event with Mayor Ras Baraka. The mayor’s office publicized this event on social media in the week leading up to it on Facebook Live and Twitter.

Insider NJ also included the deans’ OpEd in their Morning Intelligence Briefing. It was listed under the "Around the Web" section for the March 3, 2024, article.

Another joint article entitled "Alleviating concerns: Deans of Rutgers’ two medical schools explain why merger is good for both," appeared in ROI-NJ.com.

Initiatives in Newark Communities

Both deans have visited church groups, community groups, and had meetings with political figures and community leaders, particularly in the Newark area.

Trust is earned and takes time to build, and both deans are sharing the message to the Newark community that investments will be made for RSOM to recruit and train the best and brightest for decades to come. The medical schools are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Newark to modernize and update New Jersey Medical School facilities and to expand research laboratories on our campus.

Rutgers is actively working with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, University Hospital, and partners at the state level in developing a plan that would allow Rutgers to work with University Hospital to develop new space on the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Newark campus. This space will benefit faculty, staff, and Newark residents.

Share your Feedback!

There are many opportunities for constituents to provide feedback including through the website at: https://rutgershealth.org/future-school-of-medicine. We encourage you to reach out and provide your feedback because your opinion is important to us.

Sincerely,

Amy P. Murtha, MD
Dean, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Robert L. Johnson, MD, FAAP
Dean, New Jersey Medical School