newjerseynewsroom.com

Would merge Rutgers-Camden into Rowan Univ.

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The state University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey would undergo a major transformation that would refocus the institution on its Newark-based schools and would grant a significant level of autonomy to three of the medical school’s wings under recommendations approved Wednesday by Gov. Chris Christie.

The UMDNJ recommendations are included in a report of the UMDNJ Advisory Committee, which the governor called a blueprint to achieve long-overdue reform of the state’s higher education system and usher in a new era for medical education throughout New Jersey.

Christie said the final recommendations offered by the committee will ensure that the state meets its potential as a national leader in medical education and biomedical research, increase the collaboration and innovation between the universities and New Jersey’s research based industries. The recommendations build on the committee’s September 2011 interim report.

“Ensuring that New Jersey’s higher education community delivers world-class medical education and training to students is a long-term imperative of our state that has been ignored for too long,” the governor said at a Statehouse press conference. “These recommendations finally provide an innovative and bold blueprint to transform the structure of our public medical and health science schools for a secure and successful future.” He added, “I am proud to stand behind these recommendations which will serve as my administration’s guide to strengthen and elevate medical education in New Jersey.”

By providing significant levels of autonomy to the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, and University Behavioral Health Care in Piscataway, as well as to the Public Health Research Institute in Newark, Christie said UMDNJ will be able to focus on the success of its primary academic units in Newark and achieve a streamlined bureaucracy. The governor said the autonomy would allow New Jersey taxpayers to get the most from the investment they make into medical education in Newark.

For the future of University Hospital in Newark, the committee recommends a long-term public-private partnership for the hospital’s management to allow for its continued role as a Level One Trauma Center and a hub of medical care for the Newark community, enabling the continuation of medical programs, increased efficiency in operations and investment in capital improvements.

The committee also recommended to fully integrate Rowan University and Rutgers University–Camden into a broader institution, known as Rowan University and based in Glassboro and Camden. Through this integration, the committee recommends the proposed institution be positioned for public research university status. The committee found this change will both support the development of Rowan’s new medical school and provide an enhanced academic and health care education and delivery system that would bolster the regional economy.

Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver (D-Essex) offered these comments on the recommendations:

“Throughout this process, I made it very clear that I had to be convinced that this merger plan would ensure quality and accessible health care for Newark and Essex County residents,” Oliver said. “On this issue, nothing is more important, especially for low-income residents.

“As a start, I’m pleased to see that our demands on maintaining a strong hospital, health care and university presence in Newark were taken into consideration,” the Assemblywoman said. “Still, the Assembly will examine each page of this report and fully understand how it will impact residents.”

“We believe our recommendations will positively contribute to keeping New Jersey a leader in medical education and health sciences training,” Dr. Sol J. Barer, the committee chairman, said. “We also believe there are no fundamental bars to impede the transformation we’ve recommended and now is the time to act to strengthen our institutions and ensuring continued high quality healthcare delivery to our state.”

Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D-Hudson), chairwoman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said of the report, "University Hospital is a vital part of North Jersey’s communities. I am pleased that this hospital will stay a fixture of Newark and am hopeful that the UMDNJ Advisory Committee’s intentions are to maintain the current level of services provided by University Hospital for the residents of the region. It is imperative that we approach these changes with caution so that we do not sacrifice either the quality health care for the patients of University Hospital or the educational experiences for the health care and medical students of Newark.

“Additionally, I look forward to inviting and hearing testimony in the Senate Higher Education Committee from those involved in this reorganization of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, so that we may have a complete understanding of the statewide benefits and implications with the creation of the New Jersey Health Sciences University in Newark, the merger of Rutgers-Camden into Rowan University in South Jersey, and the realignment of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the School of Public Health and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey into Rutgers University in New Brunswick and Piscataway.”

The committee, created by Christie through an executive order. Barer is the former CEO and chairman of Celgene, and members included Robert E. Campbell, former vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson; Joyce Wilson Harley, director of Administrative Services at Essex County College; Anthony J. Perno III, president & CEO of Cooper’s Ferry Development Association, and Harold T. Shapiro, former president of Princeton University. State Acting Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks joined the committee in a consultative role.