HPAE White Paper – The Reorganization of UMDNJ: GETTING IT RIGHT

On January 25, 2012, the University ofMedicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Advisory Committee released their final report regarding the reorganization of medical higher education in
New Jersey.While we hope that restructuring will have a positive impact on the health, education and economic well-being of New Jerseyans, the implementation plan for protecting services, funding, medical research, staffing and workplace rights is still unclear, and lacking in public input. If instituted responsibly, with the involvement of key stakeholders, the recommendations outlined by the committee could protect vital healthcare services for our communities and strengthen medical education throughout the State.

The Committee’s final recommendations endorse a transfer of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), The UMDNJ School of Public Health (SPH) and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) to Rutgers University.The remaining pieces ofUMDNJ would be renamed the New Jersey Health Sciences University (NJHSU). Within NJHSU, the School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM), the University Behavioral Health Center (UBHC) and the Public Health Research Institute (PHRI) would be granted a larger degree of autonomy.While the committee recommended that UniversityHospital (UH) remain State-owned, they proposed a public-private partnership that would vest management duties with a New Jersey based non-profit hospital operator.With recent talks between BarnabasHealth andUMDNJ in regards to an expanded
partnership, Barnabas is likely the ‘private partner’ the committee envisions.