Strategic Roadmap

In March 2023, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School began to engage our community in a process of defining strategic priorities in each of our mission areas. These priorities will guide the work of our school for the next three years. Working with the Rutgers Office of Organizational Leadership, Dean Amy Murtha appointed an executive steering committee to guide the work of this planning and priority setting process.

Céline Gélinas Senior Associate Dean for Research, RWJMS Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, RWJMS

Eric Jahn Senior Associate Dean for Community Health, RWJMS Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, RWJMS

Keith Lewis Vice Dean, Professor and Chair, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, RWJMS

Rhonda Smith Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs, RWJMS

Annie Steelman Senior Vice President, System Strategy, RWJBarnabas Health

Carol A. Terregino Senior Associate Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, RWJMS

Courtney Vose Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, RWJUH

Pat Whitley Williams Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics; Division Chief. Division: Allergy, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, RWJMS

Community Input

In May 2023, a survey was administered to the RWJMS community inviting faculty, staff, students, residents, and administrators to share input about the school’s strengths, aspirations, and priorities. This data was used to inform follow-up focus groups with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and RWJUH partners. Informed by this input, several priorities were identified in each mission area (education, research, clinical, and community and global health), along with four priorities that extend across all mission areas.

Why do organizations create strategic plans?

The strategic planning process affords an opportunity for reflection and engagement regarding where an organization has been and the goals it intends to pursue in the future. The process of engaging in a strategic plan can help to foster collegiality and collaboration, unlock creativity, and create a sense of ownership in the direction of the organization.

Why embark on strategic planning now?

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has not engaged in a formal planning process since prior to the pandemic. With Dean Murtha’s arrival in August 2022, the opportunity allows us to develop a compelling strategic roadmap for the next three years. Additionally, as we undergo a full accreditation review in March 2026, it is important for our school to adhere to this Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) standard:

“1.1 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

A medical school engages in ongoing strategic planning and continuous quality improvement processes that establish its short and long-term programmatic goals, result in the achievement of measurable outcomes that are used to improve educational program quality, and ensure effective monitoring of the medical education program’s compliance with accreditation standards.”

How does this planning process coincide with the planning of the Rutgers School of Medicine single accreditation?

In July 2023, the Board of Governors passed a resolution to seek a single accreditation for Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and New Jersey Medical School. A separate planning process is underway to support this effort. RWJMS is currently accredited as a single institution, and the proposed entry of the first class of the integrated school is in 2028. Thus, these priorities detailed in our RWJMS strategic roadmap will serve as a guide for the immediate work ahead.

How can I become involved in the RWJMS Strategic Priority Setting?

Thanks to the many of you who completed the survey and participated in focus groups to support this planning process. The next steps are to identify the specific outcomes we hope to achieve in three years and to develop action plans that address these goals. Information about volunteering for working groups that review and draft priorities, strategies and specific goals, will be posted here in early 2024. Announcements calling for volunteers will be included in Weekly View and emailed to the medical school community.