JOHN EMERSON Dr. Mehnert is a principal investigator on studies that involve both classes of therapies and explore ways to increase the efficacy of these treatments in fighting melanoma. “We’re still a long way from a cure, but it’s been tremendously exciting to offer new therapies— and hope, where there was little before,” she says. Dr. Mehnert enthusiastically wel- comes the new partnership between Rutgers and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The commitment of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey to the pursuit of clinical trials was critically important to her when she and her husband, Peter Vaclavik, MD ’02, considered where to practice and raise their three children. “I am a graduate of both institutions, and I am proud to be able to bring the latest science to my home community,” she says. “The strides we make in this field are due to clinical research. It’s important for patients to be able to have access to cutting-edge treatments and trials. I’m thrilled to help make that happen for the world in general, but it’s even sweeter to be able to deliver this close to home.” M Robert Wood Johnson I MEDICINE 61