Family Medicine and Community Health Divisions
Message from the Chief
![Shawna Hudson](/sites/default/files/styles/small_max_width_embed_default_1x/public/2024-02/hudson_shawna_2019.jpg?itok=CKoMzK3i)
The mission and vision of the Family Medicine and Community Health Research Division is to develop and sustain a vital and productive research environment that fosters collaborative, trans-disciplinary approaches to promote person centered health by improving quality of care and addressing health-related disparities. Our team of community-engaged, primary care researchers are working with vulnerable populations at the intersections of community health, primary care and specialty care. Input from patients, clinicians and the community is at the heart of our work. There are eight core faculty members in the Research Division with well-developed primary care research portfolios focused on patient centered care and outcomes and understanding barriers and facilitators to dissemination and implementation of evidence based primary care interventions.
Research division faculty have chronic disease expertise in behavioral health (Hudson, O'Malley), cancer (Hudson, Crabtree, Ferrante, O'Malley, King Jensen), obesity (Ferrante), diabetes (Crabtree, Ferrante, Hudson), and content foci in health equity, aging (Luth), substance use (O'Malley), housing and income instability, homelessness (Treglia). Affiliated faculty members have expertise in women’s health (Amico, Chen), intimate partner violence (Chen), health literacy and developmental disabilities (Jimenez) and community health (Jimenez, Pellerano).
Our Department of Family Medicine and Community Health’s Research Division has been consistently among the top Family Medicine Departments in the country in NIH funding by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Division research efforts have received major funding through federal and foundation sources, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute on Aging (NIA), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). This funding provides support for a well-established, ongoing line of dissemination and implementation science research that uses mixed methods to examine strategies to enhance quality of care in primary care practices. In addition to our faculty, the Research Division also employs 4 core staff members with expertise in: (1) quantitative data collection/management (e.g., medical record abstraction, automated survey data collection using REDCap, and Qualtrix) and analysis using SAS and SPSS; (2) qualitative data collection (e.g., depth interviews, field observations, participant observation, focus groups) and analysis using ATLAS.ti; and (3) practice facilitation.
Shawna V. Hudson, PhD
Research Division Chief
Faculty
There are eight core faculty members in the Research Division with well-developed primary care research portfolios focused on patient centered care and outcomes and understanding barriers and facilitators to dissemination and implementation of evidence based primary care interventions.
Staff
Alicja Bator, MPH
Research Teaching Specialist III
303 George Street, Suite 301 - Room 306
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: 848-932-0206
alicja.bator@rutgers.edu
Marsha Gordon, MPH
Research Division Administrator
303 George Street, Suite 301 - Room 334
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: 848-932-0212
marsha.gordon@rutgers.edu
Jennifer Hemler, PhD
Research Associate I
303 George Street, Suite 301 - Room 305
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: 848-932-0209
hemlerje@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Toya Simmons, MPH, CHES
SBIRT Health Educator/Project Manager
317 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: 732-235-7362
Fax: 732-235-7380
toya.simmons@rutgers.edu
Our Portfolio
The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health has a diverse portfolio of research that focuses on enhancing the quality of care delivered in primary care settings. This portfolio highlights the disciplinary diversity of our research faculty while at the same time underscores the close collaborations and sharing among investigators. Health equity is a strong focus of our faculty intervention research that spans the lifespan – from enhancing pediatric literacy in primary care settings, to building and testing interventions for elder and hospice care patients and their care givers.
Our Division is on the forefront developing and adopting innovative research methods to meet the challenges of studying the unique features of primary care. As well, Division faculty are closely associated with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey investigating strategies to enhance cancer prevention and early detection, and quality of care for cancer survivors. Behavioral health integration within primary care is a focus. Our team also looks at implementation of health information technology (HIT) and organizational change strategies for successful transformation of practice.
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About the Office of Community Health
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has a clearly stated commitment to the improvement of community health and community service as one of our four core missions. The Office of Community Health has responsibility for the development, implementation, and oversight of many of the school's community health initiatives.
Message from the Chief
![Headshot of Mafudia Suaray](/sites/default/files/styles/small_max_width_embed_default_1x/public/2024-02/sm_suaray_mafudia.png?itok=8tOp8mmu)
Our twelve teams of physicians and advanced practice nurses care for more than 250 patients daily including general medical admissions, patients belonging to the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and patients admitted to the Cardiothoracic Surgery service, Neurosurgery service, Renal transplant service, Gastrointestinal service, and many other specialty services. Many local community physicians use our services for their patients, and we will be in frequent communication with your primary physician about your condition during your stay. The NTHS, staffed by our Physician-APN team of clinicians, has achieved excellent patient outcomes, including high patient satisfaction scores, and reduced length of stays for our high acuity patients at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH).
Our Hospital Medicine Division also runs a Post-Acute Service, caring for patients at area post-acute facilities taking discharges from RWJUH. This service manages and coordinates care for patients in the post-acute facilities ensuring a rapid and safe handoff to area primary care clinicians, while reducing hospital readmissions.
Please call upon us at any time. While no one wants to be in the hospital, you can rest assured that during your stay at RWJUH we will make you our first priority and work to ensure your care is the very best.
Mafudia Suaray, MD
Associate Professor and Interim Division Chief
Leadership
Mafudia Suaray, MD, MPH
Interim Division Chief
Associate Professor
mafudia.suaray@rutgers.edu
Maria Elena Espinar Ho, MD
Assistant Director
me365@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Donna Jeskey-Lowry
Director of APNs
dj359@rutgers.edu
Faculty
Explore the list of accomplished faculty comprising the Division of Hospital Medicine.
Advanced Practice Nurse (APNs)
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Donna Jeskey-Lowry
Director of APNs
dj359@rutgers.eduArunateja Chennareddy
arunateja.chennareddy@rutgers.eduLalaine Genuino
lalaine.genuino@rutgers.eduCrystal Hardie
crystal.hardie@rutgers.eduAmir Hossain
amir.hossain@rwjms.rutgers.eduLana Langworthy
nl290@rutgers.eduIrina Payne
payneir@rutgers.eduJulie Sakaria
js2295@rwjms.rutgers.eduArchana Sharma
a.sharma@rutgers.eduBonifacio Tanchingo
tanchibs@rutgers.edu
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Message from the Chief
![Headshot of Jason Womack](/sites/default/files/styles/small_max_width_embed_default_1x/public/2024-02/sm_womack_jason_f2017_sh.png?itok=t8tx_vXD)
The Division of Sports Medicine specializes in the evaluation of musculoskeletal pain and disorders in patients of all ages and athletic backgrounds. From the young athlete to the elder patient with osteoarthritis, we customize a detailed nonoperative treatment plan to improve our patients’ function and pain. Our faculty serve as Team Physicians for all the Rutgers Athletics sports programs providing office and sideline coverage to care for the needs of these elite athletes. In addition to our collegiate responsibilities, we provide sports medicine care to multiple local high schools in Middlesex county. Through medications, detailed physical therapy prescription, musculoskeletal ultrasound, and injection therapy including cortisone, hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP), we strive to provide the most cutting edge and evidence-based treatments to our patients.
Beyond clinical care, the Division of Sports Medicine is committed to improving and expanding knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine at all levels of medical education. The Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship sponsors two fellows each year to be trained to not only become proficient physicians but leaders in the field of sports medicine. Faculty are highly involved in the musculoskeletal training of residents across many disciplines and are charged with musculoskeletal education of medical students.
Please take time to explore the Division of Sports Medicine through our web pages and if you would like to take advantage of our clinical services or educational opportunities, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Jason Womack, MD
Division Chief
Faculty
Explore the list of accomplished faculty comprising the Division of Sports Medicine.
Clinical Services
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The Division provides care to patients of all ages from the pediatric age group to the elderly. Our scope of care includes, but not limited to the following:
- Muscle and ligament strains and sprain
- Osteoarthritis
- Joint and Back pain
- Bone fractures
- Stress fractures
- Concussion
- Exercise prescription
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To help diagnosis and management of the conditions we encounter, we employ the following treatments:
- Physical therapy prescription
- Biomechanical evaluation
- Corticosteroid injections
- Hyaluronic Acid Injection
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections
- Musculoskeletal ultrasound
- Trigger point injections
Education
The Division of Sports Medicine is highly committed to education of fellows, residents from all specialties, and medical students.
Robert Wood Johnson medical students are eligible to take a two-week elective in the third and fourth year. The elective is available through the registrar’s office.
Residents from any specialty are welcome to rotate with our program throughout the year to increase their musculoskeletal knowledge. Residents from outside RWJ are encouraged to inquire about elective as early as possible as approval from our GME office is required.
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About the Division of Geriatrics
The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health has been fortunate to receive a $18.8 million dollar gift from the Parker Health Group to establish the Parker Division of Geriatrics. This gift allows us to expand our 35-year collaborative activities with Parker to establish a national center for excellence in geriatrics education, research, and clinical care for seniors. Parker Health, 100 plus years-old, is one of the country’s leading non-profit aging services organizations offering the full spectrum of care in communities throughout New Jersey.
The gift is allowing us to elevate our departmental activities to include fellowship-level geriatrics training, action-oriented effectiveness research, and clinical care in a variety of settings and communities. The department will bring the strengths of Rutgers, one of the country’s leading research universities with its multidisciplinary resources, to help solve contemporary problems of aging.
The department is currently recruiting research and clinical faculty (individuals with PhD, MD, MD/PhD, DNP or equivalent degrees) and staff (Masters or Advanced Practice degrees) for the division.
Those interested in being a part of this exciting new venture should please contact the department at:
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
303 George Street,
Matrix Plaza 1, Room 614
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
Attention: Parker Geriatrics Division
Email to chair: tallia@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Phone: 732-235-6029