Message from the Chief

Ramsey A. Foty, Ph.D., Chief

The Division of Surgical Sciences was established in 1997 and has grown dramatically since that time as new investigators have been recruited to the faculty and new research initiatives have been added. Our mission is to integrate basic, translational and clinical research through academic and clinical collaborations both within and outside of RWJMS. We are also committed to the educational mission of the school by developing divisional education resources for medical students, residents, graduate and undergraduate students.

The Division Faculty research interests are broad and include studies in embryonic development, wound healing, tissue engineering, malignant invasion, inflammation and sepsis, gut immunity, diabetes, and stem cell transplantation. Division Faculty have a long and productive publication history and have been highly successful at generating new NIH and other federal, State, and private funding for their programs.

The Division operates fully equipped basic science laboratories comprising approximately 6,000 square feet located on the 7’th floor of the Clinical Academic Building in New Brunswick, NJ.  The Division has various core resources, including flow cytometry, epifluorescence microscopy, and a DNA core lab which are available to investigators throughout the department. We are also in very close proximity to research laboratories at the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

Our translational research enterprise includes both faculty-initiated as well as sponsored projects. This resource employs several support personnel with extensive experience in both small and large animal experimentation. The vivarium facility is overseen by the Operations Office of the Medical School, including full-time veterinary faculty support.

The Division of Surgical Sciences is also home to the Clinical Trials Unit that provides expertise in contract negotiation, budgeting, IRB interface, and clinical coordinator activities. In addition to pursuing federally funded investigator-initiated research, our group of experienced clinicians, scientists, and nurse coordinators have performed dozens of Phase I, II, III, and IV trials over the past several years. We invite your inquiries about this expertise through the Office of the Chairman.