Fast Facts About NJMS

 

6,382
Total Applicants
343
Acceptance letters issued
3.7
Median undergraduate GPA
513
Median MCAT
177
Total First Year Enrollment Male: 87, Female 90
28%
Percent of student body receiving aid
96.4%
Match rate versus the 95% national average

As the state's oldest medical school, we have a strong track record of expertise and innovation. NJMS graduates students with:

  • Excellent clinical skills
  • Professionalism and humanism
  • A commitment to community health
  • An appreciation of social and cultural diversity
  • Integration of clinical, basic and health systems sciences
  • The ability to communicate clearly and compassionately
  • A dedication to life-long learning and personal wellness

We're enthusiastic about training doctors that reflect the diversity of the world around us. NJMS has pipeline programs to encourage students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine. These include:

 

Discover Rutgers NJMS

 

 

 

 

NJMS - Departments

 

Meet Our Dean

 

Dr. Robert L. Johnson took over the helm as the school’s interim dean in 2005 and was appointed The Sharon and Joseph L. Muscarelle Endowed Dean in 2011. Previously, he served as a professor of pediatrics and NJMS's director of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine.

His areas of expertise include health, HIV, sexuality, and violence among teens, along with family strengthening. He is a well-recognized spokesperson about adolescent issues on the national stage.

Dr. Johnson's drive to become a doctor dates back to his segregated elementary school in South Carolina. He was the only African- American graduate from (what is now) the New Jersey Medical School. His books include Strength for their Journey and The Race Trap.

"NJMS has a very important focus on community," he says. "That activity and service-learning adds to our major focus on humanism. We bring high technical knowledge but also an appreciation for how illnesses affect patients as humans and also us as humans."

 

Our Executive
Vice Dean

 

Dr. Maria L. Soto-Greene oversees undergraduate medical education, as well as accreditation, diversity, faculty affairs, and professional development.

She grew up in an uninsured, educationally and economically disadvantaged family, which led to a lifelong commitment to help lift others up. Dr. Soto-Greene earned her B.S. from Douglas College of Rutgers University, a Master’s in Health Professions Education from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, her M.D. from New Jersey Medical School, and completed internal medicine training at University Hospital in Newark, where she later served as chief medical resident.

Her career initially focused on critical illnesses, and how improving communication can help patients and their loved ones. As an educator, she has since created opportunities for thousands of students from underrepresented backgrounds, cultivating the next generations of social justice champions.

Dr. Soto-Greene has spread this message nation-wide as an industry leader. Highlights include serving as the chair for the Association of American Medical Colleges' Group on Diversity and Inclusion, and winning the 2019 Herbert W. Nickens Award for her exemplary contributions to equity.

MISSION AREA

Education

NJMS prepares graduates to lead in a rapidly evolving era of care. Our curriculum starts with molecules, cells, and organs, then reaches all the way to organisms and populations. At each step, we stress clinical practice, service learning, and development of professional identity, alongside an emphasis on teamwork.

Rutgers Health also sponsors 48 residency and fellowship programs at NJMS. The most common tracks among our graduates include:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Emergency medicine
  • Family practice
  • Internal medicine
  • Obstetrics and gynecology
  • Orthopaedic surgery
  • Pediatrics
  • Physical medicine and rehabilitation
  • Psychiatry
  • Surgery – general

Learn more about options in graduate medical education at NJMS.

MISSION AREA

Research

Advanced facilities help NJMS investigators excel across a range of disciplines. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) fund most of our biomedical studies, contributing more than $150 million in grant support over the last few years.

Brain injury and stroke - our neurotrauma lab is exploring how the central nervous system can regenerate.

Cancer oncology - the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey partners with Princeton to outsmart cancer with science. Projects range from bioinformatics to precision medicine and drug resistance.

Cardiovascular biology - a multidisciplinary team of scientists and physicians seek to better understand the causes of cardiovascular disease and heart failure, and develop new treatments.

Immunology and infectious diseases - among other standout projects, the Center for COVID Response and Pandemic Preparedness has more than 100 researchers, supported by $30+ million in funding. We also participate in the NIH AIDS Clinical Trials Group, the largest of its kind in the world, and the HIV Prevention Trials Network.

Neurosciences - Rutgers’ new Brain Health Institute unites researchers examining brain function and developing treatments with novel tools.

Stem cells and regeneration - studies delve into the biology and translation of stem cells, and how transplanting ocular cells can help conditions such as age-related macular degeneration.

MISSION AREA

Patient Care

NJMS is the state's premier academic health provider, seeing close to half a million outpatients each year. We offer state-of-the-art tools, innovations, and clinical care, combining telehealth with in-person visits. Over 250,000 patients were seen in the last year. Specialty areas include cancer, cardiovascular conditions, infectious diseases, neurology, trauma, and visual sciences.

We also house the Student Family Health Care Center, the oldest continually operating clinic of its kind in the country. This provides hands-on experience for medical students, while volunteering services for medically underserved community members. It exemplifies Rutgers' commitment to world-class research and hometown impact.

MISSION AREA

Community Service

Community Service
Our students participate in Community Engaged Service Learning, which encourages reflection on populations’ needs and assets. This helps foster a deep sense of civic responsibility among future healthcare leaders.

NJMS also does outreach in Newark and beyond, as part of the Student Health Advocacy for Resources and Education service. Efforts include:

  • Domestic violence intervention programs, including education sessions at elementary schools and rehabilitation centers
  • See, Test & Treat, free cancer screenings each Halloween
  • Pro-bono medical evaluations for asylum seekers and other victims of human rights violations
  • Providing social and emotional support to University Hospital patients who are terminally ill, lonely, or facing long hospitalizations
  • Talks for underserved pregnant people and new parents at Harmony House transitional shelter
  • The Rutgers NJMS Community Garden provides fresh fruit and vegetables to Newark residents, while teaching about food security and healthier choices