Timeline

1954
Incorporation papers to establish the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (SHCMD) are filed

1955
Charles L. Brown, MD, is appointed founding dean and leads an initiative to attract outstanding faculty to New Jersey’s first medical school

1955
Construction of teaching and clinical facilities at Jersey City Medical Center begins; a 15-story outpatient building is converted into laboratories and classrooms

1956
The school admits its first class of 80 students

1960
SHCMD receives full accreditation for its four-year medical program from the American Medical Association

SHCMD graduates its first class

The Alumni Association is formed

1964
Governor Richard Hughes signs the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry Act of 1964; SHCMD is purchased by the state for $4 million

1965
Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry is renamed the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry (NJCMD)

1968
State officials, in considering a move to Newark, meet with community representatives and establish the Newark Agreements, providing the city with public-sector healthcare services, and placing emphasis on recruiting minority students and providing employment opportunities

New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry purchases land in Newark to construct interim facilities

The move to Newark begins
New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry assumes operation of Newark City Hospital from the city and renames the complex the Harrison S. Martland Medical Unit of NJCMD. It becomes the school's principal teaching facility

1969
New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry completes move to Newark

1970
Medicine and Dentistry Education Act establishes the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - combining Rutgers Medical School and the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry under one Board of Trustees. The medical school is officially named New Jersey Medical School

1971
The Housing Authority of Newark conveys 45.7 acres of Newark’s Central Ward to construct a permanent campus

Groundbreaking ceremony for Newark campus

The entering class of 113 students includes an unprecedented 28 minority students, demonstrating the school's commitment to diversity

1973
Construction of Medical Sciences Building (MSB) begins in Newark

1976
The Newark campus is dedicated

1977
Construction of College Hospital begins

NJMS moves into the new Medical Sciences Building which features 606,000 square feet of classrooms, research laboratories and faculty space

1979
College Hospital opens replacing Martland Hospital

1982
College Hospital becomes University Hospital

1991
New Jersey Medical School’s first convocation
1992
NJMS's Doctors Office Center open

1994
NJMS becomes the second school in the US to host a White Coat Ceremony

1996
The Graduate Medical Education Consortium-New Jersey Medical School is established to coordinate the graduate medical education programs of NJMS, University Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center and Morristown Memorial Hospital

1999
FOCUS Community Health Center is established by Dr. Waldemar Johanson to help address the healthcare needs of the growing Latino community of Newark .

2002
Groundbreaking for NJMS/UH Cancer Center

Behavioral Science Building Opens

ICPH Opens

2004
50th anniversary celebration begins. Learn more about the campaign.

Class of 2008 begins classes. The 175-member class is chosen from a group of 3,853 applications, 74 percent of whom are from out-of-state

The NJMS Jubilee Curriculum is launched

2005
The LCME renews accreditation for full eight years

50th anniversary time capsule is dedicated

Robert L. Johnson, MD, '72 is appointed Interim Dean

NJMS receives close to $56 million in NIH funding, an increase of approximately 20 percent over 2004’s figures, bringing the school’s rankings in close proximity to medical schools like the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine and Tulane University School of Medicine.

100 percent of fourth-year NJMS students pass the Step 2- Clinical test administered for the first time as part of the US Medical Licensing Examination.

2006
NJMS Faculty member Dr. David Alland receives more than $7 million in funding from the Foundation for Innovative Diagnostics, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation organization, and the NIH to fund the development of a rapid tuberculosis test.

2007
NJMS commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Newark Riots.

Virtual microscopy technology comes to NJMS.

NJMS becomes an iTunes University.

122 faculty-physicians make prestigious New Jersey Monthly’s Top Doctors List.

NJMS enters into clinical academic affiliation agreements with Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Newark Beth Israel Hospital and Saint Joseph’s Regional Medical Center thereby expanding clinical opportunities for students and residents.

2008
NJMS’ Match Rate of 97 percent far exceeds the national average of 94.2 percent.

NJMS students, faculty and staff take part in the inaugural walk/run for the Cure event in Newark sponsored by the North Jersey Affiliates of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

A $15.6 million, five-year grant from the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is awarded to NJMS Assistant Professor Abraham Pinter, MD, one of 10 researchers throughout the nation developing preventive HIV vaccines.

NJMS researchers receive a total of $45.8 million in support from the NIH.

2009
NJMS celebrates its 55th anniversary.

42 NJMS faculty members are listed in New York Magazine as Best Doctors.

NJMS teams with Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Columbia University College of Physician and Surgeons; and the Manhattan Staten Island Area Health Education Center to implement a new Northeast Regional Health Career Opportunity Program to expose minority and disadvantaged youth to careers in medicine and science.

NJMS/UH Cancer Center becomes a National Cancer Institute-designated Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program, making it one of 14 institutions nationwide to earn this distinction.

2010
NJMS celebrates the 50th anniversary of the graduation of its inaugural class: The Class of 1960.

Peter W. Carmel, MD, D. Med. Sci., professor and chair of NJMS’ Department of Neurological Surgery, assumes post as President-elect of the American Medical Association.

NJMS’ Chief of the Division of Infectious Disease Dr. David Alland’s rapid tuberculosis test is endorsed by the World Health Organization for worldwide use.

NJMS receives two $15 million grants from the NIH which advances research in HIV/AIDS Vaccine Development and Addresses Infrastructure Improvements.

100 percent of the members of NJMS’ Class of 2010 who participated in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) achieve postgraduate placement.

2011
Dr. Robert L. Johnson is appointed as the eighth Dean of NJMS.

100 percent of the members of NJMS’ Class of 2011 who participated in the NRMP achieve postgraduate placement.

Dr. Peter W. Carmel assumes post as President of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Joel DeLisa, professor and chair of NJMS’ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New Jersey Medical School, is one of 65 new members elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academics.

Learning Communities come to NJMS.

NJMS launches its “Institutional-Self Study” in preparation for the renewal of its accreditation with the LCME.

2012
NJMS student LeAnne Roberts begins term as Chair of the Medical Student Section of the American Medical Association.
NJMS Professor Marvin Schwalb PhD’s research team at NJMS’ Institute for Genomic Medicine develops new DNA sequencing tests for diseases like cystic fibrosis.

2013
New Jersey Medical School becomes part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey on July, 1, 2013. The move comes as part of the enactment of the New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act which required the integration of Rutgers with all units of UMDNJ, except University Hospital and the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford.

The Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases is created at New Jersey Medical School to pursue novel approaches to detecting, treating, and preventing a wide range of current and emerging diseases caused by infectious agents and harmful inflammation. The institute combines expertise from three centers of excellence at New Jersey Medical School—the Public Health Research Institute, the Center for Immunity and Inflammation and the Center for Emerging Pathogens.

New Jersey Medical School welcomes 178 newly minted medical students during its Barbara and Norman Seiden White Coat Ceremony, held in August. It was the school's first White Coat Ceremony since becoming a unit of Rutgers.

Forty-five of New Jersey Medical School’s physicians, representing a wide range of specialties, are identified as being among the best in their respective fields in the 16th Edition of Castle Connolly Top Doctors: New York Metro Area.

A study by a New Jersey Medical School faculty member appearing in Nature Genetics shows that tuberculosis drug resistance is not an all-or-none phenomenon. Rather, TB-causing bacteria often accumulate mutations in a step-wise fashion, with the initial mutation having minimal impact but poising the bug to later develop high-level resistance upon acquisition of other mutations.

A team of researchers from three departments at New Jersey Medical School show that the topical anti-fungal drug Ciclopirox causes HIV-infected cells to “commit suicide” by jamming up the cells’ powerhouse, the mitochondria. Their findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, also showed that, unlike current anti-HIV drugs, Ciclopirox completely eradicates infectious HIV from cell cultures, with no rebound of virus when the drug is stopped.

Noting New Jersey Medical School’s commitment to service learning, diversity, and community engagement among our strengths, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education renews the school’s accreditation for a maximum term of eight years.

50 th Anniversary

Initially established as the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry in 1954, the college's mission was to train highly qualified clinicians to meet the healthcare needs of New Jersey and the nation - a mission that remains a top priority today.

Since becoming part of UMDNJ, NJMS has continued to make great strides forward. With a rich tradition in education and research, NJMS is a young and vibrant school that continues to expand its horizons and grow its success.

As part of NJMS's golden anniversary celebration, a number of events for the NJMS community, including a symposium featuring top researchers and experts in the field of medicine, were planned to celebrate the school's rich history and growth and recognize the promise that NJMS holds for the future.

Click here to read about the events:

Deans of NJMS

Charles L. Brown, MD (1955-59)

James E. McCormack, MD (1960-66)

Arthur J. Lewis, MD (1966)

Desmond Bonnycastle, MD, PhD (acting 1967)

Rulon Rawson , MD (1967-72)

Harold Kaminetsky, MD (acting dean and dean, 1972-74)

Stanley S. Bergen , Jr., MD (acting 1974)

Vincent Lanzoni, MD, PhD (1975-87)

Stuart D. Cook, MD (acting 1987-89)

Ruy V. Lourenço, MD (December 1989-June 2000)

Joel A. DeLisa, MD, MS (interim July 2000- December 2000)

Russell T. Joffe, MD (January 2001-Sept 2005)

Robert L. Johnson, MD (interim October 2005 to present)