Dr. Manasa Ayyala to Helm NJMS Center for Humanism

Dr. Manasa Ayyala, an assistant professor of medicine at NJMS, has been appointed the director of The Healthcare Foundation Center for Humanism and Medicine at NJMS.

Founded in 2004 with a grant from The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, the Center promotes dignity and respect for the individual, commitment to the relief of suffering, and the delivery of care that is kind, just, and humble.

Dr. Ayyala follows Dr. Dorian Wilson, professor of surgery at NJMS, in this role. Dr. Wilson was the founding director of the Center. He retired from NJMS in June.

"I am honored to be the next director of The Healthcare Foundation Center for Humanism and Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School," said Dr. Ayyala. "The ideals of humanistic care are what inspired me to start my journey to become a physician. I look forward to continuing the legacy of the Center in working to keep humanism at the core of medicine."

Dr. Ayyala earned her MD from Temple University School of Medicine and completed her residency training in internal medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. Following residency training, she completed a general internal medicine fellowship in medical education at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She joined NJMS' faculty in the department of medicine, division of general internal medicine in 2017 and leads curriculum development and implementation efforts around unconscious bias and microaggressions in the health equity and social justice longitudinal thread for clerkship students.

"We wish to thank Dr. Wilson for his many years of service. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ayyala in her new role and look forward to working with her to further the mission of The Healthcare Foundation Center for Humanism and Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School," Dr. Maria Soto-Greene, NJMS Executive Vice Dean, said in a recent letter announcing Dr. Ayyala's appointment. "She is committed to promoting professional development, physician wellness, and health equity."

To learn more, check out the Center's webpage. Readers may also follow Dr. Ayyala on Twitter @MSAyyalaMD.