Medical Toxicology
The state's poison center - New Jersey Poison Information & Education System (NJPIES) - is a division of the Department of Emergency Medicine. NJPIES hosts residents from most northern and central NJ EM programs for their Medical Toxicology rotation, and has an active fellowship program.
- Active and robust poison center with myriad opportunities to learn about poison center administrative activities
- Broad variety of clinical experience
- Renowned faculty and departmental leadership that have devoted career to medical toxicology fellowship education
- Daily didactics and rotator rounds, along with journal clubs and other activities devoted to fellow education
- Endless opportunities and mentors to assist in research, administration, teaching
Faculty Profiles
Lewis S. Nelson, MD
Dr. Nelson is Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and Chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and a Past-President of the American College of Medical Toxicology. He is actively involved with several governmental and professional organizations and is an editor of Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies. His areas of specific interest include consequences of opioids, pain management, and emerging drugs of abuse.
Jeena Jacob, MD, PharmD.
Dr. Jacob is the Medical Toxicology Fellowship Director and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She has several years of experience in medical toxicology fellowship leadership. Dr. Jacob is a member of the American College of Medical Toxicology Fellowship Director’s Committee and heads the National Medical Toxicology Fellowship In-training Exam Task force. Her areas of interest include medical toxicology fellowship education and medication safety. She is dedicated to optimizing the medical toxicology fellowship experience to prepare each fellow to reach their individual career goals.
Diane Calello, MD
Dr. Calello is the Medical Director of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, and an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She is board certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology and Addiction Medicine, and is actively involved in national leadership in several professional organizations as well as state and federal advocacy efforts. She is on the Board of Directors for the American College of Medical Toxicology, and the leadership team of the Toxicology Investigators Consortium Registry. Her specific areas of interest include pediatric poisoning fatalities, environmental lead poisoning, the pediatric consequences of the opioid epidemic, toxicosurveillance and population health.
Christopher Meaden, MD
Mehruba Parris, MD
Dr. Parris is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a Medical Toxicology Consultant with the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System. Dr. Parris is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology. Dr. Parris is interested in Public and Global Health in Toxicology, Diversity in Medical Education, Women in Medicine and Patient Quality & Safety.
Cynthia Santos, MD
Dr. Santos is Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and is the Medical Toxicology elective course director and residency scholarly tract leader. She is on the International Committee for the American College of Medical Toxicology, where she is a course instructor for the Global Educational Toxicology Toolkit and acts as the committee’s research grant leader. She is also on the Global Health Committee at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She completed her Medical Toxicology Fellowship at Emory University/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and her Emergency Medicine Residency at Mount Sinai Hospital. Her specific interests include medical toxicology education, global environmental poisonings, toxicology surveillance, chemical weapon preparedness, and addiction medicine.
Bruce Ruck, PharmD, DABAT
Dr. Ruck is the Managing Director of New Jersey Poison Information Education System and has been with the Poison Center since 1989. Dr. Ruck is a Diplomat of the American Board of Applied Toxicology and holds adjunct faculty appointments at Rutgers College of Pharmacy and Nursing. Dr. Ruck is active with several professional organizations and works closely with members of the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services. In addition to toxicology, his areas of interest include health care professional education, quality assurance and delivery of accurate unbiased information to help in the management of the exposed patient. Dr. Ruck has a special interest in public health as it relates to poison center activities as well as in drug-induced diseases.
