Careers in Medicine
Career Advising
NJMS Careers in Medicine (CiM) is a comprehensive career-planning program that provides students with the skills, information, and resources to choose a specialty and residency program that meets their career goals. CiM dedicates itself to celebrating diversity in medicine and ensuring that no professional door is ever closed to any student. Our goal is to guide each student's career trajectory from arrival all the way to graduation and help them find the path that will maximize their own satisfaction as well as their capacity to contribute to the profession of medicine.
Operating within the Office of Professional Development at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, our mission begins with helping students understand themselves and their goals, and assisting as they explore different career options, to eventually select and match into the field that is the best fit. The CiM program is run by a designated team that works in conjunction with dedicated NJMS faculty advisors who provide personalized advice for students to navigate the entire process.
The Careers in Medicine Team follows the mission, vision, and values of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, which plays a critical role in each student's life and in shaping the future of medicine.
FOR CURRENTLY ENROLLED NJMS STUDENTS: Careers in Medicine/Research and Scholarly Engagement Canvas Page
Sharon Gonzales, MD currently serves as an Assistant Dean for Careers in Medicine for Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She came to Rutgers NJMS in 2005 and joined the Department of Radiology, Division of Interventional Radiology when the institution was still known as UMDNJ.
Dr. Gonzales began working in the medical school at the Office for Special Programs in 2009, and in the Departments of Admissions and Student Affairs shortly thereafter. She has been involved in advising premedical students, medical students, and residents for over 12 years for Rutgers NJMS and GSBS (SGS). She has been a teacher and mentor of the CIM/PCM learning communities since 2011 in Lykos House. She sits on the NJMS Admissions Committee and is involved in various committees and task forces in the medical school. She is proud to have been one of the recipients of the NJMS Golden Apple Award for Teaching.
Before NJMS, Dr Gonzales worked at Beth Israel/St Lukes-Roosevelt Medical Center in New York City. She has worked as a teaching faculty and as a contract physician in a variety of small and large public and private teaching hospitals, outpatient centers and VA hospitals. This enhances her understanding of the diversity and breadth of careers in medicine, and thus her advising.
Dr. Gonzales spent her undergraduate years at Rutgers College, New Brunswick, and then went on to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, graduating in1995. She did two years of a diagnostic general surgical residency at Staten Island University Hospital before switching careers to a diagnostic radiology residency at Lennox Hill Hospital in 1997. After residency, she went on to a Vascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship in Long Island Jewish Medical Center until 2002. Her research interests include readability of patient literature, radiology education, and radiation safety. She is married to a Rutgers environmental science professor and has two children.
Throughout her experiences, Dr. Gonzales has found advising and mentoring the most satisfying aspect of her career, and she looks forward to honing and implementing an efficacious and efficient student-centered Careers in Medicine program at Rutgers NJMS that will help students make their best choice of medical specialty.
For NJMS students requiring immediate CiM consultation, please use the clickable link below to make an appointment with Dr. Sharon Gonzales.
Click here to schedule an appointment with Dr. Gonzales
Ilya Ostrovsky, MD. currently serves as Director of Clinical Elective Advising for Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He joined the Department of Emergency Medicine as an Assistant Professor in 2016. He is currently the Co-Director for Emergency Ultrasound, Assistant Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Residency, and Assistant Fellowship Director for the Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship.
Dr. Ostrovsky studied physics at New York University and then went to Rutgers New Jersey Medical School for his medical degree and then stayed on and completed his residency at Rutgers NJMS. He has been teaching and mentoring both residents and medical students since he joined NJMS. With a strong passion for education and mentorship, Dr. Ostrovsky is dedicated to supporting students as they navigate clinical electives, specialty exploration, and residency preparation and is honored to continue in that capacity.
Outside of his professional responsibilities, Dr. Ostrovsky is married with four kids and has lived in New Jersey for many years. He loves spending time with his family, staying active through sports, and continuing his engagement in medicine.
For NJMS students requiring immediate Careers in Medicine (CiM) consultation, please use the clickable link below to make an appointment with Dr. Ostrovsky.
Click here to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ostrovsky
Edmer A. Martinez, BA currently serves as a Program Coordinator for both the Careers in Medicine Program and the Research and Scholarly Engagement Program. He received his BA in Communications from The College of New Jersey and completed his Marketing minor in Nice, France at the I’Pag Business School.
Mr. Martinez started his career with UMDNJ, now known as Rutgers NJMS, in 2010 when he joined the Department of Pediatrics as a Data Entry Clerk for a non-profit organization. He began his interest in careers advising when he started working in the Office of Student Affairs in 2018 and has since dedicated his time working with both the Careers in Medicine Program and the Research and Scholarly Engagement Program.
Mr. Martinez can be located at the Office of Accreditation and Professional Development, Medical Science Building. Here at Rutgers NJMS, we like to maintain an open-door policy and encourage any student, faculty, or staff member to stop by and share any ideas, perspectives, or feedback regarding career advising and/or research opportunities.
