Message From The Chair

Welcome to the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and University Hospital!

In August 2016, I became the inaugural Chair of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, taking the helm from a series of formative and dedicated interim Chairs. I look forward to sustaining the trajectory of progress that they have initiated, and creating the premier academic department of emergency medicine in New Jersey and the region. The commitment of both NJMS and UH to patients and to the future of healthcare is inspiring and emergency medicine will benefit from their combined strengths.

As a full academic department within NJMS and with the infrastructure needed to excel, we are committed to fulfilling the Department’s mission as both a steward of academic medicine and a provider of healthcare for the greater Newark area. Our shared vision of clinical, academic, , and scholarly excellence is completely aligned with the institutional values and goals: multidisciplinary collaboration resolution for integrity and professionalism, drive for innovation and advancement, and respect for diversity and perspective.

Although the Department is relatively new, the medical school admitted its first class in 1956 and is now an established leader in medical education. With the dissolution in 2013 of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), NJMS became part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. [timeline]. NJMS continues remarkable growth, and provides a solid platform for robust collaboration and good citizenship.

Clinical care is provided at University Hospital in Newark, an independent, tertiary care medical center, and our ED treats 90,000 patients annually. In addition to being the only Level 1 Trauma Center in North Jersey, we are a Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, as well as the receiving hospital for Newark Liberty International Airport. Pediatric emergency medicine is integrated into the Department, as is the NJ Poison Information & Education System (NJPIES). Our ED staff provides medical control to the largest EMS fleet in the Northeast, as well as coverage for the NJ Devils hockey team.

The training programs for medical students and residents, both with outstanding leadership, provide exposure to a wide array of clinical experiences and state-of-the-art teaching modalities. We have an outstanding group of faculty members representing every subspecialty within emergency medicine. Residents completing our program are fully prepared to provide emergency care in any setting, and are equipped with the tools to emerge as future leaders in their career path of choice.

The faculty, residents, and staff of our Department are committed to collaboration, innovation, and excellence, and are dedicated in spirit and practice to our stakeholders, whether patient, trainee, or colleague. The future is exceptionally bright and I am honored to be able to take us forward.

Sincerely,

Lewis S. Nelson, MD
Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers NJMS
Chief of Service, Emergency Department, University Hospital