Press Release
February 23, 2007
Contact: Jennifer Forbes
Phone: (732) 235-6356
Jenn.forbes@umdnj.edu
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Honors African-American Health Leaders
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NEW BRUNSWICK — UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School will hold the inaugural Visionaries in our Midst, the first in a lecture series hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, on Monday, February 26, in honor of African-American Heritage Month. The lecture series is designed to encourage medical and undergraduate pre-health students as they pursue their medical careers, as well as expose them to renowned physicians within Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The inaugural speaker is Ronald A. Morton, Jr., M.D., professor of surgery and chief, division of urologic surgery, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and director, urologic oncology, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. A clinician-scientist, Dr. Morton also is the medical director of the Center for Clinical Transitional Sciences, where research is transformed into therapeutic treatments. His research interests include prostate cancer genetics, with a particular focus on race disparities. Dr. Morton frequently provides expert analysis on the links between cancer and race. Dr. Morton is being honored as a role model for aspiring professionals for his relentless dedication to improving the health of local communities, his contributions to the field of medicine and his excellence in research that addresses the elimination of healthcare disparities.
Visionaries in our Midst will be held at 6 p.m., in the east lecture hall, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway. Following Dr. Morton’s presentation, a networking function will be held to provide the opportunity for medical school and undergraduate pre-health students to interact with minority physicians from different fields of medicine.
UMDNJ is the nation’s largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,500 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and a school of public health on five campuses. Annually, there are more than two million patient visits at UMDNJ facilities and faculty practices at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a statewide mental health and addiction services network.
