Message From the Chair

Welcome to the Department of
Family Medicine Web site

We are an integral part of New Jersey Medical School. Established in 1991, our mission is to teach and model the principles of Family Medicine - which include biological, social and educational aspects of care - to students, residents and other physicians. We are dedicated to academic excellence, expanding the knowledge of medicine through primary care research and serving the Greater Newark community.

Since our inception, the department has actively contributed to advancing the school's curriculum, introducing two major required courses and an innovative internship:

• The Physician's Core, formerly Art of Medicine (TAOM) - first and second-year
• Clerkship in Family Medicine (CFM) - third-year
• Family Medicine acting internship - fourth-year

Additionally, we were instrumental in the implementation of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and in the development of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for the school. In September 2003, we received the UMDNJ Excellence in Education Award in recognition of the quality of our curriculum, use of information technology - including Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) - and faculty development for community preceptors.

The UMDNJ-NJMS/St. Mary Hospital Program, located in Hoboken, is the University-administered family medicine residency program and is the hospital's only residency program. We also have formal affiliations with the family medicine residency programs at Mountainside and Overlook hospitals. All three programs serve as teaching sites for our clerks and acting interns. Faculty from these residency programs also teach in the third-year clerkship.

In developing our research focus, we have established interest in the following areas: obesity, cancer prevention, family violence, health disparities and educational outcomes. Our research endeavors reach beyond the department, including a recently received Bureau of Health Professions/Health Resources Services Administration grant to create a primary care research consortium, in collaboration with internal medicine and pediatrics, to address the issue of health disparities among the underserved.

In addressing community needs, the Department of Family Medicine has three major clinical sites:

• The New Jersey Family Practice Center (located in the Doctors Office Center)
• University Family Practice Center at Vailsburg (located less than three miles from the Newark campus)
• University Center for Family Medicine ( located in the Saint James Preparatory School of Saint James AME Church)  

We are also administratively responsible for the Student Health and Wellness Center for the student population at UMDNJ's Newark campus.

The Department sponsors the following community outreach programs:

• The Student Family Health Care Center (SFHCC), established in 1967, is a student-run community health clinic that provides medical care to the uninsured and underinsured.
• Community 2000 (C2000), a community outreach program, in which students conduct health-related workshops, seminars and health fairs at community churches and organizations.

We invite you to browse our Web site to learn more about the activities and accomplishments of the Department of Family Medicine.

MARK S. JOHNSON, MD, MPH
Professor and Chair
johnsom2@umdnj.edu