South Middlesex Times

The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are celebrating a decade of their unique dual degree program in pharmacy and medicine. This program is the only one of its kind in the United States. To date, it has produced 21 graduates who have either completed or are currently participating in medical residencies across the country.

During the anniversary celebration, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor Brian Strom, who also heads Rutgers Health, praised the achievements of the program's graduates. He said, "beyond the accolades and achievements, the essence of this program lies in its profound impact on patient care."

The innovative program merges the pharmacist's knowledge and prescription abilities with the physician's diagnostic and clinical skills to enhance patient outcomes. Joseph Barone, dean of the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, explained that "this program is designed as a gateway to new perspectives that unite health professionals in cooperative care to give patients the benefits of interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and solutions."

Carol Terregino, senior associate dean for education and academic affairs at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, shared that "the program has been a springboard for amazing professional growth opportunities in clinical care, service to the community, research and innovation during and after medical school." She emphasized that producing leaders in healthcare professions is a key objective of this initiative.

Senior Associate Dean for Planning and Assessment Carol Goldin added: “Our vision is to help build a health care system in which people from different professions contribute their expertise to solving health problems.”

Graduates from this unique program have undertaken or are engaged in residencies across various fields including family medicine, surgery, anesthesiology, pediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at major institutions throughout America. This year alone saw eight more pharmacy students recommended to continue their education at medical school.