EJB Talks: Rutgers Bloustein School Experts Bloustein School

This week on EJB Talks Stuart Shapiro talks to public health alumnus Christopher Black, Ph.D. Also a member of the Bloustein School Advisory Board who now works Senior Director, Real-World Evidence & Outcomes Research at Merck & Co., Inc., Chris shares his story of pursuing a public health degree after struggling with organic chemistry. With guidance from mentor Dr. Dona Schneider, retired Bloustein School professor and associate dean, Chris took a few years to work and teach before getting an advanced degree in public health, focusing on epidemiology and biostatistics. He also explains his 13-year career at Merck in health economics and outcomes research, where he helps design studies and evaluate new therapies, including individualized cancer treatment. Chris emphasizes how a public health background provides intellectual stimulation across industries and topics, encouraging soon-to-be graduates of the school to take every opportunity as a learning experience. 


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In this episode of EJB Talks, Stuart Shapiro interviews Professor Michael Smart, beginning with how he became involved in transportation planning and its impact on poverty and racial bias. Professor Smart shares his background in transportation, discussing how his work with people reentering society after incarceration and the transportation challenges they faced led him to focus on this area. The conversation also covers Dr. Smart's research on the impact of living in transit-accessible areas and racial bias in traffic stops, drawing from innovative data sources like traffic cameras and cell phone data. Some of his results may surprise you.  Professor Smart emphasizes the importance of meaningful research that addresses pressing societal issues and aims to impact real-world problems, and as director of the school's doctoral program, he encourages doctoral students to pursue research driven by curiosity and relevance to today's challenges.


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Our EJB Talks podcast this week features Joel Cantor⁠, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy and Kathe Newman, Professor and Director of the Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement. They are part of a new Rutgers initiative, the Housing and Health Equity Cluster, which aims to address health equity issues through interdisciplinary collaboration across university departments. Professor Newman discusses how, through her urban planning work, she became interested in the connection between lack of affordable housing and poor health. Professor Cantor's research into the health conditions of vulnerable populations utilizing Medicaid was often linked to long-term chronic homelessness. They explain how housing and health issues are deeply intertwined, with one constantly impacting the other in a cycle that is difficult to break. The work of the HHE cluster seeks to better understand these relationships and challenges through data analysis informing policy solutions for a better future for permanent supportive housing.




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This week Stuart Shapiro talks to Assistant Professor Emily Parker about her research interests in community health centers and how they originated from her work assisting with Affordable Care Act implementation in New York state. In this EJB Talks episode, she explains what federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are and their history in serving underserved communities. Parker discusses how FQHCs have avoided partisanship despite being government-funded, in part by appearing private and not emphasizing their government support. Her qualitative research has found that many patients were unaware and even surprised, of the government support of FQHCs. Shapiro also asks about Parker's place-based policy research on programs that target funding geographically, and how that fits in in her new surroundings at the Bloustein School. Having a health policy research background, Parker is looking forward to understanding her research from the different methodological approaches of her new urban planning colleagues.




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Dean Stuart Shapiro talks about the path to a career in health administration with Assistant Teaching Professor Jane Kaye on EJB Talks this week. Professor Kaye shares her unconventional path to healthcare which began in art history. After working in various policy roles she went on to obtain an MBA, eventually becoming a hospital CFO. She discusses the complexities of hospital revenue cycle management and billing, noting how the U.S. healthcare system has evolved to become overly complicated for patients to understand. They also discuss the challenges of hospitals balancing patient care and financial operations. Professor Kaye closes with the reasons why healthcare administration remains an appealing career option for students, given the many opportunities available, and what she aims to teach students to help them succeed and make positive changes in the industry.


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Stuart Shapiro returns for our 10th season of EJB Talks with alumnus Brandon McKoy MCRP '13, who was recently named the president of The Fund for New Jersey. An alumnus of the Bloustein School's urban planning program, Brandon talks about his recent career advancement, including an overview of previous role at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and his earlier time at The Fund for New Jersey. Brandon and Stuart discuss priorities for the Fund, such as supporting inclusive policymaking and strengthening democracy through improvements to electoral processes, legislative transparency, and civic engagement in New Jersey. They wrap up with Brandon sharing the message he tries to convey to Bloustein students in the classroom, encouraging them to understand the historical context of the issues they are looking at.


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