Interim Dean:

Rx for Excellence

By Kate O’Neill

A black-and-white photograph of a family pharmacy in Cromwell, Connecticut, hangs directly above the computer in the dean ’s office at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Growing up working in my father’s pharmacy was a major influence on my career development,” says Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, interim dean, referring to a career that has combined a love of medicine and basic research with a respect for sound business principles and practices.

Dr. Amenta graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and earned both a medical degree and a PhD in anatomy from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. “I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend both medical and graduate school, chair a department, become the chief of staff and quality officer of a major medical center, and serve as a dean of a medical school,” he says. “I truly enjoyed all of these positions and am happy and honored to continue to serve our academic medical center.”

Named interim dean in April 2006, Dr. Amenta brings considerable experience and enthusiasm to his new job. In 1989, he joined the faculty of the RWJMS Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, which was then chaired by Robert L. Trelstad, MD. Dr. Amenta was attracted by the prospect of joining a pathology department known for its interest in extracellular matrix and cell biology. “At the time, I was being recruited to other institutions. However, I would have been isolated, with my research interests,” he says. “Anyone would much rather work with other similar-minded investigators.”

Five years later, Dr. Amenta was offered the position of chief of the clinical service at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). He accepted the challenge with optimism and within three years was named chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at RWJMS.

A Model for Growth

Dr. Amenta believes that the department’s subsequent steady growth may provide a blueprint for expansion of the entire medical school. “It did take the department several years to see substantial, measurable progress,” he says, “and it came about because we developed a brisk clinical enterprise, while growing our research and academic programs.

“We doubled the number of faculty, doubled our NIH [National Institutes of Health] dollars, and quadrupled our total grant funding. Today, our educational, residency, and graduate programs are as strong as ever and are continually improving.” Dr. Amenta emphasizes his immense appreciation for the efforts of the faculty, staff, residents, and graduate students who believed in the pathology program, as well as for the confidence and support of Harold L. Paz, MD, then dean.

“The faculty deserves tremendous credit for the department’s growth,” says Dr. Amenta. “This is especially true for those who were present early on. They have a great business sense, and they think outside of the box.” The department began expanding its revenue stream by developing departmental services at other hospitals’ laboratories, overseeing specimen processing and diagnosis. These outside sites include RWJUH at Hamilton, Bayshore Community Hospital, and Southern Ocean County Hospital, where the RWJMS Department of Anesthesiology will soon provide services as well.

“I believe this plan has worked well in our department,” says Dr. Amenta. “Nonetheless, there is always an opportunity for improvement. We are currently attempting to add additional hospitals and further extend the enterprise.”