Chancellor, Rutgers Health & Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, RWJBarnabas Health

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, stands among America’s highest-ranked, most diverse public research universities. The oldest, largest and top-ranked public University in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, its main locations are in three New Jersey cities (New Brunswick, Newark and Camden). Rutgers University has a prominent academic and clinical health sciences presence that spans across the state, and its footprint is seen around the region. It is an academic, health and research powerhouse and a university of opportunity with over 71,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 530,000 alumni around the world, and over $1 billion annually in research grants and sponsored programs.

Rutgers has a three-fold mission:

Rutgers Health
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (Rutgers Health) leads Rutgers’ efforts to be a state, national, and international leader in the biomedical and health sciences and their related professions. Its approach incorporates insights from the laboratory sciences and the clinical, behavioral, public health, and social sciences, as well as complementary non-health disciplines such as business, economics, engineering, law, the arts, and the humanities. By building on its recognized clinical and research excellence, Rutgers Health advances population-based, value-driven health care, engages with local and global communities, strengthens and benefits from its uniquely diverse workforce, and fosters interprofessional collaboration across its schools and institutes. In addition, Rutgers Health deepens its professional ties with state and federal governments and cultivates new public-private partnerships with industries that are vital to New Jersey’s economy.

Through Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (Rutgers Health) activities, Rutgers stands as one of America’s largest and most comprehensive university-based centers for studying and improving human health and health care. Rutgers takes an integrated approach to educating students, providing clinical care, and conducting research to advance human health.

The eight schools of Rutgers Health comprise New Jersey’s largest and most influential constellation of academic institutions devoted to the education of the full complement of health care professionals:

These research centers and institutes contribute to Rutgers Health’s mission:

Rutgers Health provides one of the nation’s most comprehensive academic health education environments, offering a full continuum of undergraduate, graduate, and professional training across its eight health-related schools. As New Jersey’s largest educator of health professionals, Rutgers Health supports interdisciplinary learning across medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, public health, and allied health disciplines, strengthened by state-of-the-art simulation centers, extensive clinical training sites, and deep integration with the state’s largest academic health system. Each year, Rutgers awards hundreds of advanced degrees across the biomedical and health sciences, preparing leaders equipped to meet the evolving needs of clinical care, scientific discovery, and population health.

A Comprehensive Health Sciences Ecosystem

Rutgers Health’s academic programs span traditional and emerging fields, with robust pipelines into clinical practice, research careers, and public health leadership. Its partnership with RWJBarnabas Health supports more than 130 residency and fellowship programs, offering learners broad clinical exposure, advanced interprofessional training, and mentorship from leading faculty across New Jersey’s largest academic health system. Rutgers Health’s principal teaching hospitals are Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and University Hospital in Newark, both regional hubs for advanced and trauma care. Rutgers Health maintains major clinical affiliations with University Hospital in Newark and the VA New Jersey Health Care System, expanding training, research, and care delivery across diverse patient populations. Together, these partnerships position Rutgers Health as the state’s central engine for developing the future workforce in academic medicine, biomedical science, public health, and the health professions.

Rutgers is actively integrating Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and New Jersey Medical School into a single, unified Rutgers School of Medicine, with anticipated accreditation in 2027. The merger aims to create one accredited medical school with two comparable campuses, leveraging shared strengths in education, research, and clinical care to build a more powerful and nationally competitive institution. More than 400 faculty, staff, and learners are engaged in the integration process, supported by extensive outreach, town halls, and committee work to ensure the new structure reflects the priorities of both communities. This unified model is designed to elevate Rutgers’ national standing, enhance recruitment, expand research impact, and strengthen its role as a leading public academic health center.

Research Enterprise
Rutgers Health oversees one of the nation’s most extensive university-based health research enterprises, driving basic, clinical, population, and translational research across the biomedical and health sciences. As New Jersey’s research powerhouse, Rutgers Health supports 525,000 square feet of laboratory space, receives $564.3 million in research and sponsored program awards (2024), and maintains more than 450 clinical trials at any given time, reflecting its deep commitment to advancing scientific discovery and improving population health. Research is conducted across a broad range of disciplines, with more than 250 principal investigators leading work in neuroscience, environmental and occupational health, infectious and inflammatory diseases, translational science, and health services and policy, supported by internationally renowned centers and institutes (see Rutgers Health Centers and Institutesfor more information).

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, anchors the university’s oncology research efforts. Its more than 300 members from Rutgers and Princeton conduct matrixed basic, clinical, behavioral, and population-based studies in areas including precision medicine, tumor immunology, cancer metabolism, autophagy, drug resistance, genomics, and cancer prevention, with extensive laboratory-to-clinic translation supported through statewide clinical trials and advanced therapeutic platforms such as immunotherapy and cellular therapies.

The Rutgers Brain Health Institute serves as the university-wide umbrella organization for neuroscience at Rutgers University, encompassing more than 350 research laboratories and approximately 900 trainees across 14 schools and 50 departments. It is among the world’s largest and most comprehensive brain research enterprises. The Institute has established five Centers of Research Excellence focused on Alzheimer’s disease, addiction, autism, human brain imaging, and computational cognitive neuropsychiatry, with additional centers in pain research and neurotechnology in development. These centers reflect a strong translational mission, advancing innovative approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders, including autism, addiction, pain, aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive disorders such as dementia. Central to its mission, the Institute advances neuroscience and brain health research at Rutgers through the recruitment of highly accomplished, extramurally funded faculty, the training of outstanding trainees, robust support for academic and research activities, and the enhancement of national and international visibility. Collectively, Rutgers neuroscience ranks first in NIH funding among New Jersey universities and eighth among the 18 Big Ten universities.

Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC) contributes significantly to the university’s clinical and scientific mission as New Jersey’s most comprehensive provider of behavioral health services and the only behavioral health system embedded within a medical school. UBHC integrates cutting-edge research with clinical care across a broad spectrum of mental health and addiction services, offering acute psychiatric care, inpatient and outpatient programs, crisis screening, and specialized services for children, families, older adults, and military and first-responder populations. This academically driven system advances evidence-based behavioral health science while ensuring accessible, compassionate, multidisciplinary care to communities statewide.

Rutgers Health’s research capacity is amplified by its academic integration with RWJBarnabas Health, which established New Jersey’s largest academic health system through a first-of-its-kind affiliation launched in 2018. RWJBarnabas Health has committed more than $1 billion in investments to strengthen education and research over 20 years, alongside joint expansion of clinical trials infrastructure, translational research programs, and centers of excellence.

RUTGERS HEALTH CLINICAL PARTNERSHIPS

RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH), the leading academic health system in New Jersey, is advancing innovative strategies in high-quality patient care, education, and research to address both the clinical and social determinants of health.

In 2018, Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health signed a master affiliation agreement to form an integrated academic health system. Through the affiliation, the university has grown its academic health programs’ research, education, and clinical missions, all housed within Rutgers Health. Accomplishments to date include:

RWJBarnabas Health’s partnership with Rutgers University creates the state’s most extensive academic healthcare system dedicated to providing high-quality patient care, leading-edge research, and world-class health and medical education, further advancing our mission of providing high-quality healthcare in New Jersey.

RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers function through an integrated practice agreement between RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers University on behalf of its Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health have taken an essential step toward creating a single, financially sustainable, aligned clinical enterprise. The clinical system includes one of the largest medical groups in the country. It has a unified clinical mission that advances our high-quality standards in its clinical, teaching, and research missions.

University Hospital

University Hospital (UH) in Newark, New Jersey, is an independent, highly recognized healthcare provider serving the region with comprehensive healthcare offerings. UH is the primary teaching hospital for the Newark-based schools of Rutgers Health. The hospital dedicates itself to providing quality care, employing a team of medical professionals who are leaders in their field. UH offers 519 licensed beds and services across various disciplines, including medicine, surgery, orthopedics, and oncology. Its position in a university city allows it to integrate education and research into patient care, promoting innovation and advanced treatments. UH serves as a regional resource for advanced care in a wide range of medical specialties and critical care. The hospital is home to northern New Jersey’s Level I Trauma Center, one of only three in the state.

University Hospital takes a comprehensive approach towards healthcare by investing in cutting-edge technology and various specialized departments. The hospital is well-regarded for patient-centered care, demonstrating consistent dedication to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves. It boasts of advanced facilities and is known for its relentless commitment to clinical excellence and patient safety.

UH ranks among the Best Hospitals in Northern New Jersey and the New York Metropolitan area, according to the Best Hospitals rankings, published by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital also has recognition for “high performance” in the clinical specialty of Nephrology.

Other achievements by UH include:

Rutgers Health also maintains a broad affiliation with the Department of Veterans Affairs NJ Health Care System (VANJHCS). The VA is a consolidated facility comprised of two main campuses and 14 satellite outpatient clinics serving the 628,000 veterans that reside in the state. Last year, 72,531 patients received care in VA facilities, including more than 6,200 inpatient admission and 677,000 outpatient visits.

The East Orange VA Medical Center and Lyons VA Medical Center are general medicine and surgery teaching hospitals that provide a full range of health services for Veterans, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research.

The VA partners with the New Jersey Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to train medical students, interns, and residents in diverse medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. An extensive VA research program exists in New Jersey, with almost 300 projects and an annual budget of $2.5 million. The VA New Jersey Healthcare System also partners with Rutgers to offer a wide variety of educational and training experiences for associated health care professionals.

RUTGERS HEALTH SCHOOLS

Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy

The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy is one of the oldest and best-regarded pharmacy schools in the country, with a 125-year track record of preparing pharmacists, scientists, and healthcare professionals to make lasting contributions. Its six-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program begins with two years of pre-professional study and moves seamlessly into four years of professional training, and Rutgers is home to one of the country’s few 0–6 PharmD programs. The School features state-of-the-art simulation environments that offer dynamic and immersive learning experiences, alongside innovative and visionary research, exemplary clinical practice, and extensive outreach.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) is one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, committed to excellence in education, research, clinical care, and the advancement of community and global health. Together with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital—an RWJBarnabas Health facility and the School’s principal affiliate—it forms New Jersey’s premier academic medical center. RWJMS also partners with 34 additional hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites across the region.

The School encompasses 20 basic science and clinical departments and is home to several major centers and institutes, including the Cardiovascular Institute, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, and the Women’s Health Institute. RWJMS supports more than 1,500 learners across undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs located in New Brunswick and Piscataway, and provides continuing education for health professionals as well as community education programs. Formerly part of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, RWJMS joined Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, on July 1, 2013, following the New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act.

School of Graduate Studies
The School of Graduate Studies serves as a major research engine for Rutgers, supporting over 150 degree-granting programs and more than 5,200 graduate students. Its programs span the humanities, social sciences, biomedical sciences, physical and mathematical sciences, and engineering. The School plays an essential role in strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration across Rutgers Health and the broader Rutgers–New Brunswick community.

School of Nursing

The Rutgers School of Nursing is one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive nursing schools, advancing nursing science, education, health equity, and evidence-based clinical and population-based healthcare. Students are trained in high-fidelity simulation labs and rotate across more than two hundred affiliated clinical sites. The School’s holistic and person-centered educational philosophy aligns closely with the mission and values of Rutgers Health.

New Jersey Medical School is distinguished by its commitment to educating humanistic and culturally competent physicians. The school is New Jersey’s top NIH-funded institution for basic and clinical science and offers a dynamic, integrated curriculum that promotes team-based learning, clinical immersion, community engagement, and professional identity formation. Its new Clinical Skills Center, supported by advanced simulation technologies, further enhances its educational infrastructure.

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine

The Rutgers School of Dental Medicine is New Jersey’s only dental school and the state’s largest provider of oral healthcare. It offers the DMD degree, a program for internationally trained dentists, and a full range of postgraduate specialties. Its clinical network, which includes student clinics, graduate specialty clinics, and faculty practices, positions RSDM as a vital contributor to statewide oral health.

School of Health Professions
The School of Health Professions is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive health professions school, offering more than thirty-five degrees and certificates spanning nutrition and dietetics, physician assistant studies, psychiatric rehabilitation, health informatics, clinical and medical imaging sciences, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Programs are delivered across multiple New Jersey locations as well as through online and hybrid formats, reflecting the School’s deep engagement with community-based clinical initiatives and interdisciplinary research.

The Rutgers School of Public Health, founded in 1983, is the state’s only accredited school of public health and maintains campuses in Newark and New Brunswick. Organized into four departments, the School is recognized for its leadership across numerous public health domains, including cancer disparities, climate and planetary health, infectious diseases, LGBTQ+ health, pharmacoepidemiology, maternal and reproductive health, population aging, mental health, and gun violence prevention. With more than fifteen MPH concentrations and multiple degree and certificate offerings, the School remains deeply committed to public health education, innovative research, and community-engaged scholarship.

RUTGERS LEADERSHIP

William F. Tate IV, Ph.D., M.P.E.
President, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
William F. Tate IV, an award-winning scholar and nationally recognized academic leader, became the 22nd president of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, on July 1, 2025. He also serves as University Professor and Distinguished Professor, with a career defined by advancing interdisciplinary research, academic medicine, and public impact at major public research universities.

Before joining Rutgers, Dr. Tate served as president of Louisiana State University system and chancellor of the flagship Baton Rouge campus. In that role, he led a comprehensive public research enterprise serving more than 60,000 students, with 3,000 full-time faculty, a multibillion-dollar economic footprint, and a broad portfolio spanning biomedical research, clinical partnerships, and innovation. He held faculty appointments in sociology, psychiatry and behavioral medicine, epidemiology, and public health—reflecting a longstanding commitment to integrating population health, clinical science, and social determinants of health into the academic mission. His leadership at LSU earned a U.S. Congressional Commendation and formal resolutions from the Louisiana Legislature for record-setting achievements in research growth, philanthropy, legislative appropriations, and student enrollment.

President Tate previously served as executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of South Carolina, where he strengthened research capacity and academic health collaborations while holding the Education Foundation Distinguished University Professorship. Earlier, at Washington University in St. Louis, he served as department chair, dean of the graduate school, and vice provost for graduate education, and held the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professorship in Arts and Sciences. His earlier appointments include the William L. and Betty F. Adams Chair at Texas Christian University and a tenured faculty position at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

An elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education, President Tate’s scholarship bridges education, population health, and policy. He is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association and recipient of numerous honors, including the Distinguished Scholar Award in Mathematics Education and a lifetime achievement award for contributions to education research.

His academic preparation reflects a deep engagement with health and policy. He completed postdoctoral training in social and public policy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an Anna Julia Cooper Fellow and later trained at the Washington University School of Medicine, earning a Master’s in Psychiatric Epidemiology. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics education with a cognate in human development from the University of Maryland, College Park; an M.A. in mathematical sciences education from the University of Texas at Dallas; and a B.S. in economics with a minor in mathematical sciences from Northern Illinois University.

As president of Rutgers, Dr. Tate is advancing an ambitious vision for Rutgers Health—one that aligns clinical excellence, biomedical discovery, public and population health, and community partnership across New Jersey. He seeks a partner who will help shape a nationally prominent academic health enterprise grounded in research excellence, patient impact, and workforce
development.

RUTGERS HEALTH FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS (FY25)

Position Summary
The Chancellor of Rutgers Health and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at Rutgers University and Chief Academic Officer at RWJBarnabas Health (The Chancellor) is an integral member of the University’s senior executive leadership team and serves as the chief academic and research officer for Rutgers’ health enterprise. Reporting directly to the President, the Chancellor provides executive academic leadership focused on education, research, faculty affairs, and scholarly advancement across Rutgers Health. The Chancellor holds senior responsibility for supervising the academic functions of the Rutgers Health schools and convening their deans and academic leaders to coordinate and elevate research, graduate and professional education, and academic program quality across the health sciences.

In addition to overseeing academic functions, the Chancellor is expected to drive system-level integration across Rutgers Health’s schools, institutes, and its academic–clinical partnership with RWJBarnabas Health—aligning missions, fostering interdependent structures, and strengthening collaboration across the system. The Chancellor also works in a matrixed academic partnership with RWJBarnabas Health leadership—building trust, supporting the learning environment, advancing joint academic opportunities, and enhancing research cooperation. In this capacity, the Chancellor will also serve as Chief Academic Officer of RWJBarnabas Health, providing system-level leadership for the development and execution of a comprehensive strategy for medical education. This includes oversight of trainee recruitment and retention across medical, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy programs, as well as the expansion and cascading of research and training initiatives across the enterprise.

The Chancellor will provide senior executive academic leadership that supports the mission and strategic priorities of Rutgers University and fosters effective and efficient oversight and coordination of the academic health sciences enterprise. The role promotes collaboration, academic professionalism, and problem solving across Rutgers Health’s research and educational activities and works constructively with leaders of interdisciplinary centers and institutes. The Chancellor represents the President in academic health matters by engaging with deans, chairs, center and institute directors, and University leadership, playing a central role in shaping Rutgers’ academic vision for the health sciences and advancing its statewide impact in education, research, and public service.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to
William F. Tate IV, Ph.D, President, Rutgers University

Direct reports
The Deans of Rutgers Health Schools
Leaders of Chancellor-level institutes and centers
Chief of Staff and Cabinet leaders

Other key relationships
RWJBH system leadership
University Hospital leadership
Chancellors for Rutgers University—Newark, New Brunswick and Camden
Deans and VPs across Rutgers University–Newark, New Brunswick, and Camden
Rutgers University Foundation staff
Rutgers University operational, strategic, and finance leaders
Faculty, staff, students, patients, families, and donors
Key political and community leaders

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Rutgers provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. The specific benefits vary based on the position and may include:

CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES
Collaborating and Influencing
Successful candidates will possess the ability to understand and thrive in a highly relationship and consensus-driven organization that is moving toward organizational integration. Key elements of a successful approach will include:

Leading People
Within a large, complex, and integrating academic health sciences environment, ideal candidates will inspire, motivate, and hold accountable their teams, as well as colleagues, stakeholders, and influencers throughout the organization, by:

Education
Additional relevant advanced degrees (e.g., PhD, DrPH, etc.) and prior leadership development experiences are considered additive.

Medical License

A current, unrestricted license to practice medicine in any U.S. jurisdiction will be weighted as a preferred qualification.

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey has engaged a search firm, Spencer Stuart, to manage the search process. To be considered, candidates must complete the following two‑step process to complete their application: