EJB Talks: Rutgers Bloustein School Experts

Dean Stuart Shapiro welcomes William Tuttle, a Senior Fellow in the Bloustein School’s Health Administration program, to EJB Talks this week. With nearly four decades of healthcare administrative experience, Bill explains how his journey began with his decision to transition from medicine to hospital management. He discusses his 38 years at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, where he advanced through multiple roles, from managing service departments to leading a rural hospital and later overseeing physician recruitment and large-scale construction projects. Bill also emphasizes the importance of communication and long-term planning as essential leadership skills, as well as the growing value of the Doctorate in Health Administration (DHA). Highlighting the Bloustein School DHA’s focus on applied research, data analysis, and critical thinking as tools to improve healthcare systems, he describes it as a way for experienced professionals to deepen their academic knowledge, strengthen research and analytical abilities, and open doors to executive or academic roles.

With just a month until New Jersey’s gubernatorial election, Dean Stuart Shapiro sits down with Kristoffer Shields, Director of Eagleton Institute’s Center on the American Governor, for a special pre-gubernatorial debate episode of EJB Talks. They discuss how the race between Mikie Sherrill (D) and Jack Ciattarelli (R) has so far unfolded cautiously, the slowly-growing appearance of negative ads as the election cycle has progressed, and the challenges both candidates face in breaking through the noisy national news cycle.

Professor Shields emphasizes that, regardless of the election outcome, the state budget and the continued affordability of living in New Jersey will be central issues for the next governor. He explains that generally debates are most likely to have an electoral impact if they produce a ‘memorable moment’ that breaks into the news cycle. Professor Shields also briefly touches on turnout patterns, the influence of independent voters, and the broader national implications observers often draw from New Jersey’s (and Virginia's) elections.

Be sure to check your local listings to catch New Jersey’s second (and final) gubernatorial debate! The debate is hosted by the Bloustein School, ABC7/WABC-TV New York, 6abc/WPVI-TV Philadelphia and New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, on Wednesday, Oct. 8  (7:00-8:00 p.m. ET). It will broadcast live on ABC7/WABC-TV New York, 6abc/WPVI-TV Philadelphia, and across the stations’ streaming and digital platforms. The event is closed to the public. 

Dean Stuart Shapiro and the EJB Talks podcast have returned for season 13 with associate teaching professor Katie Pincura. Katie’s path into public health began as a counselor in Vancouver, Canada, where she first witnessed how the social determinants of health such as housing, poverty, and access to care shape health outcomes. Her later work in Georgia, helping transition people with intellectual and developmental disabilities into community settings, gave her a clearer view of how public insurance and state policy impact vulnerable populations. Connecting her own experiences navigating health systems in Canada and the U.S. with her work fueled her interest in health policy and ultimately led her to pursue an MPH and DrPH. Since arriving at Rutgers’ Bloustein School last year, Katie has sought to integrate her students' lived experiences into public health policy by encouraging them to critically examine the trade-offs between individual freedoms and collective well-being. She notes that the diversity and resources available at Rutgers, combined with student passion, helps her guide students to graduate with both a strong understanding of public health systems and practical skills needed for impactful careers.

In our final episode of EJB Talks for this semester, Dean Stuart Shapiro speaks with Professor Melinda Rushing, a new faculty member in the school's health administration program. They discuss her winding journey from social work to public health and how her passion for research, particularly around sickle cell disease and healthcare access, shaped her academic journey. Melinda's research uses data science to uncover patterns in healthcare utilization among sickle cell patients to better understand patient behavior and improve health outcomes. She shares how teaching has been especially rewarding for her because it allows her to bring her research experiences into the classroom, where she emphasizes the importance of experiential learning, critical thinking, and leadership development. Melinda aims to prepare her students with knowledge as well as the practical skills, enthusiasm, and mindset needed to tackle real-world healthcare challenges.

For our penultimate episode of EJB Talks for the spring 2025 semester, Bloustein School Young Alumni honoree and Advisory Board Member Sara Meyers MPP '09 shares her unconventional path into public policy, beginning with a background in music and German before being inspired by political events to pursue change from within government. She talks to Dean Stuart Shapiro about her extensive experience across various levels of government, from federal work at HUD, where she led major operational efforts, to local leadership roles in DC’s education system, and more recently as COO of the CHIPS Program Office at the Department of Commerce. As she ventures onto a new path with a climate-focused investment philanthropy organization, she emphasizes the value she found as a policy generalist, the importance of transferable skills like data analysis, writing, and project management, and the benefits of diverse experience in creating effective, impactful policy.

This week on EJB Talks dean Stuart Shapiro and Associate Dean of Research Clint Andrews discuss the vital role federal-funded university research plays in complementing education, driving innovation, and solving real-world problems. Clint highlights why government funding is essential, as much research benefits society beyond what private entities can support. He also explains how cuts to indirect cost reimbursements of university research funding could lead to not only tuition hikes and reduced services, but also the loss of academic talent if it is coupled with the country closing its borders and weakened U.S. global competitiveness. He closes the discussion by illustrating the positive impact of federal funding, sharing a recently completed National Science Foundation project on micromobility safety that led to practical urban planning and technology collaboration and innovations. 

This week on EJB Talks, Dean Stuart Shapiro speaks with Bloustein School alumna and Bloustein Advisory Board member, Leah Furey Bruder, MCRP '06 about her journey into urban planning and her experiences working in municipal and redevelopment planning. Leah explains how her background in international studies shifted to local planning after working on community development in Camden, NJ. She discusses her work in Cherry Hill, her time as an in-house municipal planner in Evesham Township, and her decision to start her own firm to focus on impactful projects. She highlights two key projects: the redevelopment of aging shopping centers into vibrant mixed-use spaces, and the successful opposition to a large-scale development that threatened New Jersey's agricultural land. She emphasizes the complexity of planning, balancing economic, environmental, and housing needs, and the importance of working with community stakeholders. She concludes by advising students to gain diverse experience, acknowledge their knowledge gaps, and navigate the complexities of competing interests in planning.

This week on EJB Talks, new Bloustein School Assistant Professor Zoe Lindenfeld talks to Dean Stuart Shapiro about her research on substance use disorders, particularly the opioid crisis, and its ties to healthcare access and policy. She explains how her interest in the field was sparked by the opioid epidemic’s emergence as a public health crisis. A particular area of interest in her work is closing gaps in access to treatment, including studying the impact of telemedicine on substance use care. She also delves into her recent study of fiscal determinants of overdose deaths, finding that higher police spending—particularly when linked to revenue-generating practices—correlates with increased overdose deaths. Zoe concludes by discussing the importance of understanding how local government decisions affect health outcomes, emphasizing how healthcare organizations operate within broader communities and policy contexts and further connecting her research to her teaching in health administration.

Will highlights the state's strengths, such as its strategic location and industry concentrations, but notes that future policies related to the new presidential administration, particularly around tariffs, immigration, and housing affordability, could significantly influence the state's economic trajectory.

As 2024 comes to a close and EJB Talks concludes another season, Stuart Shapiro discusses the new book by University Professor and Bloustein School Dean Emeritus James W. Hughes and Distinguished Professor David Listokin, “Rutgers Then and Now.” If you missed the book release event held on Thursday, December 12, today’s podcast is your chance to hear more about the events that led to the creation of this book, including the trips to the archives to uncover hidden gems of Rutgers’ pictorial history. The authors also talk about discussions with people from across Rutgers as well as with external groups whose own organizations captured unexpected views of the campus growth. They close out by sharing some of their favorite parts of the project as well as personal views on how Rutgers can continue to grow move forward in the digital information age. .