EJB Talks: Rutgers Bloustein School Experts

On this episode of EJBTalks, Stuart Shapiro⁠ welcomes one of our new professors in the public policy program, ⁠Ruth Winecoff⁠. Professor Winecoff talks about the inspiration behind her research on municipal bonds, and the important role they play in our country. This is particularly true for our towns and municipalities. She discusses Dodd-Frank legislation on the heels of the Silicon Valley Bank and other recent bank failures and how different aspects of the law have impacted local governments. The two then discuss municipal bond impacts on the nation's energy infrastructure through efficiencies for clean energy. Tune in for this and more.

This week on EJBTalks, Stuart Shapiro welcomes a new professor from the school's undergraduate public health program, Derek DeLia. Professor DeLia explains how he became interested in the field of health economics and talks about his 25-year career in health policy and health services research. He also shares details about his recent research regarding limb salvage versus limb amputation and the clinical solutions which vary along racial, ethnic, and economic lines. Stuart and Derek conclude with a discussion on how access to better medical care, better patient care, and better treatment options is possible through medical treatment incentives.

On this episode of EJBTalks, Stuart Shapiro welcomes one of our new professors in our nationally-ranked Urban Planning Program, Andrea Restrepo-Mieth. Her time in Colombia as a child to her graduate studies and her time in Southeast Asia led to her path working on water issues in the global South. She also describes her current focus on the impacts of climate change on water and water systems. They discuss good bureaucrats, and how planners and policymakers with the right technical, social, political, and economic tools — like our students at Bloustein — can make a difference by addressing and working towards solving issues like those Andrea studies. They conclude by talking about her current research, including an upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands this summer.

On this week's episode of EJBTalks Stuart welcomes Professor Shar Williams. The two talk about her undergraduate roots at Rutgers' Douglass College and the inspiration that led her on her path to an academic career in public health and biostatistics. Shar shares with Stuart the research she has done in areas of depression, anxiety, suicide and PTSD and the findings that show exposure to discrimination and socio-economic disadvantages impact health outcomes. She also talks with Stuart about her future projects including research on allostatic load where Professor Williams hopes to create an index of exposures to discrimination, economic disadvantages and cumulative life stress that likely have a physiological impact. Tune in for this and more!

This week on EJBTalks, Stuart Shapiro welcomes Professor Jim Samuel, Executive Director of the school's Master of Public Informatics program Talking about his professional path from architecture to the business and finance sector, Professor Samuel explains how the global financial crisis inspired him to take a deeper look at the Big Data phenomenon. They also discuss the synergy between studying informatics and Bloustein School's other disciplines.  Jim concludes the episode by taking Stuart and listeners on a quick but deep dive into two current hot topics, Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT. He explains their meanings, uses, dangers, and what we need to be thinking about as these changes infuse society. Tune in the for this and more!

It's our eighth season opener of EJBTalks! This season we are focusing on our amazing new faculty. For our first episode, Stuart welcomes the new Director of our Health Administration program, Professor Ellen Kurtzman. Ellen talks about her compelling career path, from nurse to health policy educator to health administrator. She speaks to Stuart about the commonalities in the fields she has worked on and how at each stage she focused on improving the health care delivery system and improving the health care experience. The two then discuss her research on marijuana legalization, her newest project on Marijuana Use Disorder and the policy and practical implications we face now and in the future from cannabis legalization. Tune in to find out about this and more!

For our last #EJBTalks episode of 2022 Stuart Shapiro talks with urban planning alum Gretchen Minneman Kostura MCRP '07. They discuss her journey from a student focused on community development to her professional work in transportation. After starting her career in the Port Authority Leadership Fellows program, she moved to her current position working for the CEO and President of Amtrak. She talks about the current challenges and opportunities facing Amtrak, from aging equipment to what the recently passed infrastructure bill could mean for the Northeast Corridor and the rest of the country. Gretchen concludes with some great advice for Bloustein students and alums starting out on their professional careers in urban planning. 

This week on EJBTalks Stuart Shapiro welcomes Bloustein alum and current Bloustein School Advisory Board member Moses Salami EJB (Public Health) '11. As the Director of Business Development and Marketing at St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark, NJ, Moses describes his path into the health administration and marketing fields. He details how a class during his senior year with Bloustein School Professor Vince Joseph opened his mind to a non-clinical health career. He talks to Stuart about healthcare marketing -- from service information to community engagement, focusing on population education and prevention practices. The two also talk about how marketing and communications were integral in keeping the hospital community, both internal and external, safe and informed during the COVID crisis. Stuart and Moses then look toward the future of health care and the biggest challenges the industry faces. Moses ends the discussion with some great advice for current and future students and alumni.

On this episode of EJBTalks, Stuart Shapiro welcomes alum Simon Liepold MPAP '05, who came to the Bloustein Public Policy program as part of an exchange program with Konstanz University in Germany. Simon talks about his current role as Senior Director of UN & International Relations for Microsoft. He describes his efforts on global topics like sustainability, privacy, and cybersecurity to name a few. He speaks about how his policy degree has been instrumental in his career, from his understanding of policy and decision-making to the importance of statistical analysis and excellent data. Simon and Stuart then talk about Microsoft's focus on data and leveraging ai to solve global problems to drive global good. They discuss the importance of data and machine learning in driving good decisions and policy-making and how Bloustein's newest program, the Master of Public Informatics, can play a role in the future of public policy and urban planning. Tune in for this and more!