Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Expands Dual-Track Training Opportunities

Accelerated dual-certification programs in the Department of Medicine will prepare physicians to enter the health care workforce sooner

New Jersey has one of the lowest concentrations of family physicians at about 17 per 100,000 of population, according to the American Board of Family Medicine. Leadership in the Department of Medicine - the largest clinical department at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School - is meeting the challenge by developing three new programs through which physician trainees can become double board-certified in four years rather than five, preparing them to enter the health care workforce sooner.

New Jersey Medical School is one of five institutions in the United States approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to provide the combined internal medicine-preventive medicine residency (IM/PM), and the Department of Medicine pathway is one of three available in the Northeast. The program graduated its second resident at the June commencement.

"Preventive medicine is a key aspect of all primary care, and medicine specialists benefit greatly from strong skills in public health and epidemiology," said Mirela Feurdean, IM/PM program director and an associate professor at the school.

We're excited to be pioneering education models that help address the workforce shortages faced by each of these specialties, while sacrificing none of the rigor.

Kristin Wong

Director, Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency and Vice Chair of Education

The department plans to increase the number of dual-track offerings in its residency program, the multiyear training phase that immediately follows medical school. This effort to expand dual-track training opportunities aims to address critical health-care shortages by preparing internal medicine residents to become board-certified in a second specialty via accelerated pathways, currently available at just a handful of institutions, nationwide.

The announcement was made during the annual Department of Medicine Housestaff Commencement, a ceremony celebrating graduating residents and fellows held on June 11.

The combined internal medicine residency-nephrology fellowship track, which was introduced in July 2025, is the second recent dual-training addition. It has the distinction of being one of just three in the country approved by the ACGME - preparing physicians to earn the combined qualification in just four years when at least five years is standard - and comes with a guaranteed fellowship placement.

During the commencement, Department of Medicine Chair Marc Klapholz shared plans for a third program in the coming year: a combined internal medicine-infectious disease training pilot cohort that will be the first of its kind in the nation, pending council approval.

"A distinctive feature of this proposed pathway is the natural overlap between internal medicine and infectious disease training," said Daniel Matassa, codirector of the proposed program. "Both specialties emphasize strong clinical reasoning and diagnostic acumen over procedural skills, which sets them apart."

The three new dual-track initiatives join the existing internal medicine-pediatrics residency program in the Department of Medicine, which - though celebrating 20 years this July - is still one-of-a-kind in New Jersey.

"We're excited to be pioneering education models that help address the workforce shortages faced by each of these specialties, while sacrificing none of the rigor," said Kristin Wong, director of the internal medicine-pediatrics residency and vice chair of education, who helped bring the three new programs to fruition.

During the June commencement of 58 residents and 27 fellows, Robert L. Johnson, interim chancellor of Rutgers Health and dean of New Jersey Medical School, encouraged graduates to lean into their training, training that has kept pace with and prepared them for the challenges of modern medicine, as evidenced by the dual-track programs.

"The fact that you can do this thoughtfully, ethically, and with compassion, is why you're ready," he said.