EJB Talks
Join our faculty and staff experts, as well as some of our alumni and students, as we talk about topics within the disciplines of public policy, urban planning, public health, health administration, and informatics.
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Social Determinants, Health Policy, & Public Health
Dean Stuart Shapiro and the EJB Talks podcast have returned for season 13 with assistant teaching professor Katie Pincura. 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.
From Public Health Research to Real-World Impact
This week on EJB Talks we talk to Melinda Rushing, a new faculty member in the school’s health administration program, and 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.
Inside, Outside, & In Between: Leading In Government
This week on EJB Talks, 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.
Clint Andrews–The Critical Role of University Research
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.
Leah Furey Bruder–Community Centered Urban Planning
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.
Healthcare, Policy, and the Opioid Crisis: Bridging Gaps in Access
This week on EJB Talks 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.
Navigating New Jersey’s Economic Outlook
In our first episode of EJB Talks for 2025, Stuart Shapiro and Will Irving discuss Will’s current role with the Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON) as well as the latest economic forecast for New Jersey, which predicts a sharper economic slowdown compared to the national trend.
“Rutgers Then and Now:” A Discussion with the Authors
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, this podcast is your chance to hear more about the events that led to the creation of the book.
The Virtues of Public Service with Bob Gordon
As a former New Jersey legislator and BPU Commissioner, Stuart Shapiro asks Senior Policy Fellow Bob Gordon about his path to public service. Bob talks about his early days as a policy analyst and how he discovered he wanted to be less behind the scenes and move into the policymaking side.
Election Aftermath: The Path Forward for Democracy
In a special post-election episode of EJB Talks, Dean Stuart Shapiro and Elizabeth Matto, Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, offer post-election insights on the impact of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential win.
News
Rabble Rousers shown at Jalopy with a panel including Councilmember Aviles
“Land is power” was the refrain at Jalopy Tavern on Wednesday, May 13. Despite the gray, dreary weather, the energy was upbeat as roughly 35 New Yorkers met to watch a screening of Rabble Rousers and listen to a related panel discussion. Co-hosted by Carroll Gardens...
NJSPL Report: Reducing Opioid Overdose Risk in New Jersey
Report Release: Reducing Opioid Overdose Risk in New Jersey Through Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine Authored by Cadence F. Bowden, Peter Treitler, Kylie Davidson, Hannah Shepherd, Stephen Crystal Read Report Opioid use disorder (OUD) affects millions of...
Bloustein, MGSA to Host Exhibit on Memorial Homes New Brunswick
We invite you to join us for “We Mean Something to Each Other: Life in Memorial Homes,” a public exhibition celebrating the history and legacy of Memorial Homes, a New Brunswick public housing development that was the heart of a vibrant, close-knit community. Nearly...
NJ’s newly crowded primaries prompt call for ranked choice voting
For the second time this year in New Jersey, a Democratic candidate won a primary election – and likely to come, a full term in Congress – with less than 30% of the vote. Surgeon Adam Hamawy, a combat veteran, defeated 11 candidates in the 12th District. While he won...
Kathe Newman elected as Chair of Board, Urban Affairs Association
Kathe Newman, Ph.D., professor of urban planning and director of the Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement at the Bloustein School, was recently announced as Chair of the Governing Board of the Urban Affairs Association. Her fellow officers are José W....