Credit: Courtesy NJABR

Michael Kastello, board chair for the New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research, with Rutgers undergraduate Shree Tanneti; and Justine Hernandez Levine, administrative director, Aresty Research Center for Undergraduates, recipient of NJABR's Community Appreciation Award.

Rutgers garnered honors at a gala event held by the New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research (NJABR) Oct. 26 that celebrated the art of mentoring, in which one individual awakens knowledge and creative expression in another individual

 “Sometimes we don't even realize until much later in our lives that these special people – our mentors – have changed not only how we feel about ourselves, but also how we approach life, and how we contribute to society,” Ken Breslauer, vice president of health partnerships at Rutgers, told the audience during the “Art of the Mentor” event, which recognizes New Jersey researchers and their contributions.  “Tonight when we honor these wonderful mentors,” Breslauer said, “let us applaud them not only for what they have done, but also for what they represent as life-changing forces in each of our lives.”             

George Wagner, professor of psychology in New Brunswick/Piscataway, took home one of the Art of the Mentor awards; another went to Eileen White, a professor of molecular biology and biochemistry at Rutgers and a member of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, a joint project of Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The faculty members were cited as “exceptional individuals who recognize the importance of guiding, counseling and encouraging others in their field.” 

Wise Young, who Breslauer introduced as “a prophet, a pioneer, and the heart and soul of the spinal cord injury community,” won the Caring Heart Award for his work on developing cures for these debilitating injuries. Young is a professor of cell biology and neuroscience at Rutgers and holds the Richard H. Shindell Chair in Neuroscience. He is also the director of the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience.

Former Douglass College Dean Jewel Plummer Cobb captured NJABR’s Legends Award for “her efforts to enhance and enrich the lives of women and minorities.” The Aresty Research Center for Undergraduates at Rutgers took home the association’s Community Appreciation Award.

NJABR promotes the improvement of human and animal health through biomedical research, and champions the work of New Jersey researchers.