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New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Kaitlan Baston will leave her government job overseeing the state’s health systems to serve as interim CEO of University Hospital in Newark, the state’s only public hospital, state officials announced Tuesday.

Gov. Phil Murphy appointed Baston to replace outgoing hospital president and CEO Ed Jimenez, who took over the Newark facility in January 2023. Hospital officials said Jimenez’s last day would be May 2 and Murphy’s office said an acting state health commissioner would be announced soon.

University Hospital, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center, is a critical asset to Newark and is a party in the historic agreement — codified in the wake of a 1967 community uprising in Newark — that requires the hospital to support residents’ health and well-being. The 45-year-old hospital, a teaching hub for Rutgers University clinical programs, also played a key role in the state’s COVID-19 response.

The urban medical campus is in the midst of an $1.8 billion reconstruction project, much of which is not yet funded. Floods and power outages are common, hospital leaders have said, and the outdated emergency room now treats nearly 100,000 people a year, twice the capacity it was built for. Hallways remain filled with hospital beds, with bed numbers painted on the walls, a testament to permanent overcrowding.

Fifth leader in six years

Baston will be the hospital’s fifth leader in six years, including interim CEOs, and the second after Dr. Shereef Elnahal to come directly from running the state health department. Judy Persichilli, a hospital executive and nurse — who would go on to replace Elnahal at the state health department — also served as a state monitor at University Hospital, which had struggled with financial and leadership issues, and acting CEO before her time in Trenton. Baston replaced Persichilli at the health department in July 2023.

On Tuesday, Murphy praised Baston’s work at the state health department and expressed confidence in her ability to “be an exceptional interim CEO.” The announcement made clear Baston will be with University Hospital only to “ensure a smooth transition” while the board searches for a permanent leader. It was not clear Tuesday why Jimenez was leaving the job. University Hospital declined to say why.

“Dr. Baston brings extraordinary expertise in both clinical and operational leadership. I am confident that, under her interim guidance, University Hospital will continue to advance its mission — delivering exceptional care, driving innovation, and building on a legacy of service to the community,” University Hospital Board of Directors Chair Tanya L. Freeman said in a statement released by Murphy’s office.

‘Period of transition’

An addiction and family medicine specialist, Baston founded the Center for Healing at Cooper University Health Care and pioneered several lifesaving programs at Cooper University Hospital, in Camden. Baston also worked on public health projects in Rwanda and the Dominican Republic and provided family planning and other services at a bilingual clinic in Seattle, Washington, according to Tuesday’s announcement.

Choice of Baston to head up health department chiefly earns accolades

At the state health department, Baston championed harm reduction programs, which provide clean supplies, the opioid-reversal agent naloxone, or Narcan, and connections with other services to help reduce death and disease tied to drug use. New Jersey invested $24 million over several years from its share of national legal settlements with opioid makers to expand these services to reach all 21 counties.

“I am honored to lead the hospital during this period of transition. Having worked in healthcare for my entire career, I understand firsthand the importance of clear and effective leadership in building trust internally and in the community,” Baston said in the announcement. “I look forward to building upon Ed’s work to expand access to innovative care, advance the master plan, and support our staff.”

Before Jimenez became CEO, University Hospital was overseen by interim president Mary Maples, an attorney who had worked closely with Elnahal. After a three-year term that included guiding the hospital through COVID-19 and launching the rebuilding campaign, Elnahal left in the summer of 2022 to become the under secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health, under then-president Joe Biden.

Health Care, Social Issues

Harm reduction: NJ expanding access to combat overdoses

There are 135 voting cardinals tasked with electing the man to replace Pope Francis.

And though any unmarried Catholic man under 80 can become pope, since the 14th century, the conclave has only named cardinals to oversee the Catholic Church.

At 72 years of age, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the Archbishop of Newark, is one of the ten cardinals from the United States that will have a vote at the conclave — and possibly be selected.

Here's what we know about Cardinal Tobin:

Who is Cardinal Joseph Tobin? What is he known for?

Born in Detroit, Cardinal Tobin was appointed Archbishop of Newark in 2017, after serving as Archbishop of Indianapolis from 2012 and 2016.

Fluent in Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese, Tobin was appointed cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016, which at the time was seen as an endorsement of his progressive and inclusive pastoral style.

Cardinal Tobin is liberal. He is considered one of the most progressive voices within the Catholic hierarchy. He has emphasized in a inclusive approach to ministry concerning marginalized groups and LGBTQ individuals.

Regarding the Catholic Church's traditional exclusion of LGBTQ people, during a 2023 interview at the Vatican, Tobin said that "the real beauty of our Catholic Church is clear, when the doors are open and welcoming."

And that wasn't the first time he championed LGBTQ inclusion. Throughout his ministry, he's proposed reforming catechism language so that it is not offensive or shameful toward homosexuals and has been outspoken against the firing of LGBTQ church workers.

Tobin has also spoken out against harsh immigration policies and has offered strong support for undocumented immigrants and refugees. He has also been a strong supporter of the Church renewal proposals under Pope Francis' term, which include the expansion of women’s leadership roles and greater lay participation in decision-making.

The Archdiocese of Newark serves approximately 1.3 million Catholics across Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. It comprises 211 parishes and 67 Catholic schools.

What are the odds the new pope will be from the U.S.?

Given that only voting cardinals have been elected pope since the XIV century, we can say that there are 135 prospective popes. Ten of them are from the United States.

Historically, out of the 266 popes the Catholic Church has had, all but four were European. For instance, Pope Francis, from Argentina, was the first pope from outside of Europe in over a thousand years.

Nevertheless, one of Pope Francis’ missions was to geographically diversify the College of Cardinals. He appointed 80 percent of today's voting cardinals, most of whom are from outside Europe.

Here are this year's ceremony details.

Patch Staff

NEWARK, NJ — The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark recently named its keynote speaker and honorary degree recipients for the 2025 commencement ceremonies.

See details for the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies below, or learn more here.

UNDERGRAD

The ceremony for undergraduates will take place at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21 (doors open at 7:30 a.m.) at the Prudential Center, 25 Lafayette Street, in Newark.

The keynote speaker will be Kevin O’Toole, managing partner at O’Toole Scrivo and chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. O’Toole also served 21 years in the New Jersey Legislature as a senator and assemblyman. He holds a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law and a bachelor’s in political science from Seton Hall University.

Find out what's happening in Newarkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

In addition to O’Toole, other honorary doctorate recipients include Dennis Bone, former president and CEO of Verizon New Jersey and executive in residence at Montclair State University’s Feliciano School of Business; and Jennifer Taubert, worldwide chair, innovative medicine at Johnson & Johnson and a member of the Board of Directors of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

GRADUATE: COLLEGE OF COMPUTING

The ceremony for master’s candidates at the Ying Wu College of Computing will take place at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 19 (doors open at 8 a.m.) at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center at NJIT.

The keynote speaker will be Maria Vasquez Karim ’05, an engineering program manager for YouTube ML hardware readiness at Google. She’s also co-chair lead of the Familia Employee Resource Group at YouTube. Earlier in her career, she worked at IBM, Intel and British Telecom. Karim holds a master’s in electrical and electronics engineering from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in computing engineering from NJIT, where she was an Albert Dorman Honors Scholar.

GRADUATE: ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE, SCIENCE/LIBERAL ARTS, MANAGEMENT

The ceremony for master’s candidates at the Newark College of Engineering, Hillier College of Architecture and Design, Jordan Hu College of Science and Liberal Arts and Martin Tuchman School of Management will take place at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 19 (doors open at noon) at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center at NJIT.

The keynote speaker will be Ken Colao ’77, CEO of construction management company CNY Group. He also serves as co-executive chair of NJIT’s Foundation Board of Directors and a member of the Advisory Board of NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design. Colao holds a bachelor’s in civil engineering from NJIT.

DOCTORATE CANDIDATES

The ceremony for Ph.D. candidates will take place at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 19 (doors open at 3 p.m.) at the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center at NJIT.

The keynote speaker will be Anita La Salle ’64, ’71, a former program director at the Division for Computer and Network Systems at the National Science Foundation and retired computer science professor. She taught at NJIT and American University, and at the NSF helped create the Innovation Corps. La Salle holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Stevens Institute of Technology and both a master’s and bachelor’s in computer engineering from NJIT.

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Newly registered 16- and 17-year-olds voted more than people 18 and older in the Newark school board election last week.

But turnout for voters of all ages remained low, as is typical in the few New Jersey school districts that hold elections in April. Overall turnout was about 3.2% while 16- and 17-year-old turnout was 3.8%, according to unofficial tallies. Organizers pushing to lower the voting age are calling Newark’s election a “strong start” for the Vote16 movement in New Jersey.

“It’s unfair to hold young people to a different standard than we hold adults. In this situation, turnout was low but for younger people it was higher than for adults. We hope and anticipate that it will grow in the years to come,” said Henal Patel, law and policy director at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, one of the groups involved in the push to lower the voting age.

More than 1,800 16- and 17-year-olds registered to vote by the March 25 deadline and about 71 voted in last Tuesday’s election. About a quarter of eligible 16- and 17-year-olds registered to vote, according to an estimate from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.

Discussing the low turnout

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A first for NJ

The new voters became eligible after a statewide student-led campaign to give young people a vote in elections that directly impact them. Young people who voted last week said it was exciting to participate in democracy and have a say in who sets the policies that govern their schools.

Education, Politics

Q&A: What should teen voters know before Newark school board election?

“They are going to become lifelong voters, especially in local races which always have the worst turnout,” Patel said.

LaJuan Allen, executive director of Vote16USA, said it is impressive that young people voted at a higher rate than adults given the short registration period. Young people tend to turn out at a higher rate than adults in other cities that have lowered the voting age, too, he said. In Maryland, College Park recently became the ninth city to lower the voting age after seeing high turnout for 16- and 17-year-olds and increasing turnout for adults in other municipalities that lowered the voting age for school board elections.

Allen said the movement is growing across the country, including in New Jersey where he expects Jersey City, Atlantic City, East Brunswick, Monroe and Montclair will follow in Newark’s footsteps.

State lawmakers, with the support of Gov. Phil Murphy, introduced a bill that would lower the voting age to 16 in school board elections statewide.

Newark’s nine-member Board of Education hires the superintendent, approves policies that affect the district’s roughly 40,000 students and approves an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion.

Newark Public Schools held voter registration drives during lunch periods at each of the district’s high schools and students organized candidate forums where students could ask questions of the candidates. Several high schools served as polling places.

Newark City Council voted to lower the voting age in school board elections in January 2024, but 16- and 17-year-old voters could not start registering until Feb. 1 of this year, about two and a half months before Election Day.

Looking forward

Patel said this “contracted timeline” made it harder to conduct comprehensive get-out-the-vote efforts. Organizers are hoping for greater participation next year, since people will have more time to register and learn about voting in school board elections. Newark Public Schools will also have more time to update its civics curriculum to focus on youth voting, Patel said.

She said voting changes can take time to get used to, such as early voting which wasn’t widely used in New Jersey until the 2024 presidential election after first becoming available in 2021.

“This is the start of a movement in New Jersey,” Patel said. “There’s no going back.”

State lawmakers, with the support of Gov. Phil Murphy, also introduced a bill that would lower the voting age to 16 in school board elections statewide. Murphy told reporters at a voter registration event in February that he has a “high degree of confidence” the bill will become law.

Politics, Education

Murphy pushes lower voting age for school elections

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Hannah Gross covers education and child welfare for NJ Spotlight News via a partnership with Report for America. She covers the full spectrum of education and children’s services in New Jersey and ... read more

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The Urban League of Essex County is spearheading a training program for people who want to start a career in "weatherization."

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A job training program for people who want to start a career in “weatherization” has launched in Essex County.

The Urban League of Essex County (ULEC) and net.America recently announced the expansion of their partnership to support the U.S. Department of Labor's initiative to broaden access to registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs).

The partnership aims to create equitable opportunities for ULEC clients and surrounding communities across high-demand industries, including cybersecurity, health IT, health care and energy. At least 50 percent of the program participants will come from underrepresented and underserved communities, according to the nonprofit.

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In March, the ULEC launched a “weatherization” technician program for people who want to start a career in the industry.

Here’s what to know about the training program, according to the nonprofit:

Find out what's happening in Newarkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

“This comprehensive training program equips individuals 18 and older with the necessary skills and knowledge to become proficient weatherization installers, enhancing the energy efficiency, comfort, and safety of residential and commercial buildings. Participants will receive hands-on training, gain in-depth knowledge of essential topics such as energy auditing and HVAC systems, and learn safe work practices. Upon completion, students will be well-prepared for certification exams and employment within the weatherization and energy efficiency industry.”

For more information about the training program or to apply for enrollment, contact [email protected]

“By introducing the weatherization technician program, we are empowering individuals to excel in this field while fostering a more sustainable future for our community,” said Vivian Cox Fraser, president, and CEO of the Urban League of Essex County.

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