We are happy to share that we have started a YouTube Channel.  Our monthly talks are in the process of being uploaded now.  If your talk has not been posted, please give us sometime.

Please take a look at the talks, comment, and engage.  Copies of the videos are also available on our website under the 'Past Events' tab.  

Happy New Year Folks! What will be your research focus for this year? Like many of you I welcomed the new year with reflections of events that occurred in 2020, and thoughts of how I want to spend my precious time and energy in the coming year.   Last year I began work on a few projects that I had great interest in but put them off with complaints that there was never enough time. 

In 2021, I plan to finish a few of those projects because I believe the research is interesting, the work is important, and these stories should be shared. My research will focus on the evolution of medicine in black communities (New Jersey – Early Twentieth Century (1900 – 1950’s). Do you have any sources you can share?

What will be your research focus for 2021?  Make the time to explore what interest you.

Have you been going a little stir crazy?  The Museum of Early Trads and Crafts, located in Madison, NJ, has reopened.  All visitors must call ahead (24 hours) to reserve a time to visit, wear a mask and socially distance.   Please go to their website (https://www.metc.org) for more information. 

Their current exhibits include Cholera to COVID-19: Epidemics, Pandemics & Disease

This exhibit explores America’s experience with infectious diseases, such as yellow fever, smallpox, cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis. Primary source documents supplemented by historic objects from METC’s permanent collection will highlight the resources, tools, and techniques physicians used to diagnose and treat patients during these historic outbreaks. 

Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Mr. George Floyd. Over the last few weeks we have watched protesters march in cities around the country (and the world), seeking justice for George Floyd, who died at the hands of a white police officer. Mr. Floyd was the latest in a series of black citizens who lost their lives due to violence at the hands of those in authority.

What happened to George Floyd is not new. Systemic racism and the killing of black and brown people have been a part of our culture for centuries. What is new is that social media has made it possible to capture these events exactly as they occur and in graphic detail with audible sounds that leave nothing to the imagination. It’s hard for the viewer to turn a blind eye or deny that these events are happening.

The protesters’ reactions to these incidents reflect their hurt and anger in response to these injustices.  Millions of protesters march peacefully across this nation in an effort to bring about change for equal rights and social justice, despite the efforts of some who instigate violence and loot stores. The marches exhibit efforts to unite communities of all races and ethnicities.

As we watched doctors, nurses, medical students, and social workers participate in protests, it brings to mind one of our Society’s core objectives: the MHSNJ “will be concerned with the history of the health professions and their influence on the social, cultural, and economic life of the community."

What will you tell your grandchildren about how you made a difference during these turbulent times?  What will be your legacy? How will you influence history?

Let’s all of us work toward a better society, a better world. It will take more than sympathetic words to heal the racial divide as we work toward a more equal and just world.  Commit to working together with your communities to address these systemic issues and remember to get out and vote!

 “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.”

― William Faulkner

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

Take care/Be safe/Make a difference

Linda Whitfield-Spinner, DMH, LCSW

President, MHSNJ

We are sad to announce the passing of  one of our founding members: Dr. James Tait Goodrich. 

Dr. Goodrich was the Director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, and Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery, Pediatrics, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Albert Einstein College.  

He was a pioneer in medicine, and developed a method to separate conjoined twins in 2004.   

More about this prestigious doctor can be found by clicking here. 

Welcome to the new website! 

We're hoping that the website can be used as a place for our members to talk and interact with each other.  Feel free to create a profile and post to our forums.  

Check out the plans that we have coming up for the website: 

1. Members only section
2. Members only directory
3. Ability to pay for events online
4. Ability to donate via the website 

We can't do it without you though!  Let us know if you're interested in helping with the following: 

1. Website updates
2. Blog updates
3. Conversation starters
4. Facebook page posts and moderators
5. Forum moderators

We are sad to announce the passing of Dr. Harvey Rothberg. 

Dr. Rothberg was a Clinical Professor of Medicine at UMDNJ and served as the first President of the Princeton Regional Board of Education after the borough and township merger. 

Dr. Rothberg was a prominent historian on the history of medicine in New Jersey, and published books that documented the history of Princeton Hospital: The First Fifty Years: The History of Princeton Hospital, 1919-1969 and The First Seventy-Five Years: A History of the Medical Center at Princeton, 1919-1994.  

More about this prestigious doctor and historian can be found here: http://www.towntopics.com/wordpress/category/obituaries.