10. Education
The sector’s connection to higher education in the state continues to remain strong. The biggest connection is the collaboration between Rutgers University and RWJBarnabas Health. That connection will be different in 2026, following the announcement that Brian Strom, the inaugural chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and the executive vice president for health affairs at Rutgers University is leaving both posts.
More collaborations are coming, here and abroad — and at all levels of education.
Rutgers signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Delhi Medical Education and Research Institute. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson stepped up with a $250,000 grant to Middlesex College and a $100,000 grant to support a high school stem initiative.
William Paterson, meanwhile, celebrated its 10th year of producing doctoral-level nurses.
9. Social support
Click here to read BINJE’s Year in Review 2025 Digital Edition
Any health care provider will tell you prevention is the best medicine. We offer a tip of the hat to a few organizations that are stepping up in the community, starting with fighting food insecurity.
Hackensack Meridian Health made a huge commitment in an effort to counter the uncertainty around SNAP benefits. RWJBH launched an innovative program to address food insecurity — and announced another initiative to help moms in need.
We’re equally moved by the effort of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, which has simply been opening its cafeteria to the community, no questions asked.
This commitment extends to many communities. Braven Health (a joint venture among HMH, RWJBH and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey) is taking the lead on veterans health care. And J&J and the New York Jets announced a partnership to promote better health throughout the community.
8. Good feelings
Health care heroes are everywhere. We were proud to detail so many of them.
Here is an appreciation for doctors who care for kids (there’s a shortage, if you didn’t know). And an appeal to appreciate special needs caregivers (God bless them).
Of course, there’s always room for a mention of the lifesaving work the New Jersey Sharing Network does.
This year, BINJE was proud to feature two unique relationships in two great reads.
The first was the dynamic between Holy Name CEO Mike Maron and Nancy Bischoff, his assistant and confidant for 36 years. It’s an incredible story of friendship.
The second was the effort of Saint Peter’s Healthcare CEO Les Hirsch, who told the tale of how he stayed in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina — even though he had only been on the job a week when the storm hit. It’s an amazing story of duty.
7. Life sciences
New Jersey remains the medicine chest to the world, so it only figures that life science brands would make news.
We’ll start with a commitment to the state. On the big side, Merck made a $70 billion investment to solidify Rahway as its global hub, Sanofi opened its new headquarters in Morristown to rave reviews and Genmab increased its presence in Plainsboro. On the smaller side, we detailed how three life science companies from India (Biocon Genetics, Aurobindo Pharma and Enzene Biosciences) all held ribbon-cuttings this fall.
Then, there was the commitment to the United States. J&J announced it will invest $55 billion in manufacturing and technology and Sanofi announced it will invest $20 billion for the same purpose. J&J also announced it was spending $3 billion on a deal for cancer treatment company.
It wasn’t all good news. Kenvue, the much-acclaimed spinoff of J&J, never did find its footing. It announced a headquarters in Summit in the spring, but, by fall, it was purchased by Kimberly Clark in a $32 billion deal.
6. Innovation
From Edison to Einstein and hundreds since, we are the state of innovation. That shows up in health care as much as any other sector. The next great breakthrough in the state may very well come at the HELIX in New Brunswick. In addition to being the eventual home of Nokia Bell Labs, it also will host Portal Innovations, which has a tried-and-true technique for developing startups.
Of course, we can’t mention the HELIX without mentioning SciTech Scity in Jersey City, where Tech Council Ventures will serve as the lead partner for health care innovation.
And let’s not forget, hospital systems can be in on innovation, too. Two come to mind. Atlantic Health hosts an annual venture summit, which brings tons of new ideas. Then, there’s HMH, which has mastered innovation like few others. Its latest effort is a partnership with One Medical and Amazon.
5. Nursing
The coming doctor shortage is well known. Just as important are the shortages in the nursing profession. Plenty of organizations are working to address that.
At Rowan University, the school and Bayada have launched a debt-free pathway for nurses. Speaking of schooling, Bergen New Bridge instituted a program to help its current nurses pay off past debt. (Nice thinking there.)
A groundbreaking partnership between Monmouth County Vocational School District, Brookdale Community College, Kean University and Monmouth Medical Center was created, aimed at making a nursing degree more accessible and affordable for students.
The efforts are global, too. J&J, as part of J&J CareCommunity, a new social impact platform, is helping to address the global shortfall.
And Rutgers announced it is forging a partnership with a nursing school in Saudi Arabia.
4. Philanthropy
Health care relies on philanthropy as much as any other sector. Thankfully, in New Jersey, philanthropy steps up, from the money that helped bring new cancer options to Atlantic Health and HMH to the generous donation by Jack and Sheryl Morris to create one of the country’s only standalone cancer hospitals.
Then, there’s the incredible $75 million gift from the Noble Family Foundation, which will help Holy Name in Teaneck in so many ways. Holy Name CEO Mike Maron called it divine intervention.
3. Renovations and expansions
For all the talk about keeping people out of hospitals, one truth remains: We need more hospital beds and services. There is plenty of construction going on.
Virtua announced a $500 million expansion in Camden. University Hospital had a long-awaited groundbreaking in Newark.
Some efforts had targeted research and care in mind. The Coriell Institute in Camden broke ground on a new life science campus. Morristown Medical Center broke ground on a transformative cancer care center. And Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration broke ground on a first-of-its-kind maternal and infant health center.
To be clear, it was an emergency situation — but some of those facilities were in need of an upgrade, too. Atlantic Health celebrated a renovation of a free-standing emergency department in Union County, while Morristown completed the final phase of its emergency department modernization. University Hospital also unveiled a major expansion to its emergency department.
Of course, the biggest change came in Central Jersey, when Monmouth Medical Center gained approval to relocate to a new campus in Tinton Falls, one that will anchor the Vogel Medical Campus.
2. Cancer care
New Jersey is at the forefront of so many cancer initiatives and programs — so many that BINJE did an entire issue devoted to the efforts. (There are more than a dozen great stories to read.)
This year, one initiative towered about all others: The Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center.
The 12-story, 520,000-square-foot facility aims to begin treating patients by the start of the summer. It will do so with 88 infusion beds, 80 exam rooms for adult and pediatric outpatient care, 96 inpatient beds and nine state-of-the-art operating rooms.
More than that, it also includes state-of-the-art laboratory facilities to support an additional 10 research teams made up of 10 researchers per team — or a total of 100 new investigators.
“The Morris” is a perfect example of how care and research can come together — and a perfect example of how families (not just individual patients) can take the journey together.
More than anything, it is the realization of a dream held by many: You do not have to leave the state to get great cancer care.
1. Record rankings
We can talk about how more than half of New Jersey’s hospitals were given an “A” grade for safety by the Leapfrog Group, placing it among the Top 3 (percentage-wise) in the country.
That’s great, but it doesn’t compare to this: Hackensack University Medical Center was ranked among the Top 20 hospitals in the country, marking the first time any hospital in the state has achieved this prestigious honor.
