Denise V. Rodgers, MD, FAAFP, Celebrated for Groundbreaking Career at Rutgers Health and REACH
Colleagues and friends from Rutgers and the community gathered in Newark in the late afternoon of December 15, 2025 to bid a fond, if reluctant, farewell to Dr. Denise Rodgers, Vice Chancellor for Interprofessional Programs at Rutgers Health, professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), and principal investigator at Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health (REACH).
The full breadth of Rodgers’ storied career became clear as leaders from across the university took the podium in turn, each sharing memories that spoke to the ways Rodgers has made a difference at Rutgers and beyond. Among them were Kim Fenesy, DMD, vice dean, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine; Susan Paparella-Pitzel, DPT, associate professor, School of Health Professions; and Meredith Mullane, MA, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Rutgers Health.
“What sets Denise apart,” Mullane said, “is her unwavering insistence that we ask the hard question: ‘Who is still being left behind?’”
Working as a family physician caring for underserved patients and communities, Rodgers saw first-hand the detrimental health outcomes resulting from inequities in housing, education, food access, and other social determinants. This insight was the seed from which REACH was grown.
“Denise set a high bar for REACH, and that is what has made everything possible—and continues to inspire our team to carry the work forward,” said Henry S. Turner, PhD, Vice President for Academic Initiatives, who provides leadership for the REACH project within the office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Turner is pictured here with the REACH team, including incoming principal investigator Rafael Pérez-Figueroa, MD, MPH.
Prior to Rodgers’ appointment as vice chancellor, she was Executive Vice President for Academic and Clinical Affairs at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) from 2006–2012, before being named fifth and final president of UMDNJ from January 2012–July 2013.
Alfred F. Tallia, MD, MPH, professor and department chair of Family Medicine and Community Health at RWJMS, has known Rodgers since she was first recruited to Rutgers, and speaks with great respect about her impact: “From her work as associate dean for community health to her leadership of the Eric B. Chandler Health Center, Dr. Rodgers’ legacy lies in her example of what it means to be a family physician both in and of the community she serves.”
Mullane echoes these words about Rodgers’ lasting influence. “Denise pushes us to confront inequities in health and education, reminding us that our work isn’t done until every patient, student, and community member has access to the care and opportunities they deserve. That is her legacy—and it’s a torch we must commit to carry forward together.”
Photos by Steve Hockstein HarvardStudio.com
