The overall objectives, strategies and priorities of the NJCCR are set by the Commissioners, who actively participate in overseeing the program and make final recommendations on the research projects to be funded.  In each Grant Cycle, the NJCCR awards grants based on the member’s recommendations, following peer reviewer’s evaluations, assessment of responsiveness to program priorities, and available funds.

The NJCCR currently consists of ten members appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate: five scientists/clinicians; two members from non-profit health organizations, one member from private industry; one ex-officio member from the Department of Health and Senior Services, and one ex-officio member from the Department of Environmental Protection.

Kenneth R. Adler, M.D., FACP – Vice Chairman     
Dr. Kenneth Adler is currently an attending physician in Hematology-Oncology at Morristown Memorial Hospital and an assistant clinical professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.  He attended the University of Pittsburgh and graduated from Albany Medical College in New York.  In addition, his internal medicine residency and Hematology-Oncology fellowship was completed at Albany Medical Center.  In 2002, Dr. Adler was awarded the American Cancer Society of St. George National Award for his volunteer work on the local, state, and national level.  He has served as a volunteer of the American Cancer Society since 1981 and has served on the National Oversight committee for the I Can Cope national program and chaired the state committee for patient and family services.  He is active on the board of Cancer Hope Network and Gilda’s Club and serves on the medical advisory board of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Dr. Adler was recently appointed to the National Clinical Practice Committee of the American Society of Hematology.  Furthermore, Dr. Adler has been recognized as one of the leading oncologists/hematologists in the Metropolitan New York/New Jersey area, in the Castle-Connolly Top Doctors in the Northeast Region and has also been named in New Jersey Monthly for the past eight years.  He was named Physician of the Year by the American Cancer Society, and was honored by the New Jersey State Assembly for this award.  He also received the Physician Home Care Award for Somerset County and was honored at the 2003 Pink Tie Ball by the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Northern New Jersey for his care of women with breast cancer.  Dr. Adler was honored to receive the Community Service Award from the VNA of Northern New Jersey in 2004.  He recently wrote and helped edit the introduction to the book I’m Sorry You Have to Be Here, by his patient Lois Cappetta-Bhatt, a mother’s story on cancer, family, and support.  In December, 2006 Dr. Adler received the American Society of Hematology National Public Service Award for the work he did on Pay-for-Performance for the society.

Thomas Atherholt, Ph.D.
Dr. Atherholt is a member of the Division of Science, Research and Technology of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) where he is a research microbiologist.  Dr. Atherholt received his doctorate in microbiology from Rutgers University.  He performed environmental research at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research in Camden, NJ prior to joining the DEP in 1990.  Dr. Atherholt serves as an ex-officio member representing the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection.  He was awarded a Professional Achievement Award by the State of New Jersey for award-winning drinking water research, in May 2001.  He resides in Moorestown, New Jersey.

Eddy A. Bresnitz, M.D., MS
Eddy A. Bresnitz, M.D., MS is an internist and preventive medicine physician and serves as the Deputy Commissioner for the Public Health Services Branch in the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.  Dr. Bresnitz joined the Department as Assistant Commissioner/ State Epidemiologist in 1999 and became Senior Assistant Commissioner in 2003 and Deputy Commissioner in 2005.  In his role as Deputy Commissioner/State Epidemiologist, Dr. Bresnitz oversees the Divisions of HIV/AIDS Services, Family Health Services, Public Health and Environmental Laboratories, and Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health Services.  The Branch includes the Cancer Epidemiology Service, the Office of Cancer Control and Prevention, the Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program and New Jersey CEED program.

James Broach, Ph.D.
Dr. Broach is currently serving as Associate Director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics and Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University.  He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University and was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1969.  In 1973, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, where he also completed his Predoctoral fellowship in Biochemistry, and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Medical Physics.  In addition, he completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship and was subsequently employed as a Staff Scientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.  He then joined the State University of New York at Stony Brook as an Assistant/Associate Professor, a position he held just prior to serving in his current position at Princeton University.  Dr. Broach served on the Scientific Review Board of the Frederick Cancer Center of the National Cancer Institute and has served as a member of both the Genetics and the Genomics Study Sections and Chair of and Genomics, Computational Biology and Technology Study Section of the National Institutes of Health.  He was Co-Founder and Director of Research for Cadus Pharmaceuticals and sits on the Board of Directors of Cadus Corporation.  He also served as Editor for the Journal Molecular and Cellular Biology and Associate Editor for the Journal Cell.  Dr. Broach is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the Co-Director and Review Board Member of the Life Sciences Research Foundation.  Dr. Broach is also a Trustee of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.  He has published more than 150 articles in the area of molecular biology and holds a number of patents in drug discovery technologies.

Barton A. Kamen, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Kamen is the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  In addition, Dr. Kamen also serves as a Professor of Pediatrics and Pharmacology at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ.  He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, and served his residency and fellowship in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology and pharmacology at Yale University, New Haven, CT. Dr. Kamen spent three years in Wisconsin and then more than 15 years at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a Professor of Pediatrics and Pharmacology as the Carl B and Florence E. King Distinguished Professor Pediatrics before working at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Marie T. Leithauser, MBA, MS
Marie Leithauser is Group Director of Planning and Management, Discovery and Exploratory Clinical Research, Research and Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb.  Previously, Ms. Leithauser was a research administrator and Adjunct Professor for the Laboratory for Cancer Research at Rutgers, The State University.   In addition, her past experience includes positions as a Research Assistant at Vanderbilt University, and as a Laboratory Manager/Research Assistant in the Department of Biochemistry at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  Ms. Leithauser earned her Masters of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Masters of Science degree in Oncology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She resides in Lambertville, New Jersey.

Harvey L. Ozer, M.D.
Dr. Ozer is Associate Dean for Oncology Programs at New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), and Director of the NJMS-University Hospital Cancer Center of UMDNJ in Newark.  He previously served at NJMS as Chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, where he remains Professor, and as Senior Associate Dean for Research.  His research on molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis and of aging has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 30 years.  An internationally recognized expert on molecular genetics and cell biology of DNA tumor viruses and their cell interactions, Dr. Ozer has served on multiple National Institutes of Health and foundation training and research review panels as well as on editorial boards of scientific journals and on advisory committees to academic programs.  He received his M.D. and initial research training at Stanford Medical School.  Dr. Ozer resides in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Barbara Rabinowitz, Ph.D.
Dr. Rabinowitz is the first Commission member with expertise in the psychological and psychosocial aspects of cancer.  She completed her doctorate in Social Work at Rutgers University and is also a registered nurse.  Dr. Rabinowitz has published chapters in textbooks for physicians on the psychosocial aspects of cancer care as well as numerous articles on this and related topics.  She has completed two important cancer research projects and is a frequent invited presenter for professional organizations nationwide.  She is also the recipient of the national American Cancer Society St. George Award for leadership and the National Consortium of Breast Centers Inspiration Award.  Dr. Rabinowitz is the Director of Oncology Services for Meridian Health.  In addition, she maintains a private practice in psychotherapy and sex therapy and resides in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Jeffrey A. Warren, M.P.A.
Jeffrey Warren is a Senior Advisor to the National Pharmaceutical Council and a Principal with JR Market Strategies, Inc., a healthcare-consulting firm.  Previously, Mr. Warren was responsible for Strategic Marketing and Media Relations for Pfizer Health Solutions.  Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development for Cathedral Healthcare System.  During his tenure with Cathedral, Mr. Warren was a National Program Director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Jersey Health Services Development Program.  Warren’s past experience includes a tenure as Vice President, Corporate Development with Hackensack Medical Center and serving as the first Executive Secretary of the New Jersey Hospital Rate Setting Commission.  He is on the board of the Adler Aphasia Center and is on the board of the Institute for Medication Access and Compliance.  Mr. Warren serves on the Editorial Task Force Committee of AMGA’s “Group Practice Journal”.  Jeff has a Masters Degree (MPA) in Health Policy, Planning and Administration from the Wagner School of Public Service at NYU.  He resides in Parsippany, New Jersey.