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Born and raised in Mozambique and now a naturalized U.S. citizen, Serodio, 45, has filed a lawsuit against a New Jersey medical school, claiming he was harassed and ultimately suspended for identifying himself during a class cultural exercise as a "white African-American."

State Sen. Wayne Bryant, facing fraud, bribery and pension-padding charges, was due in federal court Friday for a pretrial status conference before U.S. District Court Judge Freda L. Wolfson. Bryant, 59, a Democrat from Camden County, is accused in a 20-count indictment of using his clout as head of the Senate Budget Committee to steer millions in grants to two state schools that gave him no-show jobs. The federal indictment charges Bryant with tripling his taxpayer-funded pension through jobs at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Rutgers-Camden Law School and Gloucester County Board of Social Services. Co-defendant...

State Sen. Wayne Bryant, until recently one of New Jersey's most influential lawmakers, was charged today with abusing his power and the public trust. A federal grand jury indicted Bryant, 59, of Lawnside, on public corruption and fraud charges tied to his employment at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and two other publicly funded agencies and institutions

N.J. congressman wants hearings on anthrax case The Associated Press TRENTON , A congressman from New Jersey wants hearings into what he says is a lack of headway in the FBI's investigation into the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001. "It seems to me this investigation is not making progress. I can't say for sure. They won't brief me," Democratic Rep. Rush Holt told The Times of Trenton for Saturday newspapers. "Not briefing Congress on the status of the probe into the biggest biological attack in United States history is inexcusable," he said. The anthrax attacks through the postal system killed...

While spending billions preaching about deterring your kids from smoking, two new studies suggest big tobacco may actually have engaged in a backdoor effort to increase Nicotene content in cigarettes. Studies done by the Massachusetts Health Department and Harvard indicate Nicotene content in some major brands such as Newport, Camel and Doral increased as much as 11 percent. One of the largest selling brands, Marlboro, showed no Nicotene increase during the years both studies were conducted, 1997 to 2005. Doctor Michael Steinberg of U-M-D-N-J's Tobacco Dependence Program says it is in their best business interests to make their product as...

It's been a whirlwind two weeks as the U-S Attorney's Office collects documents related to state Senator Wayne Bryant, and his influence over the New Jersey budget. Subpoenas are flying. Legislators are being questioned. Republicans are crying foul. And Democrats are calling for cooler heads. Legislative leaders in both political parties and staff offices, the Treasury Department and the Office of Legislative Services have received subpoenas. The inquiry is apparently about how state money is directed and spent. It stems from an allegation by a federal monitor overseeing the finances of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey....

Jersey scientists find a possible key to autism A team of New Jersey scientists believes it has found ways to detect biological risk factors for autism through simple urine and blood tests, a discovery that could lead to groundbreaking medical treatment for the neurological disorder. The team of 16 scientists, mostly drawn from the campuses of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, say their findings, the result of more than two years of study on how the body breaks down fatty acids, could be a breakthrough for what is the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the nation, with...

A powerful New Jersey politician accused of being paid for a job that required no work at a scandal-ridden state university denied the report from a federal monitor who had investigated the school's finances. Wayne Bryant, state Senate Budget Committee chairman, said he served his responsibilities for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and claimed the report was "not accurate in many respects." "I regularly performed the various duties and services that were consistent with my job description," the Democrat said in a statement. Neither he nor his lawyer, Carl Poplar, returned calls from The Associated Press...

A doctor has pleaded not guilty to stealing a hand from a New Jersey medical school cadaver and giving it to an exotic dancer, authorities said. Ahmed Rashed, a 2005 graduate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, was charged Monday after voluntarily returning from Los Angeles, where he is in a residency program, said his lawyer, Hassen Abdellah. Rashed, 26, is free on $1,000 bail. The dancer, Linda Kay, kept the hand in a jar of formaldehyde in her bedroom. Friends have said she called the hand "Freddy." Police discovered the hand, along with six human...

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. — A powerful southern New Jersey politician was paid for a no-work job at a scandal-ridden state university while helping the school garner millions of dollars in new state funding, according to a report released Monday. The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey paid state Sen. Wayne Bryant, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, $35,000 a year "to lobby himself in his capacity of state senator," according to the report of a federal monitor who had investigated the school's finances. The report said all Bryant appeared to do at the university's School of Osteopathic Medicine...

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - A powerful southern New Jersey politician was paid for a no-work job at a scandal-ridden state university while helping the school garner millions of dollars in new state funding, according to a report released Monday. The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey paid state Sen. Wayne Bryant, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, $35,000 a year "to lobby himself in his capacity of state senator," according to the report of a federal monitor who had investigated the school's finances. The report said all Bryant appeared to do at the university's School of Osteopathic Medicine...

A top academic dean and a trustee of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey engaged in "unethical and potentially illegal" activities involving the misspending of thousands in public funds........ The findings by the federal monitor overseeing the state's troubled medical university include allegations that the dean devised a corrupt accounting scheme to boost his annual bonus. It accuses the trustee -- Newark City Council President Donald Bradley -- of steering the university into a real estate deal that benefited a campaign contributor. The report recounts other alleged outrages.....A $50 glass of Glenlivet whiskey, a leather laptop case...

NEWARK, June 16, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In some jurisdictions the effort to produce more organs for transplant patients is being aided by plans to “streamline” the medical criteria for “brain death” so that organs can be harvested from patients who are still breathing and have a heartbeat. The New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners wants to change the rules to allow just one physician to declare brain death. In addition, the rule that currently requires at least one of the two required physicians declaring “brain death” to be a neurologist or neurosurgeon would also be eliminated. The New Jersey...

It was October 2003 when doctors at Newark's University Hospital declared Mary Stanford's 42-year-old daughter, Phyllis, "brain dead." "I was told there was no chance of her coming out of it," said Stanford, 67, who lives in the Iselin section of Woodbridge. Dealing with an official declaration of brain death for a loved-one can be gut-wrenching, especially if a family has to wait hours for the ruling. Now, the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners wants to streamline the process by allowing just one physician to declare brain death. Currently, an attending physician's finding must be confirmed by another...

Before Bill Clinton left office, he authorized 2001 an 84% increase in the government's investment in nanotechnology research and development, National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and made it a top priority. What has not been publicly realized is the meaning of this initiative and the various components that are encompassed. This governmental increase has been combined with non-governemental organizations and grant programs. These NGOs have been creating partnerships with existing governmental agencies and masking initiatives as Federal and State grant reward programs. They are not. Here, at the CDC is an overview of what is called, Healthy People 2010. As you...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More workers are passing when it comes to their companies' health insurance benefits because they can't afford the cost, a study says. The percentage of eligible employees who enrolled in their companies' health insurance plans declined from 85.3 percent in 1998 to 80.3 percent in 2003. During that same time, insurance premiums for individuals jumped more than $1,000 nationally - from about $2,400 to about $3,400 a year. Employers bore the brunt of that increase. They continue to pay about 83 percent of the costs of their workers' health insurance. But workers are finding it harder to...

Two former Fort Monmouth workers, and the daughter of one of them, are accused of scheming to have government contractors provide no-show jobs for the daughter. Accused in an indictment made public today are 55-year-old Michael Rzeplinski, a former programs director for the General Services Administration and former Army supervisory engineer; 61-year-old Connie Davidson, a former G-S-A employee who lives with Rzeplinski in Red Bank, and her 33-year-old Kirsten Davidson of Red Bank. All three are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States. Rzeplinski also faces two counts of mail fraud and three counts of tax evasion. Rzeplinski and...

Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- Frustrated that the state legislature hasn't acted faster in getting a stem cell research bill approved, Gov. Jon Corzine said Monday he would use the bully pulpit of his office to press for its passage. Corzine said the bills have stalled because "the legislative process has the ability to tie it up in knots." The governor called it "unconscionable," according to a Star-Ledger news report, that New Jersey political leaders have "sat on our hands" on the legislation. He indicated the state would fall behind others like Maryland and California if the measure wasn't approved soon....

In his first interview since becoming interim president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Vladeck -- despite a calm, easygoing manner -- made it clear that more change is on the way. (snip) "The rules of the game in this place have changed, and they haven't been changed by us," he said. "Even though the state is our lifeblood, we cannot, as a matter now of law, engage in some of the kinds of behaviors that have existed in the past. Some of the kinds of things that have (been) reported -- that may have become...

Former Governor and current State Senate President Dick Codey sponsors the legislation. He says, "We would be the first in the country to build a building dedicated solely to stem cell research." He adds, "We would be using existing tobacco bond monies so, we're not spending new money." $150 million dollars would be needed leading many critics to ask, "What else could that money be used for?" Codey says, "This is about saving lives in the future." He asks, "If the cure for diabetes or something else came out of this New Jersey facility, wouldn't that be a great legacy…it...