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New Jersey Center for Rare Disorders

One Center, Many Disciplines, One Coordinated Mission

The New Jersey Center for Rare Disorders (NJCRD) delivers coordinated, expert care for adult and pediatric patients with rare, complex and difficult-to-diagnose conditions.

Located at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital, and developed in partnership with Rutgers Health, the NJCRD integrates multidisciplinary clinical excellence, advanced diagnostics and cutting-edge research to shorten the path to diagnosis, personalize treatment and expand access to clinical trials.

NJCRD is a National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)–designated Center of Excellence, placing it among a select group of academic medical centers nationwide recognized for excellence in treating rare diseases, research, education and patient engagement.

Patients with rare diseases often experience years of uncertainty, fragmented care and delayed treatment. The New Jersey Center for Rare Disorders (NJCRD) addresses this gap for patients and families in New Jersey and the region by leveraging the full strength of RWJBarnabas Health, New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive academic health system, together with Rutgers Health’s academic and research leadership. The result is a single, coordinated point of care that unites specialists, diagnostics and research around each patient’s unique needs on the flagship academic medical campus in New Brunswick.

To request information or an appointment, call 732-828-3000 or visit our Contact Us page to send us a message—choose the New Jersey Center for Rare Disorders from the dropdown menu.

Our team of doctors
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s (RWJMS) Rare Disease Center of Excellence will be led by Sabahat Bokhari, MD, FACC, FASNC, (right) as Director, and Naveena Yanamala, MS, PhD, FASE as Co-Director (left). Dr. Bokhari serves as Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension at RWJMS and Director of Advanced Cardiac Imaging and Director of the Cardiac Amyloidosis Center at RWJUH. Dr. Yanamala is Associate Professor of Medicine at RWJMS, Section Chief of Clinical Research, Director of the Center for Innovation at RWJUH and RWJMS and is a recognized leader in data science and AI innovation.

Coordinated Care for Complex Conditions

NJCRD brings together leading specialists across Rutgers Health and RWJBarnabas Health through an integrated hub-and-spokes model. The central hub focuses on cardiology/cardiac specialty services, and the “spokes” are related specialties from a variety of disciplines.

Patients benefit from unified treatment planning, streamlined diagnostics, and seamless access to specialty expertise—all coordinated through a single care team.

Cardiology Services

  • Advanced imaging and diagnostics
  • Biomarker discovery
  • Patient triage and registries
  • Clinical trials and translational research

Multidisciplinary Specialties

  • Neurology
  • Rheumatology
  • Pulmonology
  • Endocrinology
  • Hematology and Oncology from the NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute
  • Nephrology
  • Genetics

Nationally Recognized Programs, Delivered Locally

The New Jersey Center for Rare Disorders builds on established clinical excellence at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, including:

These programs provide nationally competitive care while allowing patients to remain close to home.

Leadership Team

NJCRD is led by a multidisciplinary team of nationally recognized clinicians, scientists and innovators across adult and pediatric specialties.

Designed for Patients, Providers, and Partners

  • Patients and families. Receive expert evaluation, coordinated care, and access to advanced diagnostics and clinical trials.
  • Referring physicians. Partner with a multidisciplinary rare disease team for complex or undiagnosed patients.
  • Research and industry partners. Collaborate with us to advance rare disease discovery and translation.

Request an Appointment

Patients may request an appointment at The New Jersey Center for Rare Disorders directly or be referred by a health care provider. To request an appointment, click the button below to visit the RWJUH Contact Us page and send a message. Be sure to choose The New Jersey Center for Rare Disorders from the "Select a Service/Program" drop-down list.

Request an Appointment

What to Expect

Here’s what to expect when you meet with a health care professional at NJCRD:

  • Comprehensive review of medical history
  • Multispecialty evaluation when appropriate
  • Coordinated diagnostic testing
  • Personalized care plan

For Physicians: Refer a Patient

NJCRD partners with physicians and health care systems across New Jersey and the region.

When to Refer

  • Suspected or confirmed rare disease
  • Complex multisystem presentations
  • Difficult-to-diagnose cases
  • Patients seeking clinical trial opportunities

Referral Process

  • Send a message to the NJCRD through the RWJUH Contact Us page
  • Attach relevant clinical documentation
  • Direct communication with NJCRD clinical leadership as needed

Refer a Patient

Explore Patient Resources

Financial Assistance Information
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Payment Plans and Financial Assistance
Phone: 1-800-905-1484
Hours: 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Appointment required)

New Jersey Health - NJ Charity Care
Toll free: 1-866-588-5696
Local: 609-292-4709
Local: 609-292-4715 (se habla Español)
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday

The New Jersey Center for Rare Disorders reflects RWJBarnabas Health’s commitment to delivering world-class, patient-centered care through innovation, collaboration and academic partnership.