The Center for the Advancement of Primary Care Physicians is led by Dr. Rafael Pajaro, MD. He is a physician with extensive experience in internal medicine and medical education.

Dr. Pajaro obtained his M.D., M.S. from New York Medical College and B.A. from Columbia University in New York City. He is currently an associate clinical professor of medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Pajaro splits his time between clinical work and academic duties as key faculty for the internal medicine residency program at Morristown Medical Center. He is currently the director of the Medical Student Clerkships  and Subs-Internships at Morristown Medical Center (MMC), which is part of the Atlantic Health System. MMC is the highest rankling hospital in New Jersey, as well as being named among the World's Best Hospitals for seven consecutive years according to Newsweek magazine.

He has held prestigious roles, including Internal Medicine Residency Program Director and Director of Hospital Medicine along with prior faculty appointment at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Columbia Physicians and Surgeons and Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Pajaro’s academic interests lie in the areas of patient clinical care, medical student curriculum development, medical student education in clinical reasoning skills, physical diagnosis skills, and preoperative medical consultations. He is also active in clinical research and has authored publications ranging from COVID-19 co-infections to Paget-Schroetter Syndrome.

Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Pajaro is dedicated to serving diverse populations and advancing the field of internal medicine.