Jonathan Teyan, MPA
President and Chief Executive Officer

Jonathan Teyan joined AMSNY in 2011 and currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. As Chief Operating Officer, he spearheaded the expansion of AMSNY’s biomedical research portfolio, including the development of the New York Fund for Innovation in Research and Scientific Talent (NYFIRST), which supports the recruitment and retention of global leaders in research to New York. Jonathan also led the launch of the New York State Coalition for Biomedical Research and AMSNY’s Biosciences Advisory Council, the latter of which has focused on expanding opportunities for people from groups historically underrepresented in science. As President of AMSNY’s sister organization, the New York State Academic Dental Centers, he led the development of the NYSADC Fellowship to Address Oral Health Disparities, which provides advanced training in special care dentistry. Jonathan has an MPA in public policy and management from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

 Jennifer Tassler
 Vice President for Government Relations and Strategic Affairs

Jennifer Tassler joined AMSNY in 2016 and is currently the Vice President for Government Relations and Strategic Affairs. In this role, Jennifer oversees AMSNY’s government relations and diversity efforts. She monitors all state and federal legislation affecting AMSNY member schools and manages AMSNY’s Diversity in Medicine Programs, including the Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program. Jennifer also works with staff to plan advocacy day activities in Albany and Washington, DC, and works with external lobbyists and is the liaison to the Government Relations Committee at AMSNY. Prior to joining AMSNY, Jennifer worked in the Office of Legislation at the Food and Drug Administration and spent several years at the American Psychiatric Association where she handled federal regulatory policy and congressional relations. Jennifer has a longstanding interest in science and medicine, graduating with a major in neuroscience from Pomona College in Claremont, CA, and then went on to law school at The Catholic University Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC, where she specialized in health law.

Brateil Badal, MS, PhD
Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Brateil Badal oversees AMSNY’s diversity in medicine portfolio. Prior to her role as Vice President for DEI, she served as AMSNY’s Director of Diversity. Brateil has more than 10 years’ experience in the design, implementation and management of DEI programs and academic support services in higher education. She is an avid advocate for diversity in STEM and her passion is in science education, research, and diversity initiative development. As an undergraduate, she experienced first-hand the critical impact a diversity program can have on a student’s academic, career, and life success. Brateil graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a major in Molecular and Cell Biology and a minor in Education, and a master’s degree in Endocrinology. She earned her PhD in Cancer Biology in 2017 from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her doctoral work focused on gene expression profiling of human primary and metastatic melanoma. She has taught biology courses to undergraduate, graduate, and medical students at UC Berkeley, CUNY School of Medicine/The Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Brateil was selected as recipient of the 2017 Miki Rifkin Outstanding Service Award, an honor that distinguishes sustained and committed service to efforts in recruitment, outreach, and education.

Stella Lau
Senior Director of Finance and Administration

Stella Lau joined AMSNY in January 2023 as the Senior Director of Finance and Administration. Stella’s role is to oversee all aspects of the organization’s financial and operations. Stella brings over two decades of experience in finance, operations, human resources, and academic administration. Before coming to AMSNY, Stella was the Director of Finance and Administration for the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University. She has also worked at the Research Foundation at Mental Hygiene as an Administrative Director and at the Kew-Forest School as the Director of Finance.
Stella graduated from Bernard Baruch College with a Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) and earned her Master of Public Administration (MPA) at Columbia University School of Public Affairs. Stella resides in Forest Hills, New York. She is also a co-troop leader of a local Girl Scout troop.

Sudiksha Singh
Health Policy Manager

Sudiksha Singh joined AMSNY in 2022 and currently serves as a Health Policy Analyst. In this role, she oversees the organization of the Science Forward Symposium for underrepresented researchers in the basic sciences and supports the policy and advocacy efforts for the special needs patient population in New York State. Prior to joining AMSNY, Sudiksha worked as a Strategy Associate for Advantage Care Physicians New York (ACPNY) where she oversaw projects researching the impacts of COVID-19 on patient care at 40 ACPNY clinics in New York City. Originally from the Greater Toronto Area, Sudiksha graduated with an Honours Specialization in Animal Behaviour and a minor in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario in 2020. Having taken on public health roles in Canada and India, Sudiksha further pursued her interest in health equity and global health governance, receiving a Master of Public Health with a Certificate in Health and Human Rights from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in 2022.

Alyssa Alvarez
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Manager

Alyssa Alvarez assumed the position of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Manager at AMSNY in the spring of 2023 following her graduation from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. In this role, her primary responsibilities include orchestrating the development and execution of programs within AMSNY’s portfolio, including the Diversity in Medicine programs and the Diversity in Medicine Scholarship. Prior to Columbia, Alyssa obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Physiology with a minor in Chemistry from San Francisco State University before attending UC San Diego to pursue a Post-Baccalaureate in Pre-Medicine. During her time at UC San Diego, Alyssa worked as a research assistant in Orthopedic Surgery, where she studied the effects of cell and gene therapies in animal models. Her experience in pre-medicine and research served as a catalyst for her to decision to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Health, with the aim of addressing social determinants of health and health inequities.

Calissa McNeely
Junior Chief of Staff

Calissa McNeely joined AMSNY in July of 2023 and currently serves as Junior Chief of Staff. In this role, she oversees the Anatomical Donation Program, helps implement streamlining projects, and supports policy efforts. Calissa graduated from Manhattan College in the spring of 2023 with a degree in International Studies. While in college Calissa helped develop and implement DEI programs for the Manhattan College community. Her time as an intern at the Women and Gender Resource Center and her participation in advocacy efforts helped cement her interest in equitable access to education and healthcare.

Jo Wiederhorn
President Emerita

Jo Wiederhorn served as President and CEO of the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) from 2002 to 2023. During her tenure, the organization focused its efforts on educating the public on the role medical schools have played in attracting and retaining an inclusive and diversified physician workforce. This has been accomplished through the development of pipeline programs across the medical education continuum. The organization also focused its efforts on informing the public about the important role biomedical and life sciences’ research has on improving the health outcomes of NYS’ residents. Prior to her work at AMSNY she was the Chief of Staff to the Dean at NYU School of Medicine and Director of its Institute for Urban and Global Health. Prior to her tenure at NYU, Ms. Wiederhorn was the Chief of Staff to the President of the then Health and Hospitals Corporation and Associate Executive Director of MetroPlus Health Plan.