This month Governor Hochul announced the fifth round of grant applications from NYFIRST, an AMSNY-founded program that strengthens the research capabilities of medical schools in New York State by investing in the recruitment and retention of exceptional researchers. To date, the program has resulted in more than $86 million in additional funding to the state and has created more than 180 new jobs. The program will soon run out of funds and AMSNY is urging the State to provide a new $25M appropriation to the program that has had a four-fold return on investment.

NYFIRST Researcher Works to Reverse Glaucoma Vision Loss

Simon John, PhD, the Robert L. Burch III Professor of Ophthalmic Sciences at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, was recruited to Columbia four years ago thanks, in part, to a NYFIRST award. Dr. John studies glaucoma, which affects an estimated 75 million people. He initially encountered stiff resistance to his approach, which focuses on treatment with vitamin b and pyruvate. “The resistance provided a challenge, and challenges tend to drive me,” says John, whose methods were eventually accepted and widely adopted. The first clinical trial of this nutrient combination, conducted last year at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, showed that vision loss due to glaucoma, could be restored. Dr. John and his team of 12 are now conducting a clinical trial involving nearly 200 people. “The recruitment of Dr. John clearly demonstrates how the NYFIRST program advances research and helps drive New York’s life sciences economy.” said Jonathan Teyan, President and CEO of AMSNY.

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is proud to introduce the 33 recipients of the 2023-2024 AMSNY Diversity in Medicine Scholarship. Thanks to a $1 million investment from the New York State Legislature, more students than ever before are receiving much-needed scholarship support.

Designed to increase the diversity of the New York State physician workforce, the scholarship is available to medical students who have faced adversity and overcome obstacles on the path to medical school. The Scholarship addresses one of the greatest barriers to medical school – the high cost of tuition – and is part of a continuum of programs AMSNY funds and oversees to expand diversity in medicine.

The scholarship is indexed to the cost of SUNY medical school tuition and is awarded for a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years.  To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have completed one of AMSNY four post-baccalaureate programs, which create opportunities for students who have experienced barriers to a medical education including financial, academic and social barriers. The post-baccalaureate programs are highly successful, with 93 percent of graduates enrolling in medical school in New York.

AMSNY has overseen programs to increase diversity at medical schools for nearly 40 years.  Due to this longstanding commitment by AMSNY and our medical schools and New York State’s support,  New York is a leader in the nation in providing pathways for students who have faced adversity and diversifying the medical student population and the physician workforce.

The AMSNY Diversity in Medicine Scholarship is also supported by the New York State Department of Health and the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY), the consortium of the 17 medical schools of New York State, is profoundly concerned that the United State Supreme Court decisions in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina will diminish opportunities for talented students pursuing careers in medicine and science. These decisions reject a longstanding precedent that recognized the compelling interest of ensuring diversity in higher education and may undermine recent advances to address inequities in medical education and research.

In 2022, AMSNY joined the Association of American Medical Colleges and 44 other groups in filing an amicus curiae brief in these cases. We urged the Court to continue allowing schools to include race and ethnicity as a limited consideration when reviewing medical school applicants. AMSNY is dedicated to ensuring that the physician and scientific workforce is broadly representative of our communities by providing opportunities for people from groups underrepresented in medicine and science to attend and thrive in medical and graduate school. 

Through the AMSNY Diversity in Medicine Program and Diversity in Medicine Scholarship, and decades of intentional work by our medical schools, New York State has become a leader in the effort to create a healthcare workforce that more closely matches the racial and ethnic backgrounds of the people it serves. In 2020, New York’s medical schools achieved an important milestone, with more than 20% of matriculating medical students identifying with groups underrepresented in medicine. Still, more work needs to be done, as nearly one-third of New Yorkers are Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino. As numerous studies make clear, health outcomes improve markedly when there is racial/ethnic and cultural concordance between patient and provider.

While the Supreme Court’s decision will necessitate reevaluation of admissions processes, AMSNY remains strongly committed to providing educational opportunities and support for those underrepresented in medicine and science. We will work in partnership with our member institutions to ensure that our physicians and scientists reflect the communities they serve. 

Your Turn

Harry Bronson and Jeremy Cooney Guest columnists

New York-based medical schools are up against schools in states like Massachusetts, California, and Texas, that invest billions to recruit away the most talented researchers.

With the state budget still under negotiation, we often talk about spending and return on investment. Surprisingly, many programs the state funds actually generate more money for the state.

One of those programs is NYFIRST, a program that supports the recruitment and retention of world-class scientific talent at our 17 medical schools. In the first three grant cycles of the program, every dollar invested by the state saw a $3.72 return. The total $9 million state investment has resulted in the creation of over 180 jobs with an average salary of about $75,000. That’s an investment of which we should be proud.

Funding for the program is running out. The state should make a commitment in the upcoming budget to continue to support NYFIRST – and expand the funding.

The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, located in my district, was awarded two NYFIRST grants. In both instances, the school was able to recruit researchers who are at the top of their field and making advances in medicine that are critical to improving and prolonging the lives of New Yorkers – and all people.

Paula Vertino was working at Emory University when Rochester was able to recruit her to continue her research on cancer epigenetics, which is used to understand how cancer cells react to their environments and discover ways to control those reactions.

The CDC projects a 49% increase in cancer rates, so more breakthroughs can’t come soon enough.

Rochester was also able to recruit Steven Silverstein to be the director of the newly established Rochester Center for Brain and Retina. Rochester anticipates that the research led by Silverstein will increase the number of copyright and trademark registrations and patentable discoveries by approximately five each year and create 41 new jobs.

Other medical schools who have been awarded grants include SUNY Upstate, Columbia, and Mount Sinai. Funding from the program, which was designed by Empire State Development with input from the Associated Medical Schools of New York, is used to upgrade lab spaces, purchase equipment and hire support staff.

Like most industries, the medical research field is seeing stiff competition for talent recruitment, and New York-based medical schools are up against schools in states like Massachusetts, California, and Texas, that invest billions to recruit away the most talented researchers. NYFIRST, by comparison, is small, but has been highly effective.

The Legislature has supported this program from its inception and this year the Assembly has committed a new $20 million to the program. Let’s keep it going and keep recruiting great talent to Rochester and other New York communities.

Harry Bronson is a state Assembly member and chair of the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry. Jeremy Cooney is a state senator and chair of the Senate Committee on Procurement and Contracts.

Read the op-ed here: RochesterDemocratandChronicle Op Ed

Jo Wiederhorn spoke with WFUV Community Dialogues host Jay Joyce about the Associated Medical Schools of New York’s efforts to diversify the state’s physician workforce and a historic increase in funding from NYS that led to the creation of five new programs.

The interview can be heard during the last 4 mins of the What’s What podcast here: https://wfuv.org/content/wfuv-whats-what-podcast-0.

Medical schools across New York are pushing for a $25 million investment from the state budget in growing the Empire State’s medical academic research capacity. Associated Medical Schools of New York President & CEO Jonathan Teyan explains the potential economic development benefit from this commitment.

Listen to the interview here:  https://capitolpressroom.org/2023/02/09/new-yorks-medical-school-urge-state-investment-in-research/.