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PIX 11: Scholarship Program Aims to Diversify the Physician Workforce

There is a program underway aimed at providing scholarships to those who aspire to enter the medical industry. The initiative is geared toward helping students from backgrounds who are underrepresented in medicine.

Bradley Amazan always knew he wanted to pursue a career in medicine, but there was one thing holding him back.

“It’s an imposter syndrome. You kind of tend to think that you’re not adequate enough to do whatever it is you want to do,” he said.

He was encouraged by physicians to give it a shot. The 27-year-old first-generation American, born to Haitian immigrants, said he had nothing to lose. He took the Medical College Admissions Test, which led him to SUNY Downstate where he received an opportunity of a lifetime. Amazan was awarded the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) diversity in medicine scholarship.

According to AMSNY, more than 30% of the state’s population is Black or Hispanic, with only 12% of physicians represent those demographics. Their goal is to diversify the physician workforce by creating a pipeline for those with the passion to pursue a career in medicine but can’t afford it.

AMSNY provides a $42,000 scholarship to 30 students like Amazan each year. Those accepted into the post-baccalaureate program receive $17,500 stipend, but there are caveats. If students are accepted to a medical school, they won’t be able to benefit from the program. Also, once accepted into the baccalaureate program, students are not allowed to work so they can concentrate on their studies.

Here’s how it works. In order to qualify, students are referred by the medical school they’ve applied to. If they successfully complete the one-year program, they automatically get admitted to that same medical school.

Once the student is enrolled into the post-baccalaureate program, those courses that are taken won’t necessarily carry over into medical school. However, it still gives them a leg up and they don’t have to reapply to medical school.

Since beginning its post-baccalaureate program in 1991, there are over 700 practicing physicians who have gone through the program. This year they’ve expanded to include SUNY Downstate making up the five diversity and medicine post-baccalaureate programs in New York State that are administered by AMSNY. In return, students agree to pay it forward.

Watch the interview: https://pix11.com/news/local-news/scholarship-program-aims-to-diversify-the-physician-workforce/

Governor Hochul Announces More Than $2.4 Million to Diversity Physician Workforce

 

 

New York State Doubles Investment to Expand Diversity Programs Managed by the Associated Medical Schools of New York and Serving More Than 800 Students       

About 20 percent of All Medical Students in New York Now from the Black and Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, and Native American Demographic    

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the state has doubled its investment – committing more than $2.4 million – in diversity programs managed by the Associated Medical Schools of New York to help bring more traditionally unrepresented students to the physician workforce. Funded in part through the state Department of Health, these programs are designed to encourage students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in medicine – including those who are Black, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, or Native American – to get accepted into and complete medical school in New York.    

“For far too long, communities of color in New York have faced disparities in their access to healthcare and have endured poorer health outcomes, both of which have resulted partially from their under-representation in the medical field,” Governor Hochul said. “By doubling our commitment to programs that champion diversity in medicine, we can ensure that our state’s healthcare workforce is more representative of our state’s population and help right historic wrongs.”   

 While more than 30 percent of the state’s population is Black or Hispanic, only 12 percent of physicians represent those demographics. Research has shown that patients seeing doctors from their own background have better health outcomes, which makes diversifying the state’s physician workforce imperative to improving the overall health of New Yorkers and addressing disparities. 

New York State is now providing more than $2.4 million to diversity in medicine programs, which are designed to close gaps in the medical profession, doubling the funding commitment made last year. This funding is expected to serve more than 800 students through new and existing diversity initiatives, including Bridges to Medicine, AMSNY’s successful post-baccalaureate program at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.   

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett discussed the importance of this commitment today during an event at SUNY Downstate, and how these programs are helping to build diversity at medical schools statewide. For the first time, about 20 percent of all medical students in New York are now from traditionally underrepresented populations, including Black and Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander and Native American backgrounds.   

Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said, “There are few things more important to our goals of improving health equity than the work of ensuring that the medical profession is as diverse as the New Yorkers they serve. Having a trusted voice and someone who understands the unique facets of your life experience can change a person’s understanding of their own health. This funding makes an investment in the people who make that a reality, and it will help for years to come by improving diversity, equity and inclusion to achieve better health outcomes for those who are traditionally underserved.”    

Launched in 2017, the Bridges to Medicine is a year-long post-baccalaureate line of study designed to increase the representation of students from traditionally underrepresented and low socioeconomic backgrounds seeking admission into medical schools. Accredited as Master of Science in Physiology program in 2020, students participate in co-mingled classes as first-year medical students.   

Of the 57 medical students enrolled in Bridges to Medicine between 2017 and 2021, 88 percent were accepted into medical schools. In addition, six students from the program’s first cohort were matched to SUNY Downstate for their residencies.    

In addition to Bridges to Medicine, the state’s investment is supporting new, innovative initiatives to ensure underrepresented students are prepared for medical school. The funding is supporting a program to encourage Black male athletes interested in entering medicine; MCAT preparation programs; research and physician shadowing opportunities; a web-based program to match students with faculty mentors; and community resources to help medical students with housing, nutritional resource, and other life skills, such as financial literacy.   

The increased funding is also supporting more students at AMSNY’s preexisting programs:    

Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY), a consortium of the 17 public and private medical schools in New York State, launched its first diversity pipeline programs in 1985 and has continually provided opportunities for underrepresented students to prepare for and enter medical school. The state Department of Health has provided funding for these programs since 2002 in an effort to help broaden the demographics of people entering the medical profession in New York.       

Associated Medical Schools of New York President and CEO Jo Wiederhorn said, “The state Department of Health’s commitment represents a historic investment in the physician pipeline in New York State and will improve the diversity of the healthcare workforce. Our programs have shown results for over 35 years and now we will be able to really scale the impact. Over 94 percent of students in AMSNY’s four Post Baccalaureate programs, go on to medical school with approximately half going on to primary care specialties, often in underserved areas.”   

State University of New York Downstate President Dr. Wayne J. Riley said, “We are encouraged by the impact the Bridges to Medicine program has had on our students’ abilities to transition into their first year of medical school. In a community where the diversity is so great, in addition to providing quality healthcare, we are proud that our patients recognize and appreciate the reflection of their diverse and unique backgrounds. Our Bridges to Medicine Master’s program is a benefit to the students and an even greater benefit to the community.”       

State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey said, “Diversity and representation in medicine is critical to addressing persistent racial health disparities. It is vital that our state continues to invest in programs like Bridges to Medicine that will not only provide opportunities for medical students of color but improve the health of our communities through increased access to quality, culturally competent care. Our communities deserve to have physicians they trust who understand their needs. I applaud Governor Kathy Hochul, Commissioner Mary Bassett, and the New York State Department of Health for their work to increase diversity in the medical field, create pathways to careers in medicine for communities of color, and inspire the next generation of healthcare leaders.”    

Assemblymember Brian Cunningham said, “I express my gratitude to the New York State Department of Health and AMSNY for their visionary leadership and support for programs increasing diversity in medicine,” “We are fortunate to have many talented medical students and practitioners right at home in District 43, here at SUNY Downstate. Through this funding, not only are we enhancing medical services available in underserved areas like Brooklyn, but also providing incomparable opportunities to BIPOC students. These programs enable a diverse pool of medical students to pursue opportunities they might not otherwise have access to, so on behalf of myself and my constituents, I thank you.”    

Assemblymember Pamela J. Hunter said, “I am immensely proud to have been the primary advocate in the Assembly for the funding of the Diversity in Medicine program for multiple state budgets. Increasing the diversity of our doctors and nurses leads to better health outcomes as we enable new practitioners in the medical field who are directly invested in their communities. I look forward to the expansion of these programs and the many benefits it will have for our medical students as well as their future patients.”   

   

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Full Circle: Pipeline Program Helps Bronx Teacher Become a Doctor in the Borough that Raised Him

Dr. Eugene Palatulan often describes his life as a series of full circle moments. An Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Montefiore Medical Center (MMC)/Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein), Dr. Palatulan finds himself serving the community where he grew up…but this isn’t the first time.

Before coming to Montefiore, Dr. Palatulan was known by his Bronx high school students as Mr. or even Coach Palatulan. The Filipino immigrant moved to the Bronx with his family at age 13 in 1996 and attended John F. Kennedy High School. He eventually became a Biology teacher at his former high school because he wanted to “give back.” Later he taught and coached the Girls’ Varsity Basketball team at the High School of American Studies, also in the Bronx. 

While a teacher he spent summers conducting Malaria research at Columbia University’s summer research program (SRP) for teachers.  Through this program he  was selected to be part SRP’s teacher exchange program.  This offered him the opportunity  to provide professional development to educators in Malaysia and Singapore.

But Dr. Palatulan always had a burning desire to become a doctor.  Despite having what he has called an excellent liberal arts education from Swarthmore College and good grades at an Ivy League graduate school, Dr. Palatulan said his MCAT scores weren’t competitive and he didn’t quite feel ready for medical school. Enter the Associated Medical Schools of New York.

When Dr. Palatulan didn’t get accepted to his first-choice medical school – Albert Einstein College of Medicine – which is walking distance from where he lives with his wife and kids, he was devastated. But a letter soon arrived in the mail offering him conditional acceptance into Einstein if he completed AMSNY’s Post-baccalaureate program at the University of Buffalo.  Dr. Palatulan credits the program’s rigorous curriculum with helping him develop the confidence to get through medical school.

After completing his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at New York Presbyterian Hospital in 2021 and a Sports Medicine fellowship at the University of  Pennsylvania in 2022, Dr. Palatulan was offered a job at MMC/Einstein where he is now caring for Bronx residents of all ages and walks of life, from youth to seniors and athletes of all levels. Dr. Palatulan is also helping oversee a Sports Medicine Fellowship program at MMC/Einstein. In yet another complete full circle moment, he plans to connect his medical school and current employer with student athletes from his former high school. 

“To be an academic in a teaching institution, this is the perfect job to start my career,” said Dr. Palatulan.

WNBC’s TODAY in New York Looks at Diversity in Medicine

WNBC’s TODAY in New York takes a look at the lack of diversity among doctors and the impact that has on New Yorkers seeking health care. AMSNY’s “Aim High” pipeline program works to increase diversity in medicine and introduce students from underrepresented backgrounds to the medical field.

Click on the image to watch the video:

AMSNY Mourns Loss of Visionary Susan Solomon Who Advanced Stem Cell Research and Medical Breakthroughs, Improving Patient Health Across the Globe

Jo Wiederhorn, President of the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) issued the following statement after the passing of Susan Solomon, co-founder and CEO of the New York Stem Cell Foundation:

“I am deeply saddened by Susan’s passing. She was a smart, passionate, visionary and dedicated advocate who greatly advanced the medical research field by recognizing three decades ago the great promise of stem cell research. 

“Her founding of, and commitment to the New York Stem Cell Foundation and the field of stem cell science has advanced cures for people across the globe.  From cancer, to Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, ALS, parkinson’s, diabetes and much more, stem cell research that she propelled and supported has led to treatments and cures, making life better for countless New Yorkers and people worldwide. Under her leadership, funding streams were created for early career researchers to advance their investigations. In recognition of the gender gap in research, she created a program to advance women in STEM fields.

“We are grateful for all her contributions and her collaborative nature. My thoughts go out to her family and friends and the entire scientific community that mourns her loss. May her memory be a blessing.”

American Urological Association Summer Medical Student Fellowship Awarded to Joseph Marte, AMSNY Health Policy Intern

This summer, the American Urological Association awarded Joseph Marte, M1 student at CUNY School of Medicine and health policy intern at the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY), a student fellowship to conduct research with Dr. Gregory Joice at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. AUA’s Summer Medical Student Fellowship Program creates an opportunity for a small group of exemplary medical students to pursue urology research alongside world-class urologic scientists. Marte’s fellowship is sponsored by AUA New York Section.

Marte has been connected with AMSNY since his experience with the Staten Island University Hospital’s Physician Career Enhancement Program, and began interning with the organization in 2020, focusing on health policy. During his time with the organization, he has played a vital role in engaging medical students in studies conducted by AMSNY, exploring the components of diversity in medicine pipeline programs, as well as students’ reactions to changes in curriculum during the pandemic. He also contributed to the development of focus groups for an AMSNY symposium on improving diversity among basic-science researchers. 

His AUA research project is focused on the health impacts of priapism (prolonged erection of the penis) and disparities of care in treatment of this urologic emergency. Using data from several large national and state databases, he is using statistical software to look at emergency room use, surgery outcomes, and more to find trends in treatment. The goal is for Marte to author a paper that would be accepted to present findings at a conference.

Dr. Joice, Marte’s mentor and supervisor on the project, said this kind of immersive research experience is extremely valuable in preparing for a medical career and applying to residency programs.

“I started my path towards urology around the same time Joe did, and learned the same kind of research processes—building skills like acquiring data, summarizing, and presenting information that continue to pay dividends,” said Dr. Joice, an assistant professor of urology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. “The foundation he’s building this summer can be applied to any number of projects, and before he knows it will be an expert in this area of urological research.”

Faculty mentors play an important role in medical education, which is one of a handful of fields that still apply an apprenticeship approach to training. 

“The guidance from mentors is invaluable, when they have already been through what you are going through,” said Marte. “To have them able to share based on their own experience, makes achieving your goals seem so much more plausible.”

Crain’s New York: More diversity is needed among state doctors

Photo of a Black doctor
Getty Images
 

The latest report from the Center for Health Workforce Studies found that not only are job prospects worsening for New York’s medical residents but a lack of diversity among the resident population is also persistent.

It is a problem because outcomes are improved when patients can access care from doctors from a similar racial or ethnic background. Research has shown the mortality rate for Black babies is improved dramatically when Black doctors care for them after birth, and cardiovascular mortality rates for Black men are improved when they see Black doctors.

To address disparities, we need to increase diversity in medicine. That requires providing support for aspiring doctors from underrepresented backgrounds throughout their education, years before they get to residency.

Diversifying the pipeline of students entering and graduating from medical school requires a multifaceted approach of programs and scholarships. Thankfully, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Department of Health recognize the necessity, and this year New York doubled its investment in diversity-in-medicine pipeline programs run by the Associated Medical Schools of New York.

Such efforts work. First-year medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine recently exceeded 20% in New York state for the first time since the metric was tracked. Increased commitment to diversity-in-medicine programs will lead to a shift in the demographics of early-career doctors and ultimately improve health care in New York.

Jo Wiederhorn is president and CEO of The Associated Medical Schools of New York

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/letters-editor/more-diversity-needed-among-new-york-doctors

Syracuse.com: Boosting diversity in medicine also improves health outcomes

Head shot of Nakeia Chambers

Nakeia Chambers is director of Multicultural, Disability and Veterans Affairs at SUNY Upstate Medical University, in Syracuse. (Photo courtesy of SUNY Upstate Medical University)Photo courtesy of SUNY Upstate Medical University

Nakeia Chambers is director of Multicultural, Disability and Veterans Affairs at SUNY Upstate Medical University, in Syracuse.

The move to create greater diversity in medicine has received a huge boost in the awarding of $2.44 million for Diversity in Medicine programs, sponsored by the Associated Medical Schools of New York. The funding was included in New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recently adopted state budget.

As part of my role as director of Multicultural, Disability and Veterans Affairs at SUNY Upstate Medical University, I work to help bring in and retain students who are traditionally underrepresented in medicine (URIM) — those who identify as single or multi-ethnic/racial: American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. Diversifying the physician workforce has long been a goal at Upstate. When I was recruited in 2006 to work in the capacity of advancing diversity in medicine, I quickly learned the myriad reasons there are so few doctors of color in our state and across the country are systemic.

This funding is not simply important to create a more representative crop of physicians that reflects and look like our diverse population, but it’s important for health reasons.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the infant mortality rate for Black babies is a staggering 10.8% per 1,000 live births compared to 4.6% for white babies. Research has shown the mortality rate for Black babies decreases dramatically when Black doctors care for them after birth. Generally speaking, studies show that patients have better health outcomes when they are treated by doctors who come from similar racial and ethnic backgrounds.

But in New York state there are too few Black doctors to care for Black patients. About 31% of New Yorkers are Black or Hispanic, yet only 12.1% of the state’s physician workforce is. In order to provide the best healthcare to all New Yorkers, New York must diversify its physician workforce. That task requires first taking a serious look at why there are so few doctors of color and righting the historical wrongs that have led us here.

The face of medicine has long been that of a white male, but that isn’t because others don’t aspire to become doctors. Historically people of color have been excluded or discouraged from careers in medicine. These students face significant barriers in pursuing their dreams to become doctors. Many are first-generation, low-income students facing myriad financial, academic and social barriers to entering and completing college, unequal access to medical school, and the absence of mentors also play a significant role.

In order to increase diversity among the physician workforce, we must address these systemic barriers and support aspiring doctors from underrepresented backgrounds. Pipeline programs are valuable tools in this mission. Students who matriculate into the state funded Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) Master’s in Medical Technology Medical Scholars Program at SUNY Upstate Medical University are guaranteed acceptance to the College of Medicine as long as they have a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA in the program and a 500 MCAT score. AMSNY scholarships and other post-baccalaureate programs at the State University of New York at Buffalo, New York Medical College and SUNY Stony Brook, as well as the recently launched SUNY Pre-Medical Scholars Pipeline Program, are all equalizers. These programs are put in place to level the playing field for students who may not be quite ready for medical school, whether they don’t have the grade point average or financial resources. They reassure the gatekeepers that a student is ready and has the potential to succeed in medical school.

However, the work does not end once a student enters medical school. Students from underrepresented backgrounds need continued support and mentorship to succeed. AMSNY’s programs buoy students throughout their medical journey so that they don’t fall behind. I often tell my students I’m not done with them until they’re a doctor with a job. Even while they’re in their residency program I am checking on them.

AMSNY recently released its Medical School Enrollment Report for 2020-2021 which found that first-year students who are defined as underrepresented in medicine increased by almost two points, reaching 21.1 percent. This is the first time since these statistics have been tracked that the percentage has exceeded 20 percent. Here at Upstate, we’re proud to say that enrollment of first year URIM students is at about 25 percent.

This would suggest that pipeline programs and scholarships for students from underrepresented backgrounds work!

We, at Upstate, applaud this historic funding increase. The move signals the state’s commitment to addressing longstanding barriers to a diverse physician workforce and its effects will reverberate throughout New York. In partnership with AMSNY, SUNY Upstate Medical University will be able to help create more opportunities for underrepresented people in our communities to become doctors and address health disparities in Central New York.

https://www.syracuse.com/opinion/2022/05/boosting-diversity-in-medicine-also-improves-health-outcomes-guest-opinion-by-nakeia-chambers.html

 

Crain’s New York: Stem cell research hits inflection point a year after New York halts funding

The state’s decision last year to halt funding for stem cell research has forced local scientists to hit pause on work that could spur new treatments for cardiovascular disease, sickle cell anemia and much more. As state lawmakers negotiate the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, researchers are calling for them to reinstate the program.

Lawmakers canceled the $600 million New York State Stem Cell Science program in the spring of 2021 as part of the state budget. Now the researchers who had relied for years on NYSTEM funding have exhausted the money, and their work has ground to a halt just as their promising new therapies become ready for clinical trials.

“We have the ability to, with some new funding, get these clinical trials up off the ground that have stalled,” said Jonathan Teyan, the chief operating officer of the Associated Medical Schools of New York, a Midtown-based consortium. “We are at an inflection point.”

Stem cells have the power to develop into almost any kind of cell in the body, which makes them a powerful tool for scientists to better understand how health issues emerge and how to treat them.

Weill Cornell Medicine researcher Todd Evans was part of a NYSTEM-funded collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering that was investigating a potential cure for sickle cell anemia using stem cells.

Evans said the funding enabled them to conduct enough basic science research to advance the new therapy into clinical trials, but cancellation of the NYSTEM program forced them to put the work on hold while they search for new funding sources.

Another of his projects was investigating the use of stem cells to repair heart damage in cardiovascular disease.

“Clinical trials are really expensive,” Evans said. “Certainly we won’t give up, but it’s really a shame.”

Since its inception in 2007, the NYSTEM program has awarded about $400 million to 372 projects spanning 37 New York institutions, according to its website. The awards generated $481 million in additional support from other funding sources and supported more than 750 jobs statewide.

Asked about the rationale for the cancelation, Freeman Klopott, a spokesman for the state Division of the Budget, told Crain’s last year that the state expected stem cell research would continue within academic and private research communities “rather than the Department of Health, which is focused on its core mission of delivering direct services and achieving positive health outcomes for all New Yorkers.”

NYSTEM-funded researchers are hunting for funding opportunities with the National Institutes of Health, pharmaceutical companies and private philanthropy, but they said the process could take months—or even years. In the meantime, they risk losing talented scientists who were working on the projects they already started.

Dr. Erika Bach, an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at New York University‘s Grossman School of Medicine, said she had to fire two of her lab’s five researchers once her NYSTEM funding ran out.

Bach’s lab had been examining how stem cells behave when they are healthy and what causes them to malfunction. She said the findings could inform future innovations to combat aging or to regenerate organs using a patient’s own cells.

Bach is pursuing federal grant opportunities to continue the work, but she said the National Institutes of Health could take six to 18 months just to give her a definitive rejection. That puts researchers like herself at a disadvantage with researchers in states such as California that have robust funding programs for stem cell research.

The Associated Medical Schools of New York, which represents the state’s 17 public and private medical schools, is pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to restore state funding for stem cell research in the fiscal 2023 budget, at a cost of $44.8 million per year.

Otherwise, Weill Cornell’s Evans said, the state risks a “brain drain” to California and other states that fund this research, which will then reap the economic benefits of the new jobs and companies that result. Evans said he has already lost one of his top junior faculty members to a California university since the NYSTEM funding dried up.

“Those people have to move on, so you lose the talent and the staff to drive the program,” he said. “That’s where you lose the momentum.” 

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/health-care/stem-cell-research-hits-inflection-point-year-after-new-york-halts-funding

Testimony of Jo Wiederhorn, President & CEO of AMSNY at a Joint Budget Hearing on February 8, 2022

Good afternoon Chairwomen Kruger and Weinstein, Chairmen Rivera and Gottfried and other distinguished members of the State Legislature.  Thank you for this opportunity to testify on the Executive proposed budget for fiscal year 2022-2023.

My name is Jo Wiederhorn, President & CEO of the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY), a consortium of the seventeen public and private medical schools in New York State. AMSNY works in partnership with its members to promote high quality and cost-efficient health care by assuring that New York State’s medical schools provide outstanding medical education, patient care and biomedical research.

The Need for a More Diverse Physician Workforce

For many years I have come before the Legislature asking for either a restoration of funds or for more funds for our Diversity in Medicine Programs.  Each year this body has supported these programs to the best of your ability.  I am truly grateful.  In fact, for the first time, the aggregate number of underrepresented students in New York State’s 17 medical schools’ entering classes has reached over 21%, and the total percentage of underrepresented students in all years is over 18%.  Whereas we still have a long way to go, the upward trend that these figures represent can be correlated with your support.  

Increasing the diversity of the physician workforce is one means to tackle the acute health disparities that are seen throughout the State.  There have been many studies that have shown that a diverse workforce will improve the nation’s health disparities and as such, the nation’s health (Jackson, 2014).  Other studies demonstrate that physicians from racial or ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in medicine are more likely to practice primary care and practice in underserved areas while treating a larger number of minority patients.  Furthermore, when given a choice, racial and ethnic minority patients are more likely to select physicians who share their racial/ethnic background and in doing so, report receiving higher quality care (Kington, 2001).

AMSNY strongly believes in the importance of a multi-faceted strategy to meet the growing demand for primary care and specialty physicians, while simultaneously tackling the current need to decrease access issues in underserved areas. AMSNY’s Diversity in Medicine programs, in large part funded through the NYS Department of Health, was developed with these two visions in mind.

AMSNY’s Diversity in Medicine Program

While underrepresented in medicine populations (URIM) make up 36% of the New York State population, they account for approximately 21% of the state’s medical students and approximately 12% of New York State’s practicing physicians. 

Since 1985, AMSNY has supported an array of pipeline programs across the state with the intent of expanding the pool of students choosing careers in health and medicine. The goal of these programs is to provide academic enrichment and support to students from educationally and/or economically underserved backgrounds. These programs provide an opportunity that a majority of participants would not have had due to cultural and financial barriers.

Diversity in Medicine Program 

The New York State Senate and Assembly have been very supportive of these programs.  When necessary, the Legislature decoupled the Executive’s proposed “workforce pools” and provided a line item allocation for the programs.  When possible, the Legislature restored the cuts that have been in the Executive Budget. In 2018 the Legislature took the additional step of providing scholarship funds for 10 students who have successfully completed one of AMSNY’s other programs. 

Core Diversity Programs

AMSNY oversees six core programs as part of its Diversity in Medicine grant that ultimately leads students into medical school, including a post baccalaureate program at the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo; and three Master’s degree post baccalaureate programs at SUNY Upstate, the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University and New York Medical College. These programs were the first of their kind to provide guaranteed admission to medical school.  Students must apply to a New York State medical school and be interviewed by the schools’ admissions’ committees.  If the admissions’ committees believe the student would be a good addition to the school, they will recommend him/her to one of the four post bac programs. If, upon completion of the post baccalaureate program, the student meets the program and the referring school’s requirements, he/she will automatically be accepted into the referring medical school. As you will see in the attachment, 93% of students that participate in AMSNY’s UB post baccalaureate program enter medical school, and 85% graduate.  94% of the students in our Master’s degree post baccalaureate programs enter medical school. 

The other core programs are offered along the educational continuum: support of an academic learning center at CUNY College of Medicine (CUNY) – a seven-year BS/MD program that students enter directly from high school – and a program at the City College of New York that links junior and senior baccalaureate students with NIH-funded researchers to prepare them for careers in medical school or the basic sciences.  

Attached to this testimony are charts and graphs that demonstrate the success of our programs; as well as a synopsis of the demographics of medical school students in New York State. 

State Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Funding

This year, unlike any year since 2007, the Executive budget included an increase in funds for AMSNY’s Diversity in Medicine Programs.  The Executive budget that has been proposed for SFY 2022-2023 provides an additional $1.2 million over SFY 2021-2022 funding.  We are pleased the Executive understands the importance of these programs and has seen to increase their budget.  We ask that the Legislature accept this increase, which will allow AMSNY to provide much needed investments to the programs and expand the capacity and breadth of the portfolio. 

For FY 2022-2023, we are requesting the Legislature to support the increased funding allocation proposed in the Executive Budget of $2.444 million dollars and to ensure it is accepted into the enacted budget.

DOH Scholarship in Medicine Program

Paying for medical school is a daunting challenge.  A majority of medical school graduates complete their education with the assistance of student loan financing.  The median level of principal debt for students graduating in 2020 was $200,000 (based on public and private MD-granting schools, including undergraduate debt).  If one were to add in accrued interest, the median student debt level is over $230,000.  

In SFY 2017-2018, AMSNY received a $500,000 investment from the State to start a Diversity in Medicine scholarship program to help address the gap in physician diversity. The scholarship—indexed to the average cost of SUNY medical school tuition— helps students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine by eliminating the financial barrier to medical school enrollment.  In 2021-2022, the legislature increased the funding to $550,000.

The increase in funding has allowed AMSNY to award 11 scholarships annually to students who have completed one of the Diversity in Medicine post-baccalaureate programs. In return, the scholarship awardees commit to working for at least two years in an underserved area in New York. The program, which is patterned after the National Health Service Corp, is very competitive.  There are always more students applying for the positions than number of slots.  For the SFY 2020-2021 over 25 students applied for 10 positions.  Scholarship students are entering all fields of medicine:  Primary Care, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Urology to name a few.  These students are highly committed to practicing in underserved areas of New York State – areas where all of these specialties are needed.

The Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program is a legislative add-on.  As such, we ask that you continue to fund this important program.  It is very well received by the students and will continue to provide physicians within the specialties and localities where they are most needed. 

We urge the legislature to provide at least $550,000 to maintain our current number of scholarship students.

New York State Stem Cell Program (NYSTEM)

AMSNY is deeply concerned about the language in the 2021-2022 budget which affirmatively eliminated the New York State Stem Cell Science (NYSTEM) program and its future funding. NYSTEM was established to position New York State as a global leader in stem cell research by driving new therapies for New Yorkers and spurring growth in our life sciences sector. It has funded significant and groundbreaking discoveries throughout New York State. 

Since the start of the program NYSTEM has issued 25 Requests for Applications and made more than 400 awards totaling approximately $400 million in stem cell research, training, infrastructure and education at 39 New York State institutions.  Research that began with NYSTEM has resulted in approximately $170 million in funding from other governmental and philanthropic sources. The program also has advanced the state’s objective of bringing more venture-capital funding to life sciences companies. NYSTEM-funded research has spawned multiple startups, including BlueRock Therapeutics, which formed in 2016 to expand on stem cell research by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Pharmaceutical company Bayer bought the company for $600 million in 2019, in a deal that valued BlueRock at about $1 billion. 

NYSTEM-funded researchers have developed promising new clinical therapies for diseases that disproportionately impact communities of color and the economically disadvantaged in New York.  Many of the researchers have just reached the stage where their funding is coming into fruition.  Clinical trials are now starting to determine appropriate therapeutics in diseases such as sickle cell, multiple sciolous, adult macular degeneration, Parkinson’s’ disease and others. 

Unfortunately, now, without funding, entire lines of research are threatened and projects with years of research behind them have no future. 

NYSDOH issued a new Request for Applications in June 2020, to which more than 100 scientists throughout the state responded and were subsequently informed that their applications would not be reviewed, and that funding would not be available.  These applications required hundreds of hours of preparation by the researchers. To have those applications simply discarded is unconscionable and, most importantly, prevents promising research seeking progress on such diseases as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, glioblastoma and colorectal cancer.

NYSTEM is also a program that creates jobs, boosts the life sciences sector and makes a substantial contribution to the medical research workforce in New York State. It is a vital source of funding for laboratories in New York. NYSTEM funding has helped leverage funding from other sources, including the National Institutes of Health and venture capital funding, in ways that no other program has been able to.

Research funded by the NYSTEM program has led to many significant breakthroughs since the program was launched. Though NYSDOH has not funded NYSTEM at levels consistent with annual budget appropriations, the accomplishments are nonetheless substantial and the stem cell research community remains poised to rapidly expand its work with a renewed commitment to the program. The health and economic impacts of New York State’s investment in stem cell research are clear and progress in these areas will be exponentially important as the State emerges from the most devastating public health emergency in a century. 

Now is a particularly inopportune time to terminate NYSTEM funding.  California voters recently approved $5.5 billion in new state funding for stem cell research.  Texas, Florida and Massachusetts have all made investments in stem cell science.  Funding opportunities in these states, while there is none in New York, creates a climate in which it will be very difficult to recruit and retain scientific talent.

In conclusion, we ask you and your colleagues to consider the following questions related to NYSTEM as you proceed with forming a budget for the upcoming fiscal year: 

  • Should New York State terminate its flagship extramural medical research program, the findings from which are on the cusp of developing new treatments and therapeutics? 
  • Should New York State stop the progress that stem cell research has made towards developing clinical therapies for diseases that impact the most economically disadvantaged of our population? 
  • Should New York State cut off a proven source of scientific innovation that is bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research and private venture capital life sciences investment to New York State?
  • Should New York State seek to end a program that trains the scientific workforce and has generated hundreds of jobs at a time when we begin to pursue the economic and public health recovery from the pandemic?

We believe the answer to these questions is emphatically “no.” 

Again, we applaud the Legislature and the Governor for having invested in this initiative by consistently appropriating $44.8 million annually for this program since 2007. 

We urge the legislature to include Article 7 language that will reinstate the NYSTEM Program and provide full funding $44.8 million in FY 2022-2023.  In addition, we urge the State to maintain its commitment to fully funding the remainder of the $600 million program. 

Closing 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for your continued support of medical education.  I welcome any questions you may have.

Respectively Submitted:

Jo Wiederhorn

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The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is the consortium of the seventeen public and private medical schools in the state. The organization’s mission is to promote high quality and cost-efficient health care by ensuring that the NYS medical schools can provide outstanding medical education, care and research.

AMSNY Member Institutions

  • Albany Medical College
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University 
  • CUNY School of Medicine
  • Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center
  • Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, SUNY
  • New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • New York Medical College
  • New York University Grossman School of Medicine
  • New York University Long Island School of Medicine
  • SUNY Downstate Medical Center
  • SUNY Upstate Medical University
  • Stony Brook University School of Medicine
  • Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Weill Cornell Medicine
  • Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

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“Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.” AAMC’s Executive Council, June 2003