-On behalf of the 17 medical schools across New York State, the organization calls for New York’s flagship research program to be reestablished – 

-The previous administration’s decision to eliminate funding for stem cell research has negative implications for both economic development and scientific advancement – 

(New York, NY) – The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is calling on the state legislature to reinstate the New York Stem Cell Science program (NYSTEM), restoring funding to its prior level of $44.8 million, and eliminating legislative language that prevents any new grants from being awarded.

Last year, Governor Cuomo made the unfortunate decision to eliminate NYSTEM, despite the program being New York’s flagship investment in biomedical research and the program’s contributions to a wide range of research, including advances that have helped in the fight against COVID-19.

“On behalf of the state’s 17 medical schools, we are calling on the legislature to reestablish the New York State Stem Cell Science program, which has made a significant impact both in terms of economic activity and scientific advancements since its launch in 2007,” said Jo Wiederhorn, President and CEO of AMSNY. “Ending the program now—when the medical potential of stem cells is just beginning to be realized, and other states have doubled down on their investments—is incredibly short sighted.”

NYSTEM funding has supported innovative research, the discovery of potential new treatments that are in clinical trials, the launch of startup companies, and training grants to develop the next generation of scientists. 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, with nearly $300 million in VC money supporting businesses that NYSTEM scientists founded.

In contrast, the elimination of NYSTEM resulted in layoffs and the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and venture capital investments. Additionally, research progress was halted, clinical trials shuttered, and scientists may relocate their labs—taking with them their team members and their other grants—to states that support research, like California, which recently invested an additional $5.5 billion in its Institute for Regenerative Medicine.  

Not only does ending NYSTEM have economic implications, it will delay and in some cases entirely derail the scientific progress research teams have made so far. And the advances made thanks to NYSTEM have been significant: NYU Langone Health is making progress in treating leukemia; Memorial Sloan Kettering is teaming with Weill Cornell Medicine and others to help those with advanced Parkinson’s disease; and the Neural Stem Cell Institute in Rensselaer is developing a clinical therapy for age-related macular degeneration, a blinding, degenerative eye disorder that affects 1 in 5 people over age 75.

Also, at a time when employers, universities and local governments across New York State are making a commitment to equity and justice, we are proud that research funded by NYSTEM is creating promising new clinical therapies for diseases that disproportionately affect communities of color. For example, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, assisted by this state program, have developed a potential treatment for sickle cell disease. This involves transplanting genetically corrected stem cells into patients with sickle cell disease, which primarily affects Black and Hispanic Americans.

By eliminating NYSTEM, the state loses all the momentum the program has fostered. Ten Nobel Laureates based in New York wrote to the Governor and state leaders last year, that “this program has been a tremendous scientific and economic development success and it would be a real loss to the State if the program was eliminated.” None of these award-winning scientists receive NYSTEM funding, but all believe that “[this] research holds tremendous promise for better understanding human biology and developing prevention strategies, treatments, and perhaps even cures for many debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, cancer and cardiovascular disorders including stroke and sudden death.”

AMSNY urges the state to recommit to its life sciences sector and reestablish NYSTEM, before all gains from the program are lost.

About AMSNY

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is the consortium of the 17 public and private medical schools in New York State. AMSNY works in partnership with its members to advance biomedical research, diversity in medical school and the physician workforce and high quality and cost-efficient care. The combined total of New York’s medical schools economic impact equals more than $85.6 billion. This means $1 in every $13 in the New York economy is related to AMSNY medical schools and their primary hospital affiliates. For more information on AMSNY, please visit: www.amsny.org

November 29, 2021

OP-ED

Gov. Hochul should re-establish state’s defunded stem cell science program

BY JO WIEDERHORN

The pandemic has clearly demonstrated the critical role science and scientists play in solving health threats. Across New York, our scientists quickly redirected existing lines of research to understand SARS-CoV-2, and they partnered with the private sector to launch vaccine trials.

Against that backdrop, it’s troubling that in the spring, the state decided to eliminate its flagship biomedical research program: the New York State Stem Cell Science program. NYSTEM has been an annual investment by the state since 2007, but it was defunded, and all future stem cell research projects were canceled. Moreover, the state withheld funds from researchers who had paused their work early in the pandemic—either because labs were mandated to do so or because they had pivoted to Covid-related work.

I urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to reverse course and re-establish this critical research program.

The power of science

NYSTEM funding has supported innovative research, the discovery of potential new treatments that are in clinical trials, the launch of startup companies and training grants to develop the next generation of scientists.

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, with nearly $300 million in VC money supporting businesses that NYSTEM scientists founded.

NYSTEM funding has led to discoveries of potential treatments for critical diseases, including a clinical trial currently underway with leukemia patients at NYU Langone Health and a planned clinical trial for people with advanced Parkinson’s disease to be launched by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with BlueRock Therapeutics and Weill Cornell Medicine.

Other areas of study include diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Without funding, though, projects with years of research behind them have no future in New York.

Researchers pivoted much of their work to focus on treating and understanding Covid-19, like those at Weill Cornell Medicine who used their NYSTEM-funded lab to test about 1,200 drugs for their efficacy in blocking Covid-19 infection.

By eliminating NYSTEM, the state loses all the momentum the program has fostered. Worse yet, researchers—especially young ones—will see the move as a sign that they cannot count on New York to maintain its commitment to support stem cell research or other areas of science, while other states invest in it. (California recently approved an additional $5.5 billion for stem cell research.) Our scientists will look elsewhere to conduct their work, taking with them their intellectual firepower, grant funding and jobs.

If New York is to be a hub for life sciences, and benefit from the medical advances and economic development the sector provides, the state must invest in research.

The power of science has never been clearer. Is New York going to abandon its commitments to its largest research program?

The state must reconsider the impacts and revive NYSTEM as soon as possible.

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

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/op-ed/new-york-stem-cell-science-program-must-be-reestablished (behind paywall)

OPINION/LETTERS

Address health disparities with doctor diversity

The recent research from the Commonwealth Fund shows we must address the dramatic health care disparities faced by Black and Latino New Yorkers [“Disparities in health care,” News, Nov. 18]. One tool we have is increasing diversity among our doctors, as outcomes are improved when patients receive care from doctors from similar racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The article cited disparities among infant mortality rates, and research has shown the mortality rate for Black babies is cut dramatically when Black doctors care for them after birth. But there are too few Black doctors to treat Black patients. Here in New York State, 34% of our population is Black or Hispanic, yet only 13% of our practicing doctors represent those communities.

To increase diversity among doctors, we must address the systemic obstacles to medical school, including financial, academic, and social barriers. Pipeline programs and scholarships for students from underrepresented backgrounds are successful in supporting aspiring doctors to become physicians, and should be expanded to meet our state’s needs.

Jo Wiederhorn, Norwalk, Conn.  

The writer is president and CEO of Associated Medical Schools of New York.

https://www.newsday.com/opinion/letters/newsday-opinion-reader-letters-1.50432761 

Cailey Gleeson (Twitter) – Monday, November 1st, 2021

The number of New York-based first year medical students from underrepresented backgrounds increased to 21.1 percent, the first time the percentage has surpassed 20 percent, according to an annual report from Associated Medical Schools of New York.

The data accounted for the 11,193 students enrolled in New York-based medical schools during the 2020-2021 academic year. 

Of the students from underrepresented backgrounds, 8 percent identified as Black/African American, 7.5 percent identified as Hispanic/Latino, and 7.3 percent identified as 2 or more ethnicities/races. Students who identified as Black/African American, including those who identify as multi ethnic/racial, where one of the races is Black/African American, account for 9.7 percent.

“Twenty percent is worth celebrating, as long as we acknowledge that we have a way to go,” Jo Wiederhorn, president and chief executive officer of AMSNY, said in a press release. “Diversity in medicine is important because we know patients have better health outcomes when they see doctors from their own backgrounds.” 

Read the full report here.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/1st-year-new-york-med-students-from-underrepresented-backgrounds-tops-20-report-says.html 

November 1, 2021

This week’s BronxTalk features a discussion on Bronx health, COVID infections, vaccination rates, and the importance of training doctors of color to increase patient comfort with expert medical advice. The guests are Dr. Olusimbo Ige, MD, PH, Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Health Equity Capacity Building NYC DOHMH; Cyrille Njikeng, Managing Director, Bronx Rising Initiative; Jo Wiederhorn, President and CEO, Associate Medical Schools of New York. Hosted by Gary Axelbank.

Watch the video on here on YouTube. 

Read more about the interview here.

Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino Students, Including those who Identify as Multi-ethnic/racial, Account for 9.7% and 10.5% of First Year Students

(New York, NY) – The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY), a nonprofit organization that represents the 17 medical schools in New York State, has released its Medical School Enrollment Report for 2020-2021 and the number of first year students who are defined as underrepresented in medicine (URIM) 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. 

“Twenty percent is worth celebrating, as long as we acknowledge that we have a way to go,” says President and CEO of AMSNY, Jo Wiederhorn. “Diversity in medicine is important because we know patients have better health outcomes when they see doctors from their own backgrounds.” 

Underrepresented in medicine groups make up approximately 31.1% of New York’s population but only 12.1% of the state’s physician workforce. URIM is defined as students who identify as any of these four ethnic/racial categories, either as single or multi-ethnic/racial: American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.

According to the AMSNY report, 11,193 students were enrolled in New York State-based medical schools in the 2020-2021 school year. First year students numbered 2,589, of which 21.1 percent identified as URIM. Of those students, 8% identify as Black/ African American, 7.5% identify as Hispanic/Latino represent, and 7.3% identify as 2 or more ethnicities/races. Students who identify as Black/African American, including those who identify as multi ethnic/racial, where one of the races is Black/African American, account for 9.7%. Students who identify as Hispanic/Latino, including those who identify as multi ethnic/racial, where one of the ethnicities is Hispanic/Latino, account for 10.5%.

URIM 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. 

“Underrepresented students often do not receive proper guidance and advising at their undergraduate institutions when deciding whether to apply to medical school and they face other barriers to entering the medical field.  Many of those barriers are being addressed through programs, but we need more,” says Dr. Gary Butts, chair of the Committee for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and associate dean for Diversity Programs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. 

According to a report, “Addressing the Challenges to a Diverse Physician Workforce,” published by AMSNY in 2020, the application process to get into medical school is another barrier that stops many URIM students. Medical school applicants are recommended to budget $5,000 to $15,000 for the application process alone. Those who are able to apply and are accepted can expect to graduate with $250,000 or more in student loans. Other reasons cited as barriers to URIM students getting into medical school include lack of exposure to similarly underrepresented faculty mentors and feelings of isolation and impostor syndrome.  

“This lack of representation has implications for medical care. Physicians from underrepresented minority groups are more likely to practice primary care and practice in low-income and underserved areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the dire need to address health disparities. Our programs have over a 30-year track record of doing just that,” said Wiederhorn. “AMSNY Diversity in Medicine programs, funded by the NYS Department of Health, have produced hundreds of doctors who are from underserved communities and who then practice in those same communities.”

Expanding the pipeline of URIM students entering and graduating from medical school is not a simple task and requires a multifaceted approach with significant dedicated resources. Since 1985, AMSNY has supported programs that expand the pool of students choosing careers in medicine and healthcare. 

In 1991, AMSNY launched the highly-successful post-baccalaureate program, which ensures medical school acceptance upon program completion.  The program is funded by New York State. Over 600 post-bacc participants in New York have become doctors. 

In 2017 AMSNY launched a scholarship program funded by the State Legislature. The scholarship covered the cost of tuition for 10 students. This past year, funding from the Cabrini Foundation allowed AMSNY to expand the scholarship program by 10 students. 

***

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is a consortium of the 17      public and private medical schools throughout New York State. AMSNY’s mission is to promote high quality and cost-efficient health care by assuring that the medical schools of New York State can provide outstanding medical education, care and research. The combined total of New York’s medical schools economic impact equals more than $85.6 billion. This means $1 in every $13 in the New York economy is related to AMSNY medical schools and their primary hospital affiliates. For more information on AMSNY, please visit: www.amsny.org

Students from Underrepresented Backgrounds Awarded Scholarships, Commit to Working in Underserved Areas

(New York)—The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is proud to introduce the 21 recipients of the 2021-2022 AMSNY Diversity in Medicine Scholarship. Designed to increase diversity among New York State’s physician workforce, the scholarship is available to medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine who commit to working in an underserved area in NYS upon completion of their education. 

Diversifying the physician workforce is an important part of the effort to reduce health disparities across New York State, which were highlighted by the disproportionate impact of the pandemic. The AMSNY Diversity in Medicine Scholarship was launched in 2017 with funding from the New York State Department of Health, thanks to support from the New York State Legislature and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. The NYS DOH currently supports 11 scholarships. This year, an additional 10 scholarships were funded by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. 

AMSNY has overseen programs to increase the racial and ethnic diversity at medical schools for nearly 30 years.  This year, for the first time, more than 20 percent of first year medical students attending the 17 medical schools based in New York were from underrepresented backgrounds, yet the diversity gap remains large.  Underrepresented minorities (Blacks/African Americans & Hispanics/Latinos) make up approximately 31.1% of New York’s population but only 12.1% of the state’s physician workforce.

“AMSNY congratulates this year’s Diversity in Medicine Scholarship recipients, each of whom is passionate about medicine and improving health disparities in underserved communities,” said Jo Wiederhorn, CEO of AMSNY.  “Through this program, we’re able to reduce barriers to a medical education for students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine, helping to diversify New York’s physician workforce and reduce health disparities.”

The scholarship helps to address the financial barriers that medical students from underrepresented backgrounds face. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have completed one of AMSNY four post-baccalaureate programs, which are designed to create opportunities for students who have experienced barriers to a medical education including financial, academic and social barriers.

INTRODUCING THE 2021-2022 AMSNY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 

THIRD-TIME SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

• DEASHIA MCALPINE, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’23 
• MICHEAL OLUWAFEMI OLU-TALABI, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University,
  MD, ’22
• SAMANTHA WILLIAMS, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’23 
• EMELIO WOODSTOCK, Medical School: Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, MD, ’22 

SECOND-TIME SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

• OBIOESIO BASSEY, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MD, ’22 

FIRST-TIME SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

• DOMINIQUE ALEXIS, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’25
• ALEJANDRO ANDRADE, New York Medical College, MD, ’22
• JESSE KWAME ASIEDU, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University,
  MD, ’25
• COLLEEN BECKFORD, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, MD, ’23
• HILARY BRIGHT, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, MD, ’23 
• DEVANTE BRYANT-NURSE, Albany Medical College, MD, ’25
• VANESSA CHICAS, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’25
• DANYA CONTRERAS, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’25
• JOSE DELIZ, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, MD, ’25
• JERLIN GARO, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MD, ’25
• ROMARIO GIBSON, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’24
• KATHERINE GUZMAN, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’25
• NNEKA ONWUMERE, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’24
• LUNA PAREDES, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MD, ’25
• ROBERT SIMMONS, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, MD, ’24
• SAVANNAH STEWART, Albany Medical College, MD, ’25

About AMSNY

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is a consortium of the 17 public and private medical schools throughout New York State. AMSNY’s mission is to promote high quality and cost-efficient health care by assuring that the medical schools of New York State can provide outstanding medical education, care and research. The combined total of New York’s medical schools economic impact equals more than $85.6 billion. This means $1 in every $13 in the New York economy is related to AMSNY medical schools and their primary hospital affiliates. For more information on AMSNY, please visit: www.amsny.org.