On July 23-24, 2013, deans from eight of the New York State medical schools participated in the Associated Medical Schools of New York’s (AMSNY) annual advocacy days in Washington, D.C.

The deans conducted 20 meetings over the two-day visit, including 15 members of the New York State Congressional Delegation and Senator Charles E. Schumer. In addition, AMSNY met with House Republican leadership: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor; Vice Chair of the House’s Budget Committee, Tom Price, MD; and Vice Chairman of the House’s Subcommittee on Health, Michael Burgess, MD. Pat White, Associate Director for Policy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was the invited guest to a breakfast meeting that focused on the future of the NIH, including the impact of sequestration on funding priorities and grant awards.

The discussions at each of the meetings focused on three priority areas for the medical schools: cuts in the NIH budget; the need for additional residency training slots; and reforms to the Higher Education Act, Title IV student loan program. All of the members agreed that biomedical research saves lives and ultimately saves money through the development of preventive therapeutics, and all agreed upon the need for more residency slots given the growing physician shortage. However, the impasse around the Federal budget and the sequester remains.

The group of deans included:

Lee Goldman, MD, MPH — AMSNY Chair
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

Michael Cain, MD — AMSNY Vice Chair
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo

Mark Taubman, MD — AMSNY Treasurer
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Allen M. Spiegel, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Wolfgang Gilliar, DO
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine

David B. Duggan, MD
SUNY Upstate Medical University

Robert Goldberg, DO
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine

Laurie Glimcher, MD
Weill Cornell Medical College

Jo Wiederhorn
President and Chief Executive Officer, AMSNY

Congressman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) with the medical school deans and AMSNY representatives.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) with the medical school deans and AMSNY.

(Left to right: Lee Goldman, MD, MPH, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; Allen Spiegel, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Wolfgang Gilliar, DO, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine; Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney; Jo Wiederhorn, AMSNY; Robert Goldberg, DO, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine.)

Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) with the medical school deans.

(Left to right: Mark Taubman, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; Michael Cain, MD, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo; Wolfgang Gilliar, DO, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine; Congresswoman Grace Meng; Allen Spiegel, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Jo Wiederhorn, AMSNY; David Duggan, MD, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Robert Goldberg, DO, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine.)