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/.

New York’s public and private medical schools play an important role in the state’s economy, with a total estimated economic impact of nearly $35 billion, according to a new report , Shannon reports.

The analysis, which the Associated Medical Schools of New York commissioned and TEConomy Partners, LLC performed, examines the economic impact of AMSNY institutional expenditures, AMSNY institutions’ research performance, metrics and impacts and the functional mission-based effects of New York medical schools.

It found that AMSNY medical schools employ more than 62,000 faculty, researchers and staff, earning more than $12 billion in wage and benefits, with total operational expenditures of more than $19 billion. Those operations, the report noted, generated an additional $15 billion-plus in the New York economy, for a total economic impact of nearly $35 billion. The report further found that New York’s medical schools received more than $5 billion in research funding from the National Institutes of Health from 2018 to 2020.

Jonathan Teyan, the chief operating officer for AMSNY, told POLITICO that the report is similar to one published in 2010. AMSNY, he said, “wanted to take a sort of big picture look at where the medical schools fit in the state’s economy and employment.”

“We think that by seeing this, legislators, policymakers in Albany and around the state can really sort of have a tangible sense of what the schools are doing,” he said in an interview. “The other thing that we think is important, is that the state invests in the things that kind of drive the medical schools and, in particular, the biomedical research that the schools do.”

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

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is proud to announce $1.3M in medical school scholarships and to introduce the 30 underrepresented in medicine recipients of the 2021-2022 AMSNY Diversity in Medicine Scholarship. Designed to increase the diversity of the New York State physician workforce, the scholarship is available to medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine, including Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans. The scholarships address one of the greatest barriers to medical school participation among students from underrepresented backgrounds, the high cost of tuition, and are part of a continuum of programs AMSNY runs and funds to improve diversity in medicine.

The scholarship, $42,000 per year, is awarded for a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years. In return, students commit to working in an underserved area in New York State for a for a similar time period, based on the number of years they receive the scholarship. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have completed one of AMSNY five post-baccalaureate programs, which create opportunities for students who have experienced barriers to a medical education including financial, academic and social barriers. The Post Bac programs are highly successful, with 94 percent of students going on to medical schools in New York.

Diversifying the physician workforce is an important part of the effort to reduce health disparities, which existed before and were highlighted by the disproportionate impact of the pandemic and have persisted since. 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. This year, 30 scholarships were awarded:  15 due to funding from the Department of Health  and 15 due to support from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

AMSNY has overseen programs to increase the racial and ethnic diversity at medical schools for nearly 40 years.  Due in part to AMSNY’s efforts, this year more than 20 percent of medical students attending the 17 medical schools based in New York overall were from underrepresented backgrounds. 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. Last year for the first time, more than 20 percent of first year medical students identified as belonging to one of these groups.  

“AMSNY congratulates our newest Diversity in Medicine Scholarship recipients, who have all demonstrated a passion for medicine and improving the health of their communities,” said Jo Wiederhorn, CEO of AMSNY.  “While there is still much work to be done, we are hopeful that these medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine will go on to help diversify New York’s physician workforce and reduce health disparities.”

INTRODUCING THE 2022-2023 AMSNY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 

FOURTH-TIME SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

• DEASHIA MCALPINE, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’23 
• SAMANTHA WILLIAMS, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’23

SECOND-TIME SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

• DOMINIQUE ALEXIS, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, MD, ’25
• 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
• JUAN PABLO VASQUEZ, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MD, ’23

FIRST-TIME SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

• MALENA ALLBRIGHT, Albany Medical College, MD, ‘26
• BRADLEY AMAZAN, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University, MD, ’24
• ANTONIO BOTTOS, University of Rochester School of Dentistry and Medicine, MD, 26’
• BIANCA AUDREY DUAH, University of Rochester School of Dentistry and Medicine, MD, 24’
• ISAAC FAITH, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, MD, ’26
• JULIET MANU, New York Medical College, MD, ‘26
• JOSUE MERIDA, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, MD, ’26
• SYDNEY PIGOTT, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, the University at Buffalo, SUNY, MD, ‘25
• ALEXIS RIVERA, State University of New York, Downstate Health Sciences University,
  MD, ‘24
• SADE TAYLOR, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, MD, ’26
• RICARDO TOCHIMANI, New York Medical College, MD, ‘26
• OUMOU TOURÉ, University of Rochester School of Dentistry and Medicine, MD, 26’