About Us

Our Mission and Approach

The New York Academy of Medicine advances the health of people in cities.

An independent organization since 1847, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world’s urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, innovative research, evaluation, education, and community engagement. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public’s health; and to eliminate health disparities.

Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies

The Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES) is a research and evaluation group that provides key information on the health of East Harlem and, more broadly, New York City, using a variety of methodologies. Its work reflects NYAM’s mission to address the health of vulnerable populations to reduce disparities of health while also achieving broader population health promotion. CUES has undertaken research and evaluation in areas including HIV and other infectious diseases, mental health and substance abuse, immunizations, violence, asthma, non-traditional public health provider models, the health of the elderly New York City residents, and disaster response. CUES combines in-house expertise through strong collaborations with academia, government, and community partners to achieve goals.
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Health Policy

NYAM's Health Policy team brings together researchers, policymakers, community members, and key stakeholders to think strategically and creatively about the root causes of health outcomes and to identify and develop evidence to influence urban health policies that reduce health disparities, encourage the spread of best practices, and raise awareness of how economic, social, and other policies and practices influence the broad determinants of community health. Current priorities include promoting active aging, strengthening the public health infrastructure, and eliminating disparities in specific populations.
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Office of School Health Programs

The Office of School Health Programs (OSHP) provides a wide range of comprehensive health education programs to New York City public school teachers, administrators, school staff and nurses, parents, and students. The goal of these programs is to help students develop the skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to lead and maintain healthy lives. OSHP has also supports the role of schools as essential community health resources, works with community partners to integrate health promotion into community-based organizations, and builds bridges and pathways to medicine and the health professions.
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Social Work Leadership Institute

The Social Work Leadership Institute (SWLI) is a national initiative that supports healthy aging through coordinated care provided by an appropriately trained workforce.  Our primary goal is to ensure that America’s older adults and their caregivers are able to navigate complex systems of care and gain access to high quality health and social services within a home and community based setting. To accomplish this goal, SWLI focuses on overcoming fragmentation and improving the manner in which care is delivered to older adults, especially those with multiple chronic conditions. SWLI supports initiatives that expand the workforce of professionals trained in aging care, with an emphasis on the important role of social work in addressing the needs of older adults. This work is accomplished through policy advocacy, education and training, leadership development, and research and evidence building.
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Library

The New York Academy of Medicine Library houses one of the largest medical collections open to the general public in the United States. The main collection consists of over 550,000 volumes, as well as current journal subscriptions and a wealth of electronic resources. The Malloch Rare Book Room houses a significant portion of the rare book collection, in addition to many of the secondary sources related to the history of medicine and the history of books and printing. These materials are available for use as part of NYAM's commitment to enhancing the health of the public and to promoting scholarship in the history of medicine and public health.
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Center for Evaluation and Applied Research

The Center for Evaluation and Applied Research (CEAR) at NYAM works with a broad range of organizations to investigate and assess initiatives that seek to improve the health and well-being of populations in New York City, New York State, and across the country. With governmental and foundation funding, the Center’s research team uses qualitative and quantitative research methods to evaluate programs implemented through community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics, schools, departments of health, faith-based organizations, and other not-for-profit institutions. The Center’s staff is presently working on projects related to issues including HIV/AIDS prevention and care, substance abuse treatment, aging, health promotion and disease prevention, and community-based approaches to reducing health disparities.
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars

NYAM is the National Program Office for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars program, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The program is based on the principle that progress in the field of population health depends upon multidisciplinary collaboration and exchange. Its goal is to produce leaders who will change the questions asked, the methods employed to analyze problems, and the range of solutions to reduce population health disparities and improve the health of all Americans.
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