Former NYAM President Leaves Bequest

Dr. Mary Ann Payne, NYAM's 63rd President and the first woman to serve in that position, died on March 24 at the age of 96. Following her death, NYAM was advised that she had directed that a generous gift of $250,000 be made to support NYAM’s work.

A native of Frederick, Maryland, Dr. Payne enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a physician and leader of the New York medical community. She earned an MA and PhD in endocrinology from the University of Wisconsin and graduated from Cornell University Medical College in 1945. She was a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Cornell and an attending physician at New York Hospital, as well as the director of the hospital's liver clinic. Dr. Payne became a Fellow of NYAM in 1953, and was active on the Committee for Medical Education. She later became Vice President before serving as President from 1987-1988.

Dr. Payne was devoted to NYAM's mission and to the continued success of its work. As early as 1980, she articulated the need to restructure NYAM for the future. She created and chaired a Committee on Strategic Planning to "examine and redefine the Academy's mission; review existing programs, consider new initiatives and establish new priorities; examine the structure and function of the standing committees; and address the space and financial needs of the institution."

The Committee released a report that included fourteen major recommendations and precipitated radical changes in NYAM's governance and management structure from a membership organization to a nonprofit organization, governed by a Board of Trustees and managed by a full-time, salaried president who was the chief executive officer. NYAM's reorganization provided a framework for the new programmatic agenda identified by its first CEO, Jeremiah A. Barondess, MD.

After completing her presidential term, Dr. Payne continued her relationship with NYAM as a Trustee, as Treasurer, and as Chair of the Trustee Committee on Strategic Planning. She also remained active in the Cornell University Medical College Alumni Association, serving as its Senior Advisor through her retirement in 1998.

Dr. Payne was an avid traveler and adventure-seeker. She spent three weeks in Patagonia as a New York Zoological Society volunteer banding penguins for future study. The trip became the subject of a National Geographic Society documentary.

"Dr. Payne's legacy goes far beyond her appointment as the first woman to serve as President of NYAM,” said Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford, NYAM's current President. "She truly understood the importance of transforming this institution to strengthen its governance and assure a strong administrative and programmatic capacity to address the critical challenges of urban health. Her generous bequest is a testament to her devotion to NYAM and it will play an important role in sustaining our work."

Posted on May 6, 2010

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Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
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