About

Rooted in Brooklyn. Driven to Heal. Built to Lead.

Since 1860, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University has stood for one powerful idea: that healthcare begins with people—learning from them, caring for them, and growing with them.

We were founded to train physicians at the bedside, not just in the classroom—an innovative shift that helped reshape medical education across the country. And that spirit of innovation still defines us today.

This is where:

• Dr. Raymond Damadian pioneered the science behind MRI technology, revolutionizing diagnostics.
• Dr. Robert Furchgott earned the Nobel Prize for discoveries that transformed cardiovascular medicine.
• Dr. Stanley Kountz, a groundbreaking transplant surgeon and one of America’s first Black medical leaders, fought for equity and opened doors that changed the face of healthcare.

Today, Downstate is SUNY’s only academic medical center in the five boroughs, and a leader in health equity, research, and the education of a diverse healthcare workforce. Through our five schools—the College of Medicine, School of Public Health, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, and School of Graduate Studies—and at University Hospital at Downstate, we prepare the next generation of doctors, nurses, scientists, public health leaders, and allied health professionals, most of whom go on to serve right here in New York.

We care for one of the world’s most vibrant, diverse communities. And with a historic $1.1 billion transformation underway, we’re building a future where advanced medicine stays deeply rooted in the neighborhoods that need it most.

This is SUNY Downstate.

Where medicine meets mission—
and we #KeepCareClose.