Bridges to Medicine Program Receives Additional State Funding
By Office of The President | Oct 24, 2022
It was an honor to join New York State Health commissioner Mary T. Bassett, M.D., and Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) president Jo Wiederhorn as part of Governor Hochul’s announcement that New York State has doubled its investment in diversity programs to increase traditionally underrepresented
students in the physician workforce.
The Governor’s commitment of $2.4 million to diversity programs—managed by the Associated Medical Schools of New York—and funded in part through the New York State Department of Health, highlights these essential programs designed to encourage students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the field of medicine, that include Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, Pacific Islanders, or Native Americans, to pursue acceptance into and completing medical school in New York.
An outstanding cadre of Bridges to Medicine (Bridges) students joined me, speaking about their experiences as first-generation immigrant students entering medical school against odds not meant for their success.
Bradley Amazan, an AMSNY scholarship recipient, completed the post-bac program at SUNY Buffalo; he is currently a third-year medical student at Downstate. Nadia Drabo and Rubia Shahbaz, also AMSNY scholarship recipients, are currently enrolled in the Bridges to Medicine Master of Science in Physiology program. Upon completing all requirements, they will become medical students at Downstate in the fall of 2023. Finally, Alejandro Vega, who was in our second Bridges cohort, will graduate from Downstate in May. These future healthcare leaders proudly and humbly described how these scholarships and opportunities helped fuel their dreams of becoming physicians and the first in their families to enter this noble profession.
Bridges to Medicine was launched in 2017 as a year-long post-baccalaureate line of study designed to increase the representation of students from traditionally underrepresented and low socioeconomic backgrounds seeking admission into medical schools. The program was accredited as a Master of Science in Physiology program at Downstate in 2020. Students participate in co-mingled classes as first-year medical students. Following nominations by the Admissions Committee, they receive conditional acceptance into the medical school, contingent upon meeting all criteria.
Of the 57 medical students enrolled in the Bridges program between 2017 and 2021, 88 percent were accepted into our College of Medicine. Additionally, four students from the program’s first cohort graduated from medical school and have begun residency training. Two students are doing year-long research programs and will enter the match in the upcoming cycle.
Congratulations to our Bridges students, co-directors Carla Boutin-Foster, M.D., MSc. and Christopher Roman, Ph.D., Bridges administrator Shemeika Bowman and F. Charles Brunicardi, M.D., FACS, College of Medicine dean, and all who make this vital opportunity for underrepresented medical students a reality.
Thanks to the Office of Communications & Marketing’s Ellen Watson, special projects director, for coordinating the announcement efforts.
See the announcement video here.
