SUNY Downstate’s Dr. Joseph P. Merlino Named a Fellow Ambassador by the New York Academy of Medicine
Sep 8, 2016
Brooklyn, NY – SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development Joseph P. Merlino, MD, MPA, has been named to the Fellows Ambassador Program of the New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Merlino, who is also professor of psychiatry at SUNY Downstate, was among seven persons chosen this year from the Academy’s prestigious membership of more than 2,000 experts from across the professions affecting health.
The Fellows Ambassador Program was established in 2015 to increase the direct engagement of Fellows with the research and policy staff of the Academy, and provide the public with access to the wealth of knowledge that the Academy’s Fellows possess through public communication and media interviews. The program offers several ambassador positions each year through an application process open to the Academy’s Fellows.
“We are thrilled to continue the Fellows Ambassador program after a successful inaugural year,” said Academy President Jo Ivey Boufford, MD. “The Fellows are the foundation on which the Academy was built and the Fellows Ambassador program provides a unique opportunity for the distinguished health professionals in our fellowship to share their expertise and experience with the public.”
The Ambassadors were selected by the Academy based on their interest and ability as spokespersons for their field of expertise, as well as for their ability to address broad reaching topics in the news today such as urban health, prevention, and health disparities. In addition to being available to media for comment and interviews, the 2016-17 Ambassadors will author commentaries, blog posts, and op-eds. The program’s goal is to develop a critical mass of Fellows prepared to work with the media and help the Academy become a valuable resource for media seeking health expertise to inform the public.
Dr. Merlino has been a member of the SUNY Downstate faculty since 2009 and is an expert in psychiatry and psychotherapy, disaster psychiatry, and physician and medical student mental health. As founding vice president for faculty affairs and professional development, he supports Downstate faculty members in their mission of training future generations of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, scientists, and public health practitioners. Dr. Merlino also holds appointments in the School of Health Professions and School of Public Health at Downstate.
The New York Academy of Medicine announcement is available here: http://www.nyam.org/news/article/new-york-academy-medicine-announces-2016-17-fellow-ambassadors/.
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About The New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine advances solutions that promote the health and well
being
of people in cities worldwide. Established in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine
continues to address the health challenges facing New York City and the world’s rapidly
growing urban populations. The Academy accomplishes this through its Institute for
Urban Health, home of interdisciplinary research, evaluation, policy and program initiatives;
its world class historical medical library and its public programming in history,
the humanities, and the arts; and its Fellows program, a network of more than 2,000
experts elected by their peers from across the professions affecting health. The Academy’s
current priorities are healthy aging, disease prevention, and eliminating health disparities.
About The New York Academy of Medicine Fellows
The Academy’s prestigious Fellows program, the foundation on which the Academy was
established in 1847, includes more than 2,000 individuals, elected by their peers,
from across the professions affecting health. Working collaboratively across disciplines
and specialties, in a tradition of honor and service, the Fellows are organized into
18 diverse sections and workgroups that address clinical and population health issues
facing individuals and communities in New York City and cities around the world.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.