Jan
18
2016
The Associated Medical Schools of New York is lobbying the state legislature to boost its funding for fiscal 2017. The organization, which represents 16 public and private medical schools throughout the state, is requesting $2.4 million for scholarships and diversity initiatives, up from $1.6 million last year. The bulk of the money, $2 million, would fund four post-baccalaureate programs that help students from underrepresented backgrounds get into medical school. An additional $400,000 is for launching a new scholarship. African-Americans, Latinos and indigenous peoples make up 35% of New York’s population but only 9% of the physician workforce, according to a 2014 report from the SUNY Albany Center for Health Workforce Studies. Funding for AMSNY’s diversity initiatives was slashed by about 20% after the 2008 financial crisis. The requested funding would help restore the programming that was dropped, said Jo Wiederhorn, the group’s president and chief executive.