New York Academy of Medicine

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The Academy's building was built in 1926 in an eclectic style (2015)
File:New York Academy of Medicine 3 East 103rd Street entrance.jpg
The building's entrance

The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York City metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health reform. The Academy quickly established the Metropolitan Board of Health, the first modern municipal public health authority in the United States.

In 1926, the Academy moved to a new building designed by York & Sawyer in an eclectic style – including touches of the Byzantine Revival and Lombardian Romanesque styles – at 2 East 103rd Street at the corner of Fifth Avenue, across from Central Park in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, where it remains to this day.[1]

In recent years the Academy has functioned as an effective advocate in public health reform, as well as a major center for health education.

In 1939, the Academy prepared Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia's LaGuardia Commission report, which when released in 1944 infuriated Harry Anslinger and his campaign against marijuana.

Today, the Academy has over three-thousand Fellows, that include doctors, nurses, health care administrators, and professionals in all fields dedicated to maintaining and improving health.

Library

The Academy Library, on premises, is one of the three largest medical collections in the United States and is open to the general public. It was first opened in 1847 when the academy first opened, but was not open to the public until 1878. The Library includes about 550,000 volumes and original writings by Sigmund Freud and a prototype of George Washington's dentures, constructed from actual teeth that were donated.[2] The Library is part of New York Academy of Medicine’s Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health and also includes the Coller Rare Book Reading Room.

Awards

The Academy rewards since 1929 every year individuals who delivered exceptional contributions. There are currently five categories in these awards:[3]

  • John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Medicine. Awarded since 1992 and named after John Stearns, who was the first president of the Academy.[4]
  • Stephen Smith Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Public Health. Awarded since 2005 and named after Dr. Stephen Smith, who was a pioneer in public health.[5]
  • Academy Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Health Policy. Awarded since 2008.[6]
  • Academy Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Biomedical Science. The oldest medal of the Academy, awarded since 1929.[7]
  • Academy Plaque for Exceptional Service to the Academy. Awarded since 1952.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found., p.463
  2. ↑ http://www.nyam.org/library/about/
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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