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Suny Downstate Medical Center




SUNY Downstate Medical Center is the only academic medical center in Brooklyn , New York City . The Medical Center, which was once known as the State University Of New York Health Science Center At Brooklyn , dates back to 1860, when a new school of medicine was established at the Long Island College Hospital. Today the Medical Center is composed of a College of Medicine, College of Health Related Professions, College of Nursing, School of Graduate Studies and University Hospital of Brooklyn. Nobel Prize winner Dr. Robert Furchgott has been a member of the School of Graduate Studies faculty since 1956.


EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE


  • First hospital-based medical school in the United States (founded in 1860).

  • First hospital-based nurse-midwifery training program in the country; first bachelor's degree program in medical sonography.

  • Ranks sixth nationally in the number of alumni who are on the faculty of American medical schools.

  • Of the nearly 21,000 physicians practicing in New York City, more graduated from SUNY Downstate than from any other medical school.



REGIONAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

  • Fifth largest employer in Brooklyn.

  • Eighty-five percent of employees are New York City residents; 62 percent live in Brooklyn.

  • Total direct, indirect, and induced economic impact on New York State is in excess of $627 million.

  • For every $1 the state invests, SUNY Downstate returns more than $12 to the economy.

  • Addition to lifetime earning power for each nursing and allied health graduate ranges from $288,000 to $925,000.

  • Attracted $33.7 million in external research funding in 1998/99, including $24 million from federal sources.



MILESTONES IN RESEARCH

  • 1998: Dr. Robert Furchgott, distinguished professor emeritus of pharmacology, is awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research on nitric oxide.

  • 1986: SUNY Downstate conducts first federally funded study of HIV's transmission from mother to fetus.

  • 1984: Henri Begleiter, Ph.D., publishes landmark study showing that the children of alcoholics may have a greater risk for alcoholism.

  • 1977: Raymond Damadian, M.D., produces first human images using magnetic resonance imaging.

  • 1964: Eli Friedman, M.D., establishes nation's first federally funded dialysis program at University Hospital of Brooklyn.



KINGS COUNTY HOSPITAL CENTER


1955: Clarence Dennis, M.D., inventor of the heart-lung machine, performs first successful open heart surgery in New York State.


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