New York Academy of Medicine

The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health reform. The early leaders of NYAM were invested in the reform movements of the day and worked to improve public health by focusing on the living conditions of the poor. In 1866, NYAM was instrumental in the establishment of the Metropolitan Board of Health, the first modern municipal public health authority in the United States and the precursor of the New York State Department of Health. In recent years NYAM has functioned as an effective advocate in public health reform, as well as a major center for health education. NYAM's work now focuses on advancing urban health in New York City and around the world. Today, NYAM has over three-thousand fellows, that include doctors, nurses, health care administrators, and professionals in all fields dedicated to maintaining and improving health.