State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University

The State University of New York - Downstate Health Sciences University has served the community of Brooklyn since 1860. The new college’s faculty revolutionized medical education in this country by bringing the teaching of medicine to the hospital bedside, thus rejecting the idea that physicians should be trained exclusively in university lecture halls.Today, SUNY Downstate is one of the nation's leading urban medical centers. SUNY Downstate comprises a College of Medicine, College of Health Related Professions, College of Nursing, School of Graduate Studies, School of Public Health, and University Hospital of Brooklyn.The quality of our education, research, and patient care programs was confirmed with the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Medicine to Dr. Robert Furchgott, a member of our School of Graduate Studies faculty since 1956. Dr. Furchgott's identification of nitric oxide as a signalling molecule important in vascular health has revolutionized care for heart, stroke, impotence, and other diseases.As the only academic medical center in Brooklyn, we serve a large population – over 2.6 million people – and one that is among the most diverse in the world. We are also an engine of opportunity for students interested in pursuing careers in health care. Many of our students are the first in their families to attend college.More physicians who practice medicine in New York City received their training at our College of Medicine than any other medical center in the country. Nationally, our medical school ranks seventh in the number of graduates who are now engaged in academic medicine. Here in Brooklyn, our impact is even greater. We have trained nearly half of all doctors practicing in a number of specialty areas.