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Our Grantees

Across the Foundation’s priority areas, our grantees are working to improve the health of the public through innovative research and programs.  The Foundation awards up to 40 grants on a rotating schedule each year.

Translational Medicine Initiative

Theme: New Curriculum Content

Institution: New York Academy of Sciences

Grant Type: Board Grant

Award Amount: $453,948

Grant Awarded: January 2010

Principal Investigator: Stacie Bloom, PhD

The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) will build a live and virtual community of scientists, physicians, medical students, and others focused on the pressing issues and challenges of translational medicine, with a particular emphasis on the New York City community.

This initiative will represent a new relationship between The New York Academy of Sciences and the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, two of New York City’s premier institutions. This partnership will result in an innovative connection between New York’s extensive scientific community, with which the New York Academy of Sciences has a long-standing relationship, and New York’s renowned clinical community, which we are just beginning to develop ties with.

To that end, we intend to create the new program. The Translational Medicine Initiative will be dedicated to bringing the scientific community closer to the medical and teaching communities to link them more effectively. The overall goals of this unique program are to:

  • Decrease the amount of time it takes to bring science from discovery to clinical practice;
  • Bring new science to the clinic by effectively integrating cutting-edge science and clinical medicine so that they are no longer viewed as two separate disciplines; and
  • Provide novel programming for a new cadre of physicians in training.

To meet these goals, The Academy will extend itself in a new direction by creating The Translational Medicine Discussion Group. This unique group will provide a recurring forum with concomitant dissemination to build a community around discrete, relevant topics and their pressing issues. This community will be created through the following deliverables:

  • Dean’s dinner kick-off to launch the initiative and get buy-in from these leaders of the academic medical community;
  • Stakeholder meetings of the steering committee;
  • Recurring live symposia for the community;
  • Translational Medicine career development: a consortium of medical students, residents, and fellows to be integrated within our Science Alliance career training program; and
  • Extensive web-based, print, and electronic dissemination channels.