» Colleges & Schools » The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education

 

The City University of New York Medical School has a special mission: to encourage enrollment by minority groups underrepresented in medicine, and to educate a high proportion of primary care physicians who will seek practice opportunities in medically underserved communities, particularly in New York City. The Medical School is based on the premedical program at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at City College which, since 1973, has integrated undergraduate education with the first two years of medical school and has sent its students on to become leading physicians. The Biomedical Education Program is designed as a seven-year integrated curriculum leading to bachelor of science and doctor of medicine degrees. During the first five years of the program, students fulfill all requirements for the B.S. degree and study the basic sciences portion of the medical school curriculum. After successfully completing the five-year sequence and passing Part 1 of the Medical Licensure Examination, students transfer to one of seven New York State medical schools for the final two years of clinical training. The bachelor of science degree is conferred by City College, while the medical school to which the student transfers confers the doctor of medicine degree.

Thirty years ago, The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education of the City University of New York Medical School began as a unique program to increase access to medical and health training for inner-city youths, particularly under-represented minorities, from the City's communities and schools. A major part of its mission is to train primary care professionals who will practice in medically under-served communities of New York. The School has remained firmly committed to this original mission. There are more than 1,400 graduates of whom more than 80% from the past ten years have continued in primary care.

Headquartered at The City College, The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education offers an innovative five-year program that integrates undergraduate education with the first two years of medical school. Students receive a foundation in the liberal arts, community health and social medicine as well as the biomedical sciences.

Students receive a B.S. from City College and then transfer to one of six medical schools in New York State (SUNY at Stony Brook, Downstate, and Syracuse, Albany, NYU and New York Medical College) for the third and fourth years of medical school training. In recognition of the support received from a specialized State-funded program, graduates must sign a pledge to serve for two years as a primary care physician in an under-served area after they complete their residencies.

Additional information and admission requirements may be obtained from The Sophie Davis School website: med.cuny.edu.

BS/MD Program

The Biomedical Education Program is designed as a seven-year integrated curriculum leading to Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degrees. During the first five years of the program, students fulfill all requirements for the B.S. degree as well as the pre-clinical portion of a medical school curriculum. After successfully completing the five-year sequence and passing Step I of the U.S. Medical Licensure Examination, students then transfer to one of six medical schools for their final two years of clinical training. The Bachelor of Science degree is conferred by City College, while the medical school to which the student transfers awards the Doctor of Medicine degree.

Goals

There is a continuing shortage of primary care physicians in our nation, creating an urgent need for more family practitioners, general internists, pediatricians, and obstetrician/gynecologists in many communities. The shortage of African-American and Hispanic primary care physicians and of primary care physicians in inner city areas is particularly acute.

The B.S./M.D. program of The City University of New York Medical School/The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, is committed to:

1. produce broadly educated, highly skilled physicians who are prepared to undertake postgraduate training
2. increase the number of physicians of African-American, Hispanic and other ethnic backgrounds who have been historically under-represented in the medical profession and whose communities have been historically underserved by primary care practitioners
3. encourage students to become primary care physicians who will:
   • provide superior preventive and therapeutic medical care to underserved urban communities
   • plan for effective, comprehensive health care services in cooperation with community leaders, residents, and providers of health-related services
   • serve as health care advocates for individuals and families living in the communities in which they practice

A Service Commitment

All students entering CUNY Medical School must sign a post-graduate service commitment agreement promising to provide full term medical services as a primary care physician for two years in a designated primary care physician shortage area in New York State. Through their course work and field placements, students develop a first-hand understanding of the health care needs of underserved urban communities as they gain the satisfaction of working with and improving the quality of life of the people in those communities.

Upon completing their housestaff training, graduates fulfill their commitment by working full-time in a hospital, clinic, or private practice in a designated area. For many program graduates, this experience marks the beginning of a long-term dedication to service as a primary care physician in an underserved community.

Facts

• Sophie Davis students come from more than 75 high schools throughout the metropolitan region
• Entrance to the School is highly competitive and our acceptance rate is about 18%
• A recent graduate spent a year in Australia on a Fulbright Scholarship, studying Eastern complementary medicine
• A current fifth year student has been named a Millennium Gates Scholar, a real distinction as most such scholars are either in mathematics or pure science fields
• Our students are committed to their life dream of becoming physicians: 85% of entering Sophie Davis students actually complete medical school compared to a 50% attrition rate among freshmen entering premedical programs at four-year colleges and universities
• Sophie Davis's educational approach results in a 45% enrollment of under-represented minorities, representing a diversity unparalleled at other medical schools in New York State
• Each Sophie Davis graduating class is small, but its contribution to New York's pool of new minority physicians is disproportionately high
• Most of our graduates complete residencies in or around New York City

Travel Directions

Subway: #1, 9 to 137th Street-City College Station. Walk east on 138th Street to campus.
A or D express, or B or C local to 145th Street. Walk up hill to Convent Avenue; walk south on Convent Avenue to 138th Street.
Shuttle bus service available to campus from subway stations at 137th and 145th

Bus: From the east side: M18 to 138th Street;
M100 or M101 to Amsterdam Avenue and 138th Street, walk one block east to Convent Avenue;
M4 or M5 to Broadway and 138th, walk two blocks east to Convent Avenue.

College Contacts

Admission:

Christopher Wanyonyi
cwanyonyi@ccny.cuny.edu