Dr. Robert W. Amler, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College in Valhalla for more than 20 years has decided to step aside from that position.
“After much careful reflection, I have made the decision to step aside as dean after Commencement 2026 to focus on my vital role as vice president for government affairs for New York Medical College (NYMC). I will also continue seeing patients at Boston Children’s Health Physicians,” Amler said in a message to the college community.
“Our institution enjoys warm and long-standing relationships with government officials and agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. It is my privilege to expand and nurture those relationships,” Amler told Westfair’s Westchester County Business Journal.
Dr. Amler has a history of not only dealing with governments but also working within government. He began in federal service as a medical student during the administration of President Gerald Ford. Some thirty years later, he retired from active duty in the U.S. Public Health Service as regional health administrator for the Department of Health and Human Services where he commanded the multilateral biomedical response force against terrorism and natural disasters.
At NYMC, because of his previous experience directing and awarding government grant programs to institutions in all 50 states, he secured grants for many campus advancements, such as the Touro College of Dental Medicine, Clinical Skills Training Center, Center of Excellence in Precision Reponses to Bioterrorism and Disasters, Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Hudson Valley, Women’s Institute for Science Entrepreneurship (WISE), and BioInc, the region’s biotechnology incubator.
“Impactful moments will stay with me forever, like leading an emergency medical flight mission to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017, garnering sufficient resources to repurpose 7 Dana Road (on the NYMC campus) as a vital statewide asset, and being called upon during the Covid-19 pandemic to address millions across the country in the media in a time of uncertainty and fear,” Amler said.
In his message to the college community, Amler recalled that with Dr. David Markenson he founded the Center of Disaster Medicine. The Center conducted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official analysis for Superstorm Sandy’s adverse health effects in 2012.
“Dr. Allen Dozor and I founded the Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Hudson Valley, which has served thousands of children and families in this region, and helped launch and grow a network of environmental health centers across New York state,” Amler said.
“It has been my privilege to serve as your dean for so many years and I look forward to continuing to support NYMC,” Amler said. “The dedication and vision of this remarkable community of scholars will continue to drive its success, and I am eager to witness all the extraordinary achievements that lie ahead.”
Amler is married to Westchester County Commissioner of Health Dr. Sherlita Amler.
