The Downstate Medical Center Chapter of UUP represents 3,000 faculty and professional
employees at SUNY’s academic medical center in Brooklyn.
Downstate Medical Center (also known as Brooklyn Health Science Center) is one of
three academic medical centers in New York and the sole academic medical center in Brooklyn.
Downstate is Brooklyn’s fourth-largest employer and contributes more than $1.3 billion yearly to
the state’s economy. Every dollar invested in Downstate returns $12 to the local economy.
The medical center provides care for thousands of New Yorkers each year, many of them
underinsured or uninsured and many more who are aged or very sick and require the specialized
treatment that only Downstate offers.
More New York City physicians have trained at Downstate than at any other medical
school; one in every three doctors in Brooklyn graduated from Downstate. More than half of
Brooklyn’s doctors in certain specialties have been trained at the center.
Downstate is considered the birthplace of magnetic resonance imaging; the first human
MRI studies were performed at Downstate. A Downstate scientist, Dr. Robert F. Furchgott, won
the Nobel Prize in 1998 for identifying the fundamental role that nitric oxide (NO) plays in the
regulation of cardiovascular function.
Downstate’s Division of Transplantation has performed more than 4,000 life-saving
kidney transplants since 1965 through its Downstate Transplant Program. Program doctors
performed the first-ever dual kidney transplant in 1996. The program is one of the largest and
most active of its kind in New York.
The medical center houses the state-designated Regional Perinatal Center, a new, 29-bed
state-of-the-art unit that provides Level 3 care 24 hours a day. More than 850 neonates are cared
for annually in the center.
Other specialty services offered at Downstate include cardiothoracic surgery, high-risk
maternity care, and 75 community outreach programs—including the Center for Community
Health Promotion and Wellness.
The Downstate Medical Center Chapter of UUP is located in Room 2-71P in the Basic
Sciences Building.
The phone number is 718-270-1519 (voice); 718-774-0800 (fax).
The mailing address is P.O. Box 96, SUNY Brooklyn HSC, 450 Clarkson Ave.,
Brooklyn, NY 11203.
The e-mail address is Brooklyn@uupmail.org.
About UUP
UUP: UNITED to preserve our UNIVERSITY and to enhance our PROFESSIONS
Statewide, United University Professions (UUP) represents more than 35,000 academic and
professional faculty on 29 campuses, plus System Administration and Empire State College.
UUP is affiliated with New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and the American Federation
of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
As America’s largest higher education union, UUP works for you and with you, representing
every member with a clear, collective call to improve your personal and professional lives.
From competitive salaries and health benefits to job security, opportunities for advancement and
retirement, UUP is here for you.
UUP is a unified voice, protecting members rights at the bargaining table and on the job,
speaking on behalf of public higher education statewide, nationally and internationally. UUP is
the voice of SUNY’s academics and professional employees to the SUNY Board of Trustees,
SUNY System Administration, the state’s elected officials and the public.
UUP NEGOTIATES
UUP is the only organization designated to negotiate a contract with New York state on behalf
of SUNY’s academic and professional employees. The contract allows UUP to protect your
fundamental rights by setting terms and conditions of your employment.
UUP PROVIDES
UUP provides benefits to all bargaining unit members, including a range of attractive programs
sponsored by our affiliates, New York State United Teachers and the American Federation of
Teachers. Benefits include:
•Dental and vision plan coverage* (Part-timer members not eligible for NYSHIP can
purchase these benefits at the group rate)
•Free group life insurance
•Free tuition on a “space available” basis
•Discount products and services from: Apple; AT&T; Bally’s Total Fitness; BJ’S
Wholesale Club; Enterprise Rent-a-Car; Goodyear; Liberty Mutual; Mirabito Fuel; New
Jersey Nets; OfficeMax; Sprint; and Verizon Wireless.
*Employee must be eligible for enrollment in the NYS Health Insurance Program.
MEMBERSHIP IN UUP entitles you to:
•Vote on the collective bargaining agreement;
•Attend union meetings;
•Hold union office;
•Elect union leaders on your campus and at the state and national levels;
•Upon separation of service, obtain Associate Membership with NYSUT and be eligible
for benefit programs; and
•Maintain membership after retirement and be eligible for benefit programs.