AMSNY’s digital transformation as they shape the future of health and medicine

For over 50 years, the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) has championed a singular mission: to advance public policies and investments that ensure equitable healthcare, groundbreaking research, and top-tier medical education across New York State. With a deep commitment to creating opportunities for aspiring medical and science professionals, AMSNY works tirelessly to open doors for students and bring quality care to communities statewide.

Despite their impactful work, AMSNY’s original website didn’t fully capture the heart of their mission, struggling to connect with their diverse audience.

To make a stronger, lasting impression, AMSNY needed a website that could inspire and inform—a platform that would not only reflect their values but also highlight their groundbreaking programs and achievements. It was time for a fresh approach.

Turning complexity into clarity AMSNY’s website was full of invaluable resources, but the cluttered structure created barriers rather than connections. Their story and vision were lost in the shuffle, preventing a memorable digital presence. To reflect AMSNY’s mission and build trust with their audience, the site needed a creative refinement that balanced sophistication with accessibility.

Our first step was identifying AMSNY’s core audiences. Policymakers, students, and funders—all essential to their success—weren’t finding the website accessible or engaging. Through collaborative discussions, we pinpointed the main obstacles: a lack of clear navigation and uninviting designs. The goal was to declutter and rebuild with intention, crafting a streamlined architecture that would guide each visitor effortlessly.

Creating a clearer path forward through visual storytelling The redesigned website focuses on clarity and impact. We stripped away unnecessary noise and introduced a clean, minimalistic aesthetic that elevated AMSNY’s brand. We refined their color palette and logo, crafting a more modern aesthetic still rooted in academia. A distinctive illustration style brought a fresh, memorable touch while remaining polished and professional. Ample white space and structured grid layouts became foundational elements, allowing content to breathe and creating a seamless balance between functionality and design.

Navigation was thoughtfully reimagined to guide users through AMSNY’s strategic pillars, helping visitors find relevant information quickly. Additionally, a scalable content system was implemented, allowing AMSNY to manage their growing library of resources independently. For example, advocacy pages now allow the team to showcase state and national policy initiatives clearly and effectively, complete with blog formatting and downloadable PDFs for easy distribution.

This system ensures the website and overall design will grow with AMSNY, staying flexible and functional as their work evolves. By combining thoughtful design with intuitive functionality, the new website is visually striking, helping AMSNY connect more effectively with their audiences and amplify their impact.

Empowering AMSNY through smart engineering AMSNY’s site build was also rooted in usability and scalability. We chose a tech stack of PHP and WordPress, enhanced with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) to create a robust system. This setup combined a user-friendly admin panel with powerful customization capabilities, allowing AMSNY’s team to easily manage the site to meet their needs. WordPress provided an accessible platform familiar to non-technical users, complete with the extensibility of plugins to support future growth. Meanwhile, ACF enabled the creation of custom blocks, making content updates seamless all while maintaining the structural integrity of the site.

Our primary focus was designing a content management system (CMS) tailored to AMSNY’s workflow. Their website served as a dynamic tool, requiring regular updates to reflect their evolving work. Whether creating new pages or updating recurring content types like news, newsletters, scholarship recipients, or policy positions, we prioritized making the editing process as intuitive as possible. Key sections of the site, such as policy position updates or annual scholarship recipient highlights, were developed to simplify input and minimize friction for their team. AMSNY can easily keep their content fresh and aligned with their mission—all while saving time.

AMSNY’s digital transformation resulted in a beautiful website that also highlighted their mission and achievements. With streamlined navigation, a modern aesthetic, and a scalable infrastructure, AMSNY now has the tools to better connect with their audiences and drive meaningful change in healthcare and education across New York State.