History, Philosophy and Mission

"We know how to talk with our patients, and we know how to listen."

Our History

Adolescent-Young Adult Medicine (AYAM) in New York City was founded in 1990 by Dr. Andrea Marks. Dr. Marks was inspired to open a private practice to meet the myriad of unmet health care needs of adolescents and young adults, which had been documented in her own research and that of others in the field. Dr. Karen Rosewater joined the practice in 2000, and Dr. Doris Pastore in 2007. The practice is designed to provide a welcoming ambience, respect for both the autonomy of young patients and the concerns of their parents, and importantly, office visits with sufficient time to talk and listen, to think and formulate a plan.

Our Mission and Philosophy

We are a private medical practice that provides the highest quality and most comprehensive primary and specialized healthcare to pre-teens, adolescents and young adults in a warm and trusting environment. We strive to meet the distinctive challenges of adolescent and young adult healthcare and to appreciate the many joys of caring for our patients. We are aware of the uniqueness of each patient and family and approach each person with an open mind and flexibility. We appreciate the complexity of our patients’ health needs, and work to address them in a comprehensive and collaborative manner. We recognize the importance of trust and respect in any successful partnership, and therefore value all opportunities for effective communication.

We respect our patients’ privacy and autonomy at all times, while we recognize that the context of their lives includes family, peers, school and work. In caring for our patients, we evaluate their physical, developmental and psychosocial health needs. We also endeavor to promote the health and wellbeing of young people through educational outreach to the community, including families, schools and other health professionals.