New Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Created by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Joel Stein Appointed as Department Chairman

Apr 13, 2017

New York

Upward angle photo entrance to Weill Cornell medical center
Joel Stein

Dr. Joel Stein

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine have elevated the Division of Rehabilitation Medicine to full departmental status in order to enhance rehabilitation medicine research, education and patient care. Dr. Joel Stein has been appointed chairman of the new department.

“By establishing this department, NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine are showing their commitment to improving care for rehab medicine patients,” said Dr. Stein, who is professor of rehabilitation medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and also the Simon Baruch Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Columbia University Medical Center. “I look forward to leading this effort and the department’s world-class team of scientists and physicians, as we seek new avenues for innovative research and clinical care.”

Formerly the Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, the new Department of Rehabilitation Medicine was established to further advance NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine’s programs in rehabilitation medicine. It engages in state-of-the-art research and clinical care, in subspecialties including interventional spine care, sports medicine, regenerative medicine, women’s health rehabilitation, and stroke rehabilitation and recovery. Dr. Michael O’Dell, a professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, oversees patient care and research as vice chairman.

The department is unique in that it works closely with Columbia University Medical Center’s Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, which Dr. Stein also leads. The two institutions share a residency program and frequently collaborate on research projects. The department’s physicians practice at five locations across New York City, including NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Iris Cantor Women’s Health Center, the Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine Care, Weill Cornell Medicine’s physicians practice at 156 William Street and NewYork-Presbyterian/Brooklyn Methodist.

In addition to his new role at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Stein remains physiatrist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is widely regarded as one of the area’s leading physiatrists, with more than two decades of experience in rehabilitation medicine.

“Dr. Stein has spearheaded a significant expansion of our rehab medicine program since his arrival in 2008. Since then, we have tripled the number of full-time faculty and developed pioneering research and top education programs,” said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. “As chair of this new department, I know Dr. Stein will continue to advance the vital work we’re doing in rehab medicine, enhancing our position as leaders in the field.”  

 “Dr. Stein has already led our institutions to national prominence in rehab medicine, delivering highly innovative, world-class care to patients recovering from a wide variety of conditions,” said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian.

Dr. Stein joined NewYork-Presbyterian in 2008, with faculty appointments at both Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine. Under his leadership, NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center have expanded its rehabilitation services to new locations and has been consistently recognized as one of the best rehabilitation programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report. His research and clinical work focus on rehabilitation after stroke and other neurological disorders, with an emphasis on using technology to help restore motor function. He has authored or coauthored two books on stroke recovery and rehabilitation for stroke survivors and their families, and edited a medical textbook, "Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation."

Dr. Stein is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation, as well as internal medicine. After receiving his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he completed a residency in internal medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, followed by a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at NewYork-Presbyterian. He previously was a member of the medical staff at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston for 16 years, where he served as chief medical officer and was medical director of the stroke rehabilitation program. He was also a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty while at Spaulding.

NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive healthcare delivery networks, focused on providing innovative and compassionate care to patients in the New York metropolitan area and around the globe. In collaboration with two renowned medical school partners, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and clinical innovation.

NewYork-Presbyterian has four major divisions: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is ranked #1 in the New York metropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report and repeatedly named to the magazine’s Honor Roll of best hospitals in the nation; NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network is comprised of leading hospitals in and around New York and delivers high-quality care to patients throughout the region; NewYork-Presbyterian Physician Services connects medical experts with patients in their communities; and NewYork-Presbyterian Community and Population Health features the hospital’s ambulatory care network sites and operations, community care initiatives and healthcare quality programs, including NewYork Quality Care, established by NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell and Columbia.

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the largest healthcare providers in the U.S. Each year, nearly 40,000 NewYork-Presbyterian professionals deliver exceptional care for more than 4 million patients.

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Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine—faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization—are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side’s scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine’s powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where an international campus offers a U.S. medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

Media Contact:

Maxine Mitchell 212-821-0560