New Heads of Pediatric Neurology and Pediatric Surgery Join NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center

Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital welcomes Dr. James Riviello as chief of child neurology and Dr. Steven Stylianos as chief of pediatric surgery

Sep 26, 2013

NEW YORK

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center has appointed two new chiefs at its Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. Dr. James J. Riviello Jr. has been named chief of child neurology, and Dr. Steven Stylianos has been named chief of pediatric surgery and surgeon-in-chief. Both also join the faculty at Columbia University Medical Center.

Dr. James J. Riviello Jr., Chief of Child Neurology

Dr. James J. Riviello Jr. is the new chief of child neurology at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, effective September 23. Dr. Riviello is also a professor in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center.

Most recently, Dr. Riviello was director of the pediatric neurology division and professor of neurology and pediatrics at NYU School of Medicine and a member of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Dr. Riviell o is a specialist in pediatric epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology as well as pediatric neurocritical care, with specific expertise in pediatric epilepsy surgery, status epilepticus, and the epileptic encephalopathies: Landau-Kleffner syndrome and its variants, electrical status epilepticus during sleep, congenital aphasia, and pervasive developmental disorder with regression. He brings three decades of experience as a clinician, researcher, teacher, and administrator. Over his career, he has been involved in the development of national and international guidelines for pediatric epilepsy surgery, the diagnostic assessment of the child with status epilepticus, the evaluation and management of status epilepticus, and continuous EEG monitoring for neonatal seizures.

Board certified in pediatrics, child neurology, and clinical neurophysiology, Dr. Riviello is a member of numerous professional societies, is the past chair of the Section on Child Neurology of the American Academy of Neurology, and a charter member of the Neurocritical Care Society.

After receiving his undergraduate and medical degrees from Tufts University, Dr. Riviello completed residency training in pediatrics at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, residency training in neurology and anesthesiology at Temple University Hospital, and fellowship training in child neurology at St. Christopher's Hospital. Over his career, Dr. Riviello has held hospital appointments at the A.I. du Pont Institute, Wilmington; St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia; Maine Medical Center, Portland; Boston Children's Hospital; Texas Children's Hospital, Houston; NYU Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital. He has had academic appointments at Temple University; University of Vermont; Harvard Medical School, where he served as a full professor; Baylor College of Medicine, where he held the George Peterkin Endowed Chair in Pediatrics and was a professor of pediatrics and neurology, and NYU School of Medicine.

"The Division of Child Neurology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia has a long tradition of excellence in clinical care, teaching, and research," says Dr. Riviello. "In fact, the medical center's Neurological Institute of New York played a major role in establishing the field of child neurology. It is a great honor to lead this division."

"We believe that Dr. Riviello brings the right strengths to the Division of Child Neurology," says Dr. Richard Mayeux, neurologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and chair of neurology and the Sergievsky Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center. "He is an outstanding teacher, a caring physician, and a natural leader. He will be a great asset to the department and to the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia."

Dr. Steven Stylianos, Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief

Dr. Steven Stylianos is the new chief of pediatric surgery and surgeon-in-chief at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, effective September 20. Dr. Stylianos is also a professor in the Department of Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center.

Dr. Stylianos most recently was chief of the pediatric surgery division and associate surgeon-in-chief at Cohen Children's Medical Center, North Shore-LIJ Health System, and professor of surgery and pediatrics at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

From 1992 to 2005, Dr. Stylianos was on the faculty and medical staff of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. During this time, he served as director of the Regional Pediatric Trauma Program and medical director of the operating room at Children's Hospital of New York, now the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. From 2005 to 2011, he served as chief of the pediatric surgery department at Miami Children's Hospital, where he was also medical director of its operating room, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program, and pediatric trauma program.

Dr. Stylianos is board certified in surgery, surgical critical care, and pediatric surgery. He is a member of numerous professional societies and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

After receiving his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Stylianos completed residency training in surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, where he was chief resident, and in pediatric surgery at Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School, also as chief resident. In addition, he completed fellowship training in pediatric trauma at New England Medical Center and Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute in Boston.

Dr. Stylianos maintains a busy clinical practice and serves as a valued colleague for numerous pediatric practices in the metropolitan area.

"It is an honor to return to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and to have the opportunity to help further advance the outstanding clinical care and research performed here," says Dr. Stylianos. "The Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is where physicians want their own children cared for when needed. We strive to make this excellent level of care available to all children and families in need."

"I am delighted we could persuade Dr. Stylianos to return to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia," says Dr. Craig R. Smith, surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and the Johnson & Johnson Distinguished Professor, Valentine Mott Professor of Surgery and chairman of surgery at Columbia University Medical Center. "He is already busy making plans to secure areas of traditional strength while moving in several exciting new directions."

"We are thrilled that Dr. Riviello and Dr. Stylianos are joining us at our Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "When a child needs medical care, every parent wants to know that they are in the best hands. With Dr. Riviello's expertise in treating epilepsy and related disorders, and Dr. Stylianos' expertise in critical care and trauma surgery, parents and families can be assured that they've come to right place."

NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, located in New York City, offers the best available care in every area of pediatrics — including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric subspecialties — in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. Building a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation's premier children's hospitals, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is Manhattan's only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children and one of the largest providers of children's health services in the tri-state area with a long-standing commitment to its community. It is also a major international referral center, meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence worldwide. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report.

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit www.cumc.columbia.edu or www.columbiadoctors.org.

Media Contact:

Public Affairs 212-305-5587