William Levine to Lead Orthopedic Surgery

William N. Levine, MD

William N. Levine, MD

William N. Levine, MD, will become chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery in P&S and orthopedic surgeon-in-chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, on July 1. His appointment was announced this week by Lee Goldman, MD, the Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor of the University, dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine, and executive vice president for health and biomedical sciences for Columbia University, and Steven J. Corwin, MD, chief executive officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Levine succeeds Louis U. Bigliani, MD, who is retiring as chair after leading the department for the past 16 years. During Dr. Bigliani’s time as chair, the department doubled in size and significantly expanded both its research and clinical programs.

Dr. Levine joined Columbia and the hospital staff in 1998. Most recently, he has served as the department’s vice chair for education, director of its residency and fellowship programs, chief of the shoulder service, and co-director of the Center for Shoulder, Elbow & Sports Medicine.

A former tennis professional and starting goalie for Stanford University’s varsity hockey team, Dr. Levine is Columbia University’s head team physician, responsible for providing care for 31 Columbia intercollegiate athletic teams. He has been named a Top Doctor in Sports Medicine by Castle Connolly and New York magazine and was recognized as one of the top 25 shoulder surgeons in the United States by Orthopedics This Week.

Dr. Levine is a member of the American Orthopaedic Association’s executive committee and a board member of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, the governing body that oversees licensure and training of orthopedic surgeons. He also serves as deputy editor of the Shoulder and Elbow section of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

After earning a BA degree in human biology from Stanford University, he went on to earn an MD degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He was a resident in orthopedic surgery at New England Medical Center/Tufts University Medical School and held fellowships at NYP/Columbia in shoulder surgery and at the University of Maryland in sports medicine. He became residency director at Columbia in 2002 and in 2006 was awarded the Charles S. Neer, MD, Teacher of the Year Award in recognition of his dedication to resident education.