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Joel Stein, M.D., a leading national figure in stroke research and patient care, has been named chief of the Coordinated Program in Rehabilitation Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Stein is currently the chief medical officer for Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and an associate professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.

Beginning on Sept. 1, Dr. Stein will serve as chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, director of the rehabilitation medical service and physiatrist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and chief of the Division of Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. He will also direct Columbia's degree programs in physical therapy and occupational therapy.

Dr. Stein will oversee 78 physicians and 275 other clinical staff. Annual patient volume comprises more than 24,000 physician visits and 340,000 therapy visits.

Internationally regarded for his expertise in clinical care for stroke survivors and patients with other neurological disorders, Dr. Stein's research explores the use of robot-aided rehabilitation for weakness after stroke and other neurological conditions, the use of electrical cortical stimulation to facilitate motor recovery, and the development of wearable sensors to monitor daily activity levels of recovering stroke patients. In addition to his research, clinical and academic work, Dr. Stein is active in the stroke survivor community, having spoken at meetings of support groups and written two books for survivors and their families. He is currently editing a comprehensive medical text on stroke recovery and rehabilitation, due to be published this year.

"Dr. Stein is a major figure in his field and he will help lead us beyond our highly successful clinical, research and educational programs to a broader mission that includes regenerative medicine and stem-cell research," said Lee Goldman, M.D., executive vice president of Columbia University and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. "Dr. Stein's experience and leadership developing new collaborations involving experts across multiple disciplines will be particularly relevant to this broad mission and for our tri-institutional program."

"Working together is the key to our continued ability to effectively rehabilitate patients with a wide range of conditions, including heart disease, stroke, cancer and osteoporosis," said Herbert Pardes, M.D., president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "Dr. Stein's outstanding record demonstrates a strong commitment to providing individualized and innovative treatments that help patients recover function and regain their independence."

"In the coming years, as our population ages, rehabilitation medicine will become even more important," said Antonio M. Gotto Jr., M.D., D.Phil., the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "Dr. Stein's particular expertise in pioneering treatments and technologies, together with his passion for educating the next generation of physiatrists, will help us meet this challenge."

"I am thrilled to join a department on the leading edge of rehabilitative and restorative medicine," said Dr. Stein. "I look forward to the opportunity to continue my research exploring the potential of technology in stroke rehabilitation and recovery alongside the esteemed faculty and staff of Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Moreover, I hope to build on the particular strengths of these departments to maintain and improve the Combined Program in Rehabilitation Medicine's position at the forefront of academic research and clinical care."

After gaining his bachelor's degree from Columbia, Dr. Stein received his M.D. degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Columbia University Medical Center, serving as chief resident. Since 1993, he has served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, where he practiced at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

He is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Stein will succeed Nancy E. Strauss, M.D., who has served as interim chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at P&S, and Michael O'Dell, M.D., who served as acting chief of rehabilitation medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Strauss will remain at P&S as the vice chair of the department and director of the residency program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center; Dr. O'Dell will continue as medical director of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Medicine Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in 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 & 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. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu .

Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Weill Cornell, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in areas such as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, transplantation medicine, infectious disease, obesity, cancer, psychiatry and public health — and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease in an effort to unlock the mysteries of the human body in health and sickness. In its commitment to global health and education, the Medical College has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the Medical College is the first in the U.S. to offer its M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally-conscious brain-injured patient. For more information, visit Weill Cornell Medical College.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,242 beds. The Hospital has nearly 2 million inpatient and outpatient visits in a year, including more than 230,000 visits to its emergency departments — more than any other area hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Allen Pavilion and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive health-care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. It ranks sixth in U.S.News & World Report's guide to "America's Best Hospitals," ranks first on New York magazine's "Best Hospitals" survey, has the greatest number of physicians listed in New York magazine's "Best Doctors" issue, and is included among Solucient's top 15 major teaching hospitals. The Hospital's mortality rates are among the lowest for heart attack and heart failure in the country, according to a 2007 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report card. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.