Steven R. Levine, MD

Dr. Levine is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Neurology & Emergency Medicine and Executive Vice Chairman of Neurology. He is also an Associate Dean for Clinical Research & Faculty Development, Director of the SUNY Downstate Regional Stroke Program, and chief of Neurology at The University Hospital of Brooklyn.

His research interests are in cerebrovascular disease and stroke. He grew up in Bay Shore, NY and completed a B.S. and Neurology Residency at the University of Michigan, and Medical School at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He then completed a 2-year fellowship in Cerebrovascular Disease/Stroke at Henry Ford Health Sciences Center, an NIH Designated Center for Stroke Research in Detroit, MI where he studied human, in-vivo magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy of the brain during stroke under the mentorship of K.M.A. Welch.

They discovered a cerebral pH “flip-flop” from acidosis to alkalosis during acute ischemic stroke in humans and published the first serial 31-Phosphorus MR spectroscopy profiles of acute human stroke. He was also trained in clinical trials. He studies antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and organized the Antiphospholipid Antibodies Stroke Study (APASS) Group.

In 1990-4 he was one of 7 site principal investigators in The NINDS rt-PA Stroke Trial that led to the first FDA-approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke in 1996. In the 1990s he coined the term “telestroke” envisioning the use of real-time telemedicine to increase tPA treatment within acute stroke care. Dr. Levine’s research has been continuously NIH funded for 28 years. He has been active in acute and preventive stroke clinical trials for over 30 years.

He serves on multiple Editorial Boards and as a consultant for NIH, AHA/ASA, and the pharmaceutical industry. He has multiple honors and awards for clinical, educational and research activites. Dr. Levine is a Fellow of The AAN, and the AHA Stroke Council, and is an elected member & fellow of the ANA. He has published over 220 peer-reviewed articles, 50 invited contributions/reviews, 30 editorials, 50 book chapters, and 3 books in the field of stroke.

Clinical Subspecialty:

• Stroke
• Vascular Neurology

Clinical Research Focus:

My areas of clinical research focus are in clinical cerebrovascular disease, specifically:

• Clinical trials
• Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and cerebrovascular disease.
• Mobile Applications for Stroke (MAPPS)
• Post-stroke fatigue (PSF)
• Primary Stroke Prevention in Women (PSPW)
• Developing a posterior circulation stroke scale
• Use of large administrative datasets to address trends in stroke disparities and its treatment

Insurance Accepted:

• 1199 Member Choice
• Aetna US Healthcare
• Affinity
• AlphaCare
• Americhoice
• AMERIGROUP & HEALTH PLUS MER
• AMIDA CARE
• Beacon
• CIGNA
• Elderplan
• Empire BCBS
• Fidelis
• GHI
• Healthcare Partners
• Healthfirst
• HIP of New York
• MagnaCare/Magna Health
• Metroplus
• Multiplan
• NY Medicaid
• NY Medicare
• NY Railroad Medicare
• Oxford
• POMCO
• Senior Whole Health
• TriCare
• United Healthcare
• United Healthcare - Empire
• VNS Choice
• Wellcare

Patient Appointments:

Outpatient Stroke Clinic is at Maimnonides Medical Center on Mondays.

Podcast

• Trials

• IFeldmann E, Wilterdink JL, Kosinski A, Lynn M, Chimowitz MI, Smith HH, Nichols, Rogg J, Cloft, Wechsler L, Saver J, Levine SR, Tegeler C, Adams R, Sloan M, and the The Stroke Outcomes and Neuroimaging of Intracranial Atherosclerosis (SONIA) Trial Investigators: The Stroke Outcomes and Neuroimaging of Intracranial Atherosclerosis (SONIA) Trial. Neurology 2007;68: 2099-2106.
• Demchuk AM, Khan F, Hill MD, Barber PA, Silver B, Patel S, Levine SR: Importance of leukoaraiosis on CT for tPA decision making: Evaluation of the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Study. Cerebrovasc Dis 2008;26:120-125.
• Cucchiara BL, Tanne D, Levine SR, Demchuk A, Kasner SE: A risk score to predict intracerebral hemorrhage after rt-PA for acute ischemic stroke. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2008;17:331-3.
• Turan TN, Maidan L, Cotsonis G, Lynn MJ, Romano JG, Levine SR, Chimowitz MI, for the WASID Investigators: Failure of antithrombotic therapy and risk of stroke in patients with symptomatic intracranial stenosis. Stroke 2009;40:505-509.
• Rajamani K, Chaturvedi S, Jin Z, Homma S, Brey RL, Tilley BC, Sacco RL, Thompson JLP, Mohr JP, Levine SR, on behalf of the PICSS/APASS Investigators. Patent foramen ovale, cardiac valve thickening and antiphospholipid antibodies as risk factors for subsequent vascular events: The PICSS-APASS Study. Stroke 2009;40:2337-42.
• Cucchiara B, Kasner SE, Tanne D, Levine SR, Demchuk A, Messe SR, Sansing L, Lee KR, Lyden P, for the SAINT Investigators: Factors associated with intracerebral hemorrhage following thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke: pooled analysis of placebo data from the SAINT-I and SAINT-II trials. Stroke 2009;40:3067-72.
• Rhoney DH, Coplin WM, Lin Y, Frankel M, Lyden PD, Levine SR: Time of day, outcome, and response to thrombolytic therapy: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Stroke Trial experience. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2010;19:40-48.
• Chan, YF, Nagurka R, Richardson L, Zaets S, Brimacombe M, Levine, SR: Effectiveness of stroke education in the emergency department waiting room, J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2010;19:209-15.
• Moskowitz A, Chan Y-F Y, Bruns J, Levine SR: A Survey of emergency physician and stroke specialist beliefs and expectations regarding telestroke. Stroke 2010; 41:805-9.
• Haley EC, Thompson JLP, Grotta JC, Lyden PD, Hemmen TM, Brown DL, Fanale C, Libman R, Kwiatkowski TG, Llinas RH, Levine SR, Johnston KC, Buchsbaum R, Levy G, Levin B, for the TNK in Stroke Investigators: Phase IIB/III trial of tenecteplase in acute stroke: Results of a prematurely terminated randomized clinical trial. Stroke 2010;41:707-711.
• Messé SR, Kasner SE, Cucchiara BL, Demchuk A, Tanne D, Ouyang B, Levine SR; for the NINDS t-PA Stroke Study Group: Dosing errors did not have a major impact on outcome in the NINDS t-PA Stroke Study. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2010;19: In Press.
• Cucchiara B, Kasner SE, Tanne D, Levine SR, Demchuk A, Messe SR, Sansing L, Lees KR, Lyden P, for the SAINT Investigators: Validation assessment of risk scores to predict postthrombolysis ICH. Int J Stroke 2010, In Press.