Stephen J. Peterson, M.D.
Executive Vice Chair of the Department and Professor of Medicine
Email:
Address:
Department of Medicine
Munger Pavilion
New York Medical College
Valhalla, NY 10562
Personal Profile:
Dr. Stephen J. Peterson, a general internist and primary care physician, is Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at New York Medical College. He is executive vice chair of the Department of Medicine. He is the Director of Residency Training in Internal Medicine at the University Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, the academic medical center of New York Medical College. He is a practicing clinician with admitting privileges at Westchester Medical Center and the Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Westchester Medical Center.
Dr. Peterson received his B.S. degree from Fairfield University in 1975. He first came to New York Medical College in 1982 to do his residency training in Internal Medicine after completion of medical school in the Philippines. After three years of residency in Internal Medicine he was selected as the Administrative Chief Medical Resident from 1985 to 1986. Upon completion of his Chief Residency, he remained on the full-time teaching staff at Metropolitan Hospital Center, an affiliated university hospital of New York Medical College as the Associate Program Director of that same program. Two and a half years later he was promoted to Program Director at another of their university affiliated hospitals, Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center in the Bronx. In that capacity, he also served as Deputy Director of the Department of Medicine and Chief of the Section of General Internal Medicine.
Dr. Peterson first came to Westchester Medical Center in November 1994. He was the fourth general internist in a very small Division that has now expanded to 20 full-time physicians and one part-time physician. We have a big enterprise and much of this credit goes to the Associate Chiefs of the Division of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Carol Karmen, our Associate Chief for our outpatient practices, is responsible for the development of our outpatient practice in White Plains. Dr. Arif Mumtaz is responsible for the development of the Hospitalist Division at Westchester Medical Center and Dr. Wei-Nchih Lee is responsible for the Research Section of the Division of General Internal Medicine as well as Deputy Director of the Residency Program. Our greatest support as a Division continues to come from our Chair, Dr. William Frishman, who has helped us expand General Internal Medicine into the largest Division within the Department of Medicine.
Dr. Peterson has been on the faculty since 1986, and he has been given a teaching award by the Student Senate every year that he has been on the faculty. He was also elected to the Robert Goldstein Society of Teachers, for a Decade of Excellence in Teaching. He is known as a strong supporter of the students and residents. He was elected to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society in 1997 by the medical students. He is one of the most honored and respected teachers on the faculty. He is highly regarded for his vast knowledge of Internal Medicine and his unique ability to teach the subject in an exciting fashion.
He remains active in clinical practice and is regarded as a "physician's physician", being sought out by the faculty and administrative staff for the care of themselves and their own families. He has been included in the Castle Connolly Guide for Top Doctors since his arrival on the Westchester campus. He is a member of multiple professional societies, including the American College of Physicians, the Association of Professors of Medicine (APM), the Association of Program Directors’ of Internal Medicine, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, the Society of General Internal Medicine, the Association of Chiefs of General Internal Medicine, and the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine. Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. He is currently the governor for the Hudson Valley region of the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Peterson continues to be enamored of Westchester Medical Center as an outstanding hospital in every aspect. There are great faculty, nurses and staff at Westchester Medical Center who are responsible for an amazing spirit and compassionate soul that define the institution. He feels truly privileged to continue to work and learn here and feels blessed by the many opportunities bestowed upon him by the Medical Center and the Medical School. He reverently believes that the next decade will be Westchester Medical Centers best ever.
Professional Interests:
Education Profile:
Post Graduate Studies: New York Medical College
Graduate Degree: M.D.
Graduate Degree Institution: Cebu Doctors’ College of Medicine, Philippines
Undergraduate Institution: Fairfield University
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