Dr. Eric Elowitz, the Vice Chairman for Quality and Patient Safety in the Department of Neurological Surgery, and his wife, Dr. Barbara Baskin, a radiologist at Murray Hill Radiology, have named the department as a beneficiary of their estate plan — establishing the Eric and Barbara Elowitz Chairmanship of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. Their philanthropic initiative was recently profiled by the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Society’s Spring 2019 issue of Philanthropist, a biannual newsletter detailing giving at Weill Cornell Medicine.
“We felt it was important to leave a lasting legacy for something beyond ourselves,” Dr. Elowitz tells Philanthropist, adding that this endowment “will provide generations of leaders in neurological surgery with resources to make critical advances in the treatment of patients with brain and spine conditions.”
The gift will help the department continue recruiting top faculty and gives the Department of Neurological Surgery a greater opportunity to launch research projects and address its top priorities. “We believe this gift could make a tangible difference in saving lives in the future,”Dr. Baskin tells Philanthropist.
Dr. Philip Stieg, chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, adds, “The couple’s bequest will have a profound impact on the Department of Neurological Surgery. We are deeply grateful for Eric and Barbara’s generous support of our initiatives. Their commitment to our department will establish an enduring legacy at Weill Cornell Medicine.”
Dr. Elowitz obtained his medical degree from SUNY Downstate in 1986 and graduated summa cum laude. He continued his neurosurgical residency and chief residency at SUNY Downstate and, following that, joined Beth Israel Medical Center, rising to the position of Director of Neurosurgery. He joined Weill Cornell Medicine in 2010 and was appointed the Vice Chairman for Quality and Patient Safety in 2018. He specializes in minimally invasive spine procedures and heads up the new Endoscopic Spine Surgery Program.
For the full article, click here.
