An esteemed clinician whose leadership has advanced Weill Cornell Medicine’s excellence in patient care, biomedical research and education, Dr. Michael G. Stewart is taking on an expanded role as vice dean at the institution. Renowned urologist Dr. Peter N. Schlegel has been appointed senior associate dean for clinical affairs to enhance the institution’s delivery of patient care.
In his new role, Dr. Stewart is providing key strategic oversight of Weill Cornell Medicine’s efforts to recruit, develop and retain highly talented faculty members while fostering a culture of diversity on campus. This work, which will continue under the vice dean title, augments his growing portfolio of institutional responsibilities, which includes guiding academic and clinical program development and directing global initiatives.
“Weill Cornell Medicine is a wonderful institution, and I am pleased to be able to help strengthen our already outstanding cadre of faculty,” said Dr. Stewart, who is also professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and otolaryngologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “It’s an honor to serve as vice dean and help usher in the next level of excellence across the entire spectrum of our mission.”
Dr. Peter N. Schlegel. Photo credit: Travis Curry
In his new role, Dr. Schlegel serves as the principal liaison between the Dean’s Office, Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization, NewYork-Presbyterian and clinical faculty.
“As vice dean, Dr. Stewart has provided exemplary leadership across our mission to care, discover and teach, acting as my deputy and overseeing global initiatives,” said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. “His expanded stewardship over faculty development, mentorship and diversity will enhance Weill Cornell Medicine’s standing as a leading academic medical institution that attracts the best and brightest to work and study here. Dr. Schlegel, with his strategic expertise in patient care, is the perfect person to help us achieve continued growth in the clinical arena. I look forward to working with them both as we strive to make the greatest impact on science and medicine—and importantly, on our patients.”
Dr. Schlegel will leverage Weill Cornell Medicine’s exceptional network of physicians, reputation for quality care and strength as a leader in medical education to provide the finest care to New Yorkers. He will also strategize ways to optimize and grow Weill Cornell Medicine’s clinical enterprise.
“It’s always been my personal philosophy that not only should we be leaders in every field of medical care, but we also should be a place that patients recognize as offering the best medical care possible,” said Dr. Schlegel, who is also chairman of the Department of Urology and the James J. Colt Professor of Urology at Weill Cornell Medicine and urologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “I am excited to work with Dean Choi, our institution’s leadership and the physician organization to move Weill Cornell Medicine forward in a strategic way, capitalizing on our dynamic transformation over the last five years to improve our entire healthcare delivery system.”
Dr. Schlegel, who is also a professor of urology and of reproductive medicine, is an internationally recognized expert in prostate cancer and male infertility. He has previously held clinical leadership positions with NewYork-Presbyterian as medical board president and with Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization as chair of its Finance Committee and a member of its Executive Committee. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dr. Schlegel completed his residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, joining the faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine in 1991. He rose steadily through the ranks and became chairman of urology in 2004. His research focuses on genetic and hormonal abnormalities associated with male infertility, and he has developed new treatments for prostate cancer and for the most severe forms of infertility. He has received numerous awards for excellence in urology and currently serves as the vice president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Dr. Stewart received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completed residency training at Baylor College of Medicine and received his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston. As a member of the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine, he served as associate professor and director of residency education in the Department of Otolaryngology, chief of service at Ben Taub General Hospital and associate dean of clinical affairs before joining Weill Cornell in 2005. Dr. Stewart is the founder and medical director of the Center for the Performing Artist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, which is a multidisciplinary center caring for the musical needs of singers, musicians, dancers and other performers. Dr. Stewart's clinical practice is general otolaryngology, and he has particular interest in nose and sinus disease, sleep breathing disorders, and head and neck trauma. He is editor-in-chief of The Laryngoscope, and previously served as associate editor and on editorial boards of several other journals. He is a director and the current president of the American Board of Otolaryngology and immediate past chairman of the board’s Education Council. Dr. Stewart has received many awards and honors, including two Distinguished Service Awards and a Presidential Citation from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the Houston Distinguished Surgeon Award from the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses.