Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD
Overview
As a child, I spent a lot of time in doctor’s offices and emergency departments with symptoms of asthma, and I learned early on how important it is to trust your doctor. The physicians who cared for me during that time inspired me to become a pediatrician and to specialize in pulmonology.
While I have a special passion for treating children with asthma, I also have expertise in a variety of other pulmonary diseases, including lung conditions that affect premature newborn infants and chronic respiratory conditions that extend into adolescence. I believe that providing quality health care depends on a close collaboration between my patients, their families, and me. The relationships we form are one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
My focus on caring for children from disadvantaged backgrounds stems from my social pediatrics residency training. I completed my pediatric pulmonary fellowship training at Columbia and have been part of the pediatric pulmonary team here for more than ten years. I can attest to how committed our team is to providing the best care for children with pulmonary disease.
I also spend a significant portion of my time on childhood asthma research. Our research team is interested in understanding and addressing the environmental factors that contribute to childhood asthma, particularly in urban communities. We have received funding for our research from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a number of other organizations. We publish our work in scientific journals and present at international conferences—all with the goal of ensuring that children in our communities can breathe well and live active, healthy lives.
Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated
- Chronic Cough
- Chronic Lung Disease of Infancy
- Pediatric Asthma
- Pediatric Bronchoscopy
- Pediatric Pulmonary Diseases
- Restrictive Lung Diseases
Academic Appointments
- Associate Professorship (Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Environmental Sciences)
Administrative Titles
- Chief, Pediatric Pulmonology
Hospital Affiliations
- NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
Gender
- Female
Schedule an Appointment
Virtual Visits/Telehealth
Virtual Visits allow you to connect with your provider from the comfort, convenience, and safety of your own home.
Phone Appointments
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Location(s)
Insurance Accepted
Aetna
- Aetna Signature Administrators
- EPO
- HMO
- NYP Employee Plan
- NY Signature
- PPO
Affinity Health Plan
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
Amida Care
- Special Needs
Cigna
- EPO
- Great West (National)
- POS
- PPO
Emblem/GHI
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Emblem/HIP
- ConnectiCare
- EPO
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
- Select Care (Exchange)
- Vytra
Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- EPO
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
Fidelis Care
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
Healthfirst
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Leaf (Exchange)
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
Local 1199
- Local 1199
MagnaCare (National)
- MagnaCare
Medicare
- Railroad
- Traditional Medicare
Multiplan
- Multiplan
MVP Health Care
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
Oxford Health Plans
- Freedom
- Liberty
Quality Health Management
- Quality Health Management
UnitedHealthcare
- Compass (Exchange)
- Empire Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid (Community Plan)
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
VNSNY CHOICE
- Medicare Managed Care
- SelectHealth
- Special Needs
WellCare
- Medicare Managed Care
- New Jersey Services (Medicaid Managed Care)
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- MD, 2007 New York Medical College
- Residency: Albert Einstein Medical Center
- Fellowship: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center
- Fellowship: 2013 NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical C
Committees, Societies, Councils
2019 - Present, Health Data for New York City, Acedemic Investigator
2018 - Present, American Thoracic Society, Health Equity and Diversity Committee
2017 - 2018, American College of Chest Physicians, Diversity Task Force
2016 - Present, American Thoracic Society, Assembly on Pediatrics Program Committee
2015 - 2016, American College of Chest Physicians, Diversity Committee
2015 - Present, Pediatric Pulmonology Program Assessment Committee at Columbia University Medical Center
2014 - Present, American College of Chest Physicians, member
2012 - 2014, Academic Pediatric Association, member
2007 - 2010, American Academy of Pediatrics, member
2007 - Present, American Thoracic Society, member
Board Certifications
- Pediatrics
- Pediatric Pulmonology
Honors & Awards
2019 American Society for Clinical Investigation - Young Physician Scientist Award
2018 Early Career Investigator Award, Pediatric Research – Official Journal of the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Pediatric Society and the European Society for Paediatric Research
2016 Society for Pediatric Research, elected member
2012 Junior Investigator Award – Children’s Environmental Health Network Research Conference
2011 Comparative Effectiveness Research – Summer Training in Applications and Techniques Scholarship Award for the Columbia Summer Research Institute (CSRI)
2010 Chairman’s Award for Distinction in Research – Social Medicine at Montefiore
2007 Dr. Lester J. Schultz Memorial Scholarship Award – New York Medical College
Research
Research Interests
- Air pollution and Asthma
- Environmental epigenetics and asthma, allergy
- exercise
- Health disparities
- Health equity and the social determinants of health in urban populations
Selected Publications
Lovinsky-Desir S, Lawrence J, Jung KH, Rundle AG, Hoepner LA, Yan B, Perera F, Perzanowski MS, Miller RL, Chillrud SN. Air Pollution, Assessment of exposure to air pollution in children: Determining whether wearing a personal monitor affects physical activity. Environmental Research. 2018, 166:340-3.
Lovinsky-Desir S, Jung KH, Jezioro, JR, Torrone DZ, dePlanell-Saguer M, Yan B, Perera FP, Rundle AG, Perzanowski MS, Chillrud SN, Miller RL. Physical Activity, Black Carbon Exposure and DNA Methylation in the FOXP3 Promoter. Clinical Epigenetics. 2017, 9: 65.
Lovinsky-Desir S, Jung KH, Rundle AG, Hoepner L, Bautista J, Perera FP, Chillrud SN, Perzanowski MS, Miller RL. Physical Activity is Associated with Greater Black Carbon/Soot Exposure and Lower Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide in a Cohort of Adolescents Living in New York City. Environmental Research. 2016, 151: 756-62.
Lovinsky-Desir S, Miller RL, Bautista J, Gil EN, Chillrud SH, Yan B, Perera FP, Jung KH. Differences in ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations between streets and alleys in New York City: Open space vs semi-closed space. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2016, 13: 127.
Lovinsky-Desir S, Ridder R, Torrone D, Maher C, Narula S, Scheuerman M, Kattan M, DiMango E, Miller RL. DNA methylation of the allergy regulatory gene, interferon gamma, varies by age, sex, and tissue type in asthmatics. Clinical Epigenetics; 2014, 6(9).
Lovinsky-Desir S, Folch C, Jung KH, Torrone D, Gil E, Perera F, Miller RL, Chillrud SN. Urban adolescents readily comply with a complicated asthma research protocol. Clinical Medicine Insights: Circulatory, Respiratory and Pulmonary Medicine; 2014, Mar 23 (8):5-9.
Lovinsky-Desir S, Miller RL. Epigenetics, asthma and allergic diseases: A review of latest advancements. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports; 2012, Jun; 12(3):211-20.
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov
