Dr. Craig Levitz Named a “Top Doctor in New York Metro Area” Once Again

(SANEPR.com) April 15, 2009 -- Oceanside, NY, March 13, 2009 – The 2009 edition of the prestigious guide Top Doctors: New York Metro Area includes Craig Levitz, MD, South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics and Director of its Center for Advanced Orthopedics.

This is the second consecutive year that Dr. Levitz is included in the acclaimed guide, which spotlights the top 10 percent of primary specialty care physicians in the tri-state New York area. The physicians listed in the guide, published by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., specialize in more than 65 medical specialties and subspecialties for the care and treatment of more than 2,100 diseases and medical conditions. All doctors listed in Castle Connolly’s “top doctors” series of guides are selected after peer nomination, extensive research and careful review and screening.

“My inclusion in the guide is directly attributable to the team of physicians and healthcare professionals that I am part of,” said Dr. Levitz. “Our high standards are achieved by a steadfast commitment to excellence by South Nassau Communities Hospital; my colleagues and the operating room nurses and technicians; and the rehabilitation and physical therapists who oversee the recovery and rehabilitation of the patients.”

Dr. Levitz was one of the first doctors in the United States to earn board certification in Sports Medicine from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Under his direction, the Center for Advanced Orthopedics recently introduced the Long Island Joint Replacement and has been in the vanguard of the development and introduction of minimally-invasive orthopedic surgical techniques.

The Center for Advanced Orthopedics is one of the first of its kind in the Northeast to use arthroscopic technology and minor incisions to repair common, and sometimes even serious, knee or shoulder injuries, including ligament and cartilage tears in the knee and rotator cuff and labrum tears in the shoulder. The Joint Replacement Institute specializes in custom fitted total joint replacement as well as minimally invasive joint replacement surgery, including the Birmingham Hip resurfacing technique (a revolutionary alternative to total hip replacement) and the Uni-Knee partial knee replacement and Image-Guided Knee Replacement technique. Minimally invasive joint replacement surgery requires significantly smaller incisions than traditional surgical approaches. This reduces trauma to surrounding tissue, blood loss during surgery, and post-operative pain and leads to a speedier rehabilitation and return to daily activities.

Dr. Levitz has nearly 20 years experience in orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, and research and completed a fellowship with Dr. James R. Andrews, the internationally renowned and respected sports medicine surgeon. He joined the medical staff of South Nassau in February of 1999. In August of 2002, he was named Chief of Sports Medicine Service and assumed the role of Director of Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery in May 2004.

Dr. Levitz has served on the professional sports circuit as team physician for the New York/New Jersey Titans of the National Lacrosse League, physician for the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour, and spring training medical staff member for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Cincinnati Reds, among others. Presently, he is serves on the Major League Baseball Panel of Physicians.

Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery, Dr. Levitz has served on the scientific advisory boards of leading corporations such as Oratec Interventions and Smith and Nephew Orthopaedics. A frequent lecturer and published author, Dr. Levitz has shared his expertise in national forums and meetings and in such prestigious medical journals as the Journal of Arthroscopy, Clinical Orthopaedics, American Journal of Sports Medicine, American Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Levitz received his Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University, graduating Cum Laude with Academic Distinction in all subjects. He received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 875 physicians and 2,600 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute–care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center, boasts Long Island’s first Gamma Knifeâ and provides angioplasty in an emergency or as an elective procedure. South Nassau is designated as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.