Lisa R. Witkin, M.D., M.S.

Pain Medicine/Management

Locations and Appointments

Insurances Accepted

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Personal Statement

Dr. Lisa R. Witkin is a double-board certified physician, in anesthesiology and pain medicine, who specializes in interventional pain management.

Dr. Witkin is the Site Director of Pain Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital and currently sees patients at both the Division of Pain Management's Lower Manhattan office as well as the Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian at the Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine Care. She is also the Site Director at Weill Cornell for the Tri-Institutional Pain Medicine Fellowship, and was awarded NewYork-Presbyterian Teacher of the Year for 2014-2015.

Dr. Witkin has completed the Weill Cornell Medical College Mentored Clinical Research Training Program (2014-2015) and was selected as a Weill Cornell Healthcare Leadership Fellow in 2015. As part of the program, she has completed executive education coursework at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

In 2015, Dr. Witkin was selected by her peers as one of Super Doctors New York 'Rising Stars'-an honor roll of the top New York doctors in more than 30 specialties who have been fully licensed for 10 years or less. In addition, every year since 2019, Dr. Witkin was selected as Castle Connolly Regional Top Doctor, Top Doctors New York Metro Area and was included in their list of Exceptional Women in Medicine. 

Biographical Info

Originally from Pennsylvania, Dr. Witkin attended Penn State University’s Schreyer Honors College, where she earned a B.S. in engineering science, magna cum laude, with honors in bioengineering. She earned her M.D. at Johns Hopkins University and then completed a general surgery internship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Following her internship, Dr. Witkin completed an anesthesiology residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She then completed a pain management fellowship at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Tri-Institutional Fellowship Program (Weill Cornell Medical College, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center).

Committed to patient care, Dr. Witkin's clinical interests encompass a wide range of pain conditions. Some of her specialties include acute and chronic post-surgical pain, neck and spine disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, cancer-related pain, neuropathic pain, and chronic regional pain syndrome. Her treatment goal is to utilize a multi-modal approach which is customized to each patient. This approach alleviates a patient's pain and suffering in order to improve physical and mental functioning as well as overall quality of life. This may include initiating and optimizing medications, physical and occupational therapy, behavioral medicine techniques, and minimally-invasive fluoroscopic and ultrasound-guided interventional therapies. More advanced interventions including spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal pump therapy may also be offered when indicated.

Dr. Witkin practices evidence-based medicine and uses a multidisciplinary approach in collaboration with Neurosurgery, Neurology, Orthopedic Surgery, Psychiatry, Rehabilitative Medicine, and complimentary and alternative medical specialists. Active not only in patient care but also in research, she has numerous publications and presentations to her credit. She is also an active member of many national anesthesia and pain organizations including: Eastern Pain Association (EPA), American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA), New York State Society of Anesthesiologists (NYSSA), American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA), North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), and New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (NYSIPP).

Honors and Awards
  • Castle Connolly Regional Top Doctor since 2019
  • Top Doctors New York Metro Area: since 2019
  • Exceptional Women In Medicine: since 2019
  • Certificate: "Leadership Strategies for Evolving Health Care Executives", The Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, 2015     
  • NewYork-Presbyterian Teacher of the Year, 2014-2015, Tri-Institutional Pain Medicine Fellowship
  • Weill Cornell Medical College Healthcare Leadership Fellow, 2015-2016
  • Super Doctors New York Rising Stars list, 2015
  • Mentored Clinical Research Training Program Recipient, July 2014
  • Scholarship recipient to attend the “Fundamentals of Pain Management: Principals and Practice” course and the 31st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, May 2012.
  • 2nd Place Award: Pennsylvania Anesthesiology Resident Research Conference, 2011 Annual Meeting, for Witkin, Lisa R, Patel, Rishin A, Slevin, Kieran A. “Left Stellate Ganglion Blockade for the Management of Drug Resistant Electrical Storm.”
  • Dean’s List Honor (2000-2004)
  • Howard J. Waltemeyer, Sr. Scholarship-College of Engineering (2002-2004)
  • Morrow Scholarship-College of Engineering (2001-2004)
  • Petrick Engineering Scholarship (2000-2004)
  • Academic Excellence Scholarship (2000-2004)
  • Member of Phi Gamma Phi Honor Society -top 5% (Spring 2002-2004)
  • Golden Key International Honour Society (Fall 2001- 2004)
  • National Society of Collegiate Scholars (Spring 2001-2004)
  • Gamma Sigma Alpha Honors Society (Spring 2001-2004)
Board Certifications
American Board of Anesthesiology
American Board of Anesthesiology (Pain Medicine)
Clinical Expertise
Pain Following Surgery or Procedure
Acute Pain Management
Cancer Pain Management
Chronic Pain Management
Chronic Pain Management In Elderly Patients
Neck and Back Pain
Non-Surgical Approach to Back Pain
Minimally Invasive Procedures For Back/Neck Pain
Back Pain
Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
Joint Pain
Knee Pain
Low Back and Neck Pain
Muscle Pain
Myofascial Pain
Nerve Ablation for Chronic Pain
Nerve Pain Due to Spinal Stenosis
Neuropathic Pain
Kyphosis
Kyphosis Deformity of Spine
Scoliosis
Scoliosis Deformity of Spine
Neck Pain
Spine Tumors
Spine Deformity
Non-Surgical Spine Treatments
Spine
Spine Pain
Languages
English
Education 
  • M.S.
    Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University
    2023
  • M.D.
    The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    2008
  • B.S.
    Pennsylvania State University
    2004
Appointments 
  • Associate Attending Anesthesiologist
    NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
  • Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology
    Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University
Videos

Comprehensive Pain Management: Personalized Care for Better Quality of Life | Dr. Lisa Witkin

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No External Relationships Reported