Dr. Stephen J. Peterson is Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology and Clinical Public Health as well as Executive Vice Chairman for the Department of Medicine at New York Medical College. He is also Director of the Internal Medicine Section at Westchester Medical Center.

Dr. Peterson received his B.S. degree from Fairfield University in 1975. He first came to New York Medical College in 1982 to do his residency training in Internal Medicine after completion of medical school in the Philippines. After three years of residency in Internal Medicine, he was selected as the Administrative Chief Medical Resident from 1985-1986. Upon completion of his Chief Residency, he remained on the full-time teaching staff at Metropolitan Hospital Center, an affiliated university hospital of New York Medical College as the Associate Program Director. Two and a half years later he was promoted to Program Director at another of their university affiliated hospitals, Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx. In that capacity, he also served as Deputy Director of the Department of Medicine and Chief of the Section of General Internal Medicine.

Dr. Peterson first came to Westchester Medical Center in November of 1994. He was the fourth general internist in a very small division that has now expanded to 20 full-time physicians and one part-time physician. He served as the Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program from 1994 to 2007 where he achieved two five year accreditations without citations. In addition to this, his residency program was recognized with Phase I acceptance into the EIP Program (Educational Innovations Program). He is honored to return as the Program Director on July 1, 2009.

Dr. Peterson has been on the faculty at New York Medical College since 1986 and he has received teaching awards from both the Student Senate of New York Medical College as well as his residency program every year that he has been on the faculty. He was also elected to the Robert Goldstein Society of Teachers for a Decade of Excellence in Teaching. He is known as a strong supporter of the students and residents. He was elected to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 1997 by the medical students. He is one of the most honored and respected teachers on the faculty. He is highly regarded for his vast knowledge of internal medicine and his unique ability to teach the subject in an exciting fashion.

He remains active in clinical practice and is regarded as a “physicians physician”, being sought out by the faculty and administrative staff for the care of themselves and their own families. He has been included in the Castle Connelly Guide for Top Doctors since his arrival on the Westchester campus. He is a member of multiple medical societies, including the American College of Physicians (ACP), the Association of Professors of Medicine (APM), the Association of Program Directors of Internal Medicine (APDIM), Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (AOA), the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM), the Association of Chiefs of General Internal Medicine (ACGIM) and the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM). He is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and a Master of the American College of Physicians. He remains active in both clinical and basic science research on a variety of topics that have yielded over 150 publications. For his community, he has provided medical services to both police and fire fighters.

Dr. Peterson was Governor of the Hudson Valley Region from 2004 to 2008. During this time, this region won four Chapter Excellence Awards and four Evergreen Awards. He served as Vice-Chair of the National Membership Committee and was a member of the Chapters Sub-committee. He also served as Parliamentarian for the Board of Governors. He still fervently believes that ACP is the best medical organization an internist could join.