Steven Lowenstein,

MD, MPH

Professor of Surgery, Medicine and Preventive Medicine/Biometrics


Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, University of Colorado School of Medicine


Former Chief Medical Officer, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

(1997-1998)

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Steven Lowenstein practices and teaches emergency medicine.  He is Associate Head of the Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.  He is also Professor of Surgery, Medicine and Preventive Medicine/Biometrics and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.  Dr. Lowenstein received his M.D. degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and his Master of Public Health Degree from Boston University.


Dr. Lowenstein was founder of the Colorado Emergency Medicine Research Center at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.  His research interests include injury control, public health and clinical preventive health services in emergency departments.  Dr. Lowenstein has published numerous injury prevention studies, focusing on traffic safety, alcohol-impaired driving and domestic violence.  His research has also focused on legislative decision-making and on the application of injury control science, epidemiology and biostatistics to public policy.  He has also led studies of behavioral risk factor surveillance, smoking habits among emergency department patients, poisonings, over-prescribing of antibiotics and other public health topics. 


Dr. Lowenstein has received numerous awards and honors, including the Robert C. Jorden Master Teacher Award (in 1987 and 1996), the John Marx Emergency Medicine Clinical Excellence Award (in 2000 and 2004) and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Diversity Award (in 2004).  In the August, 2000 survey of 1,500 physicians conducted by 5280 Magazine, Dr. Lowenstein was named as one of the Denver-area’s “Top Doctors,” the first time this honor was bestowed on a specialist in emergency medicine.  He was awarded this honor again in August, 2001.  Dr. Lowenstein also devotes a substantial portion of his time to medical student and resident education.  In 1995 and 2003 he was co-director of the graduate school course, “Injury Epidemiology and Control.”  He has served as research mentor to more than 65 medical students, residents, fellows and graduate students.  In 2006 Dr. Lowenstein received the Outstanding Research Mentor Award by the Clinical Sciences Program of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center.


Dr. Lowenstein is active in national and state injury control and public health efforts.  He has served on numerous task forces and committees for the Colorado Departments of Transportation and Public Health and Environment and is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Prevention Center.  In 1995 he was appointed by Governor Roy Romer to serve on the Medicaid Legislative Reform Committee, and in 1998 he was appointed Chair of the Governor’s Suicide Prevention Advisory Commission.  Dr. Lowenstein received the 1995 Public Service Award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  In 1997 he was appointed by the Governor to serve as Colorado’s first Chief Medical Officer.   


Education:

               

                Brown University, Providence, RI; AB; 1972; Biology

                Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY; MD; 1976; Medicine

                University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO; Residency;        

                1977-1979; Internal Medicine

                Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA; MPH; 1985;

                Epidemiology, Statistics                    


Research Interests and Areas of Expertise:


                Injury epidemiology and control

                Health policy

                Public health and prevention in emergency medical practice

                Biostatistics and critical appraisal of the medical literature



Selected Publications:


Lowenstein SR, Weissberg MP, Terry D.  Alcohol intoxication, injuries and dangerous behaviors - and the revolving emergency department door.  J Trauma.  1990;30:1252-1258.


Hunt D, Lowenstein SR, Badgett RG, et al.  Detection of injury-prone behaviors.  J Gen Intern Med.  1992;7:573-582.


Lowenstein SR, Koziol-McLain J, Satterfield G, Orleans M.  Facts versus values:  why legislators vote against injury control laws.  J Trauma.  1993;35:786-792.


Bernstein E, Goldfrank L, Kellerman A, Hargarten S, Jui J, Fish S, Herbert B, Flores C, Caravati M, Krishel S, Stevens C, Kirsch T, Lowe R, Lowenstein SR, et al.  A public health approach to emergency medicine.  Preparing for the twenty-first century.  Acad Emerg Med.  1994;1:277-286.


Lowenstein SR, Tomlinson D, Koziol-McLain J, Prochazka A.  Smoking habits of emergency department patients:  An opportunity for disease prevention.  Acad Emerg Med.  1995;2:165-171.


Abbott J, Johnson R, Koziol-McLain J, Lowenstein SR.  Domestic violence against women: Incidence and prevalence in an emergency department population.  JAMA.  1995;273:1763-1767.


Gilbert EH, Lowenstein SR, Koziol-McLain J, Barta DC, Steiner J.  Chart reviews in emergency medicine:  Where are the methods?  Ann Emerg Med.  1996;27:305-308.


Davidson P, Koziol-McLain J, Harrison L, Timken D, Lowenstein SR.  Intoxicated emergency department patients: A five-year follow-up of morbidity and mortality.  Ann Emerg Med.1997;30:593-7.


Lowenstein SR, Koziol-McLain J, Glazner J.  The Colorado motorcycle safety survey: Public attitudes and beliefs.  J Trauma. 1997; 42:1124-1127.


Dart RC, Stark Y, Fulton B, Koziol-McLain J, Lowenstein SR.  Insufficient stocking of poisoning antidotes in hospital pharmacies.  JAMA.  1996;276:1508-1510.


Feldhaus KM, Koziol-McLain J, Amsbury HL, Norton IM, Lowenstein SR, Abbott JT.  Accuracy of 3 brief screening questions for detecting partner violence in the emergency department.  JAMA. 1997;277:1357-1361.


Lowenstein SR, Koziol-McLain J, Thompson M et al. Behavioral Risk Factors in Emergency Department Patients: A Multi-Site Survey.  Acad Emerg Med.  1998; 5:781-787.


Stone SS, Gonzales R, Maselli J, Lowenstein SR.  Antibiotic prescribing for patients with colds, upper respiratory infections and bronchitis: A national study of hospital-based emergency departments. Ann Emerg Med. 2000;36:320-327.


Harper JS, Marine WM, Garrett CJ, Lowenstein SR.  Motor vehicle crash fatalities: A comparison of Hispanic and non-Hispanic motorists in Colorado.  Ann Emerg Med. 2000;36:589-596.


Lowenstein SR, Koziol-McLain J.  Drugs and traffic crash responsibility: A study of injured motorists in Colorado. J Trauma. 2001;50:313-320.


Koziol-McLain J, Coates CJ, Lowenstein SR. Predictive validity of a screen for partner violence against women. Am J Prev Med. 2001;21:93-100.


DiMatteo LA, Lowenstein SR, Brimhall B, Requam W, Gonzales R. The relationship between the clinical features of pharyngitis and the sensitivity of a rapid antigen test: Evidence of spectrum bias. Ann Emerg Med.  2001;38:648-652.


Houry D, Feldhaus K, Peery B, Abbott J, Lowenstein SR, Smith S, Levine S.  A positive domestic violence screen predicts future domestic violence.  J  Interpersonal Violence. 2004; 19:955-66.


Gonzales M, Dickinson LM, DiGuiseppi C, Lowenstein SR.  Student drivers:  A study of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving 16 year-old drivers.  Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2005;45:140-146.


Lowenstein SR.  Medical record reviews in emergency medicine: The blessing and the curse. Ann Emerg Med. 2005. 45:452-455.