LVHN’s Steven Lewis, MD, Elected Secretary-General of World Federation of Neurology

The chief of Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) neurology division was elected secretary-general of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) on October 25, 2022, becoming just the third American to hold the post since the WFN was formed in 1957.

Steven Lewis, MD, who also serves as Physician in Chief of Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute, had been serving in the WFN secretary-general post on an acting basis since January 2022 when he was appointed to fill a vacancy. Lewis was one of three global candidates for the elected secretary-general position.

As secretary-general, Lewis helps guide the field of neurology by working within the WFN to create curricula for educational programs, organize the biennial World Congress, and oversee the WFN charity and fiduciary responsibilities. Prior to his current role, Lewis served for six years as an elected trustee with the WFN.

The WFN represents 122 neurological member societies around the globe to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide by promoting neurological education and training with an emphasis on under-resourced areas of the world.

Lewis, who joined LVHN in 2017, said he was grateful to continue in the secretary-general role with WFN. “It’s a tremendous honor to be selected by colleagues from around the world who share the vision of improved neurological access and the highest quality of neurology and neurological health worldwide,” he said.

He said he looked forward to completing an initiative with WFN President Wolfgang Grisold of Austria to develop and distribute a practical global neurologic core curriculum addressing the minimal required knowledge, skills, training experiences and overall competencies of neurologists, among many other WFN global initiatives for neurologic education, training, and care.

Lewis’ involvement with the WFN has included key roles regarding neuroscience education and training worldwide. Some of his responsibilities include:

• Editor-in-Chief of Continuum, the official continuing medical education journal of the American Academy of Neurology; a joint initiative with the WFN provides print and online access to Continuum to neurologists from 49 neurological societies from low- and lower-middle income countries.
• Editor of World Neurology 
• WFN Education Committee Chairman
• Teaching Course Committee Chair of the World Congress of Neurology (WCN) in 2019 (Dubai) and 2021 (Rome)
• Congress Committee Chair for WCN 2023 (Montreal)

“Steve is a leader in his field, and we are grateful he’s also a leader here at LVHN, helping Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute flourish and continue its great work on behalf of the people of the communities we serve,” said Robert Murphy Jr., MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive, LVHN.