White Plains Doctor Praised by Patients and Co-Workers

The best thing about being a doctor for Steven Meixler is getting to know, and growing up with his patients.

“This is my life’s work,” said the White Plains resident.  “Being there and being a part of going through the life process with these peoples, it’s not just my job, it’s my thing, my mission. It’s what my life is about—being a part of their lives, being their to guide them and being there for them when they’re sick.”

Meixler says learning about their lives and sharing about his own, while helping people through physically and emotionally difficult times, is what makes the long hours and extra effort worth the while.

“Dr. Steven Meixler is recognized as one of the hardest working men at WESTMED,” said Dr. Jenifer Johnson, a WESTMED family medicine/urgent care physician, during her speech honoring Meixler 

His colleagues say that Meixler is caring, funny, engaging and an “all around great guy”—in other words, they think he’s a real mensch (a person of honor and integrity).

Though Meixler, a internist and pulmonologist who has been practicing since 1990, cares for some of the most ill patients, his co-workers say he does it with a positive attitude—even while working long days and running back and forth to the hospital to check on patients or return their calls.

“They [Meixler's co-workers] notice that his patients always seem to leave the office happy—and often with a hug,” said Johnson. “He takes the time to explain their treatments in detail, and often personally calls to arrange follow-up care and testing with the patient still in the office. He is noted to treat his staff in a kind and respectful manner, and has earned the respect of the greater White Plains medical community.”

Meixler—who with his wife Barbara lives in the Highlands neighborhood and has two sons and a daughter—and Rye orthopedist Dr. Edward Gundy were recently awarded WESTMED’s Dr. Leonard Finkelstein Patient First Award for 2011 for outstanding compassionate and self-less patient care.

“Even though I didn’t know Dr. Finkelstein, that award came his family, his wife from his sons, and that clearly met a lot to them to have him acknowledged every year in the group. “He was well regarded—and for me when his son gave myself and Ted Gundy that award, you could tell it meant a lot to him and that he missed his father. That meant a lot to me, seeing the connection to his family and his loved one—he was an esteemed physician, to be connected to him in an honor.”

Meixler patients say he is more than deserving of this award.

“We have travelled a rocky road together to master some of the complicated medical problems that have beset me,” said Lynn Lipton, a patient of Meixler’s who lives in New Rochelle. “Today all these conditions are manageable due to the intuitive feel that Dr. Meixler has for solving a problem even when he doesn’t always have the exact answer. He is truthful and engages the patient to take responsibility for joining in that partnership with seriousness of purpose and an injection of humor.”

Lipton, who has known Meixler for 8 years, said that he is responsible for saving her life by making the correct decisions during times of crisis.

“It’s not unusual for a person to admire another for dedication to their chosen path,” said Nancy Block, a patient from Pleasantville. 

“In my case, this admiration developed slowly over time as Dr. Meixler continued to unravel the mystery of my rare and fatal lung disease. His outstanding efforts on my behalf have resulted in my being alive today—and with a whole new set of lungs. His compassion, caring, and delightful sense of humor inspires me to keep going. His practice as a doctor sets a high standard for pulmonary care.”

While the science is engaging for Meixler—who is affiliated with White Plains Hospital, where he served as Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Greenwich Hospital—he says that working with people is the fun part.

“This kind of work is very social, that’s what’s the most fun about it,” said Meixler.  “The science is interesting the way medicine has evolved over time. Incorporating all of that science into the way you take care of patients and people on a day-to-day basis and dealing with personalities and what they bring to the table makes each day completely different and filled with all of the things life has with it—laughter, joy and sadness. These things are all a part of people’s lives, and I’m Ok with that and being a part of it. It’s a good thing.”

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