Tenured professor Joel Lavine sentenced to one year of conditional discharge after sexual abuse conviction

Upper West Side NY

18 February, 2022

3:38 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY IRIE SENTNER FEBRUARY 18, 2022, 10:57 AM Share Editor's Note: This article deals with topics of sexual abuse. Joel Lavine, a tenured professor at Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and a pediatric gastroenterologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, has been sentenced to one year of conditional discharge. He will be required to attend weekly therapy for three months and submit his DNA to national and state criminal databases. Lavine was convicted in December 2021 of two counts of sexual abuse in the third degree. On Sept. 16, 2019, Lavine was arrested on a charge of sexual abuse that occurred the previous January. The survivor, who wishes to remain anonymous due to the nature of the case, is an adult former patient who knew Lavine as a "mentor" and family friend. The maximum jail sentence for the misdemeanor for which Lavine was convicted is 90 days, which the survivor did not request. She requested instead that Lavine never practice medicine again and receive counseling. She also received a two-year protection order against Lavine, the maximum order that could be authorized given his convictions. Prior to his arrest, Lavine reportedly had a history of predatory and retaliatory behavior toward female coworkers. [Read more: Joel Lavine, tenured professor convicted of two counts of sexual abuse, had predatory history at Columbia] "It certainly has diminished faith in the systems I once believed were there to protect people, such as the criminal justice system, medical systems … and academic systems, especially Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian," the survivor said during the sentencing. According to Assistant District Attorney Mimi Mairs, the University did not learn of Lavine's indictment until the District Attorney's office subpoenaed the University and hospital for Lavine's personal file. "The defendant chose to conceal from his employers that he had been indicted on sex crimes involving a former patient," Mairs said. The University is currently evaluating Lavine's tenure status. A University spokesperson previously told Spectator that the University has "begun the process to dismiss him," but declined to comment on whether Lavine is still receiving financial compensation or living in University-owned housing. On court documents obtained by Spectator, Lavine's listed address is a unit in a building in which the University owns several apartments. "Joel Lavine has had no role at Columbia for more than two years, and we have been clear that he will not return. We immediately suspended him from clinical and research activities when we learned about his arrest in December 2019 and are taking action to end his tenure and sever all ties. The abhorrent conduct that the victim experienced and spoke about today in court goes against everything we believe in at Columbia. We are committed to working with the relevant oversight authorities to ensure that Lavine never practices medicine again," a University spokesperson wrote in a statement to Spectator. Lavine maintains his innocence and plans to appeal the decision. "The consequences of these allegations have been devastating for Dr. Lavine," Glenn Garber, Lavine's attorney, said during the sentencing, citing Lavine's "talent" in the medical field. When asked by the judge if he had any further comment, Lavine said he has "nothing more to say." News Editor Irie Sentner can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @iriesentner. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.