David Leven to be Honored at Upcoming Event with Assemblymember Amy Paulin
Assemblymember Amy Paulin, who represents Pelham, will speak at a fundraising event hosted by End of Life Choices New York, where David Leven, a 44-year resident of Pelham, will be honored. The event will be in Hartsdale on Wednesday, June 19 from 6 to 8 pm. If interested in attending, RSVP to admin@eolcny.org by June 12.
David Leven was the Executive Director of End of Life Choices New York, an organization that seeks to improve end of life care and expand choices at the end of life, for 14 years. He has been Executive Director Emeritus and Senior Consultant since 2016. Leven is an advocate for patients, seeking to improve care and expand choice for the dying. An expert on advance care planning, patient rights, palliative care, and end-of-life issues, including medical aid in dying, Leven has played a leadership role in having legislation enacted in New York to improve pain management, palliative and end-of-life care. He initiated the Palliative Care Education and Training Act, the Palliative Care Information Act and laws pertaining to health care proxies and required continuing medical education for doctors on pain, palliative care, and the end of life. Additionally, he asked Assemblymember Amy Paulin if she would sponsor the Medical Aid in Dying Act. She is the lead sponsor of the bill, A. 995
Leven has given hundreds of lectures to diverse professional groups, citizens, seniors and students on health care decision making and end-of-life issues. He has spoken at numerous medical centers, over a dozen law schools and at NYS Bar Association, New York City Bar Association and Westchester Women’s Bar Association conferences or meetings.
In Westchester County, Leven has educated hundreds of citizens, seniors, including Pelham Seniors, health care professionals and students at dozens of senior centers, libraries, medical centers, colleges and universities, retirement communities and houses of worship. He was a regular guest lecturer at the College of New Rochelle Nursing School and is now a periodic guest lecturer at Purchase College. He was on the board of the Westchester End of Life Coalition and a member of the Collaborative for Palliative Care.
Leven has had numerous articles published on various end of life issues. He has also had many letters to the editor and op-eds published, mostly focusing on medical aid in dying, in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and upstate newspapers. He has appeared on Fox Cable TV, CBS TV, Channel 2 Local News, Regional News Network TV, WABC, Aljazeera, Fox Radio, CBS AM radio, BBC, WNYC, WVOX, WFAS and WLIB among others. He was a periodic guest on the WBAI Health Styles program.
A graduate of the University of Rochester and Syracuse University College of Law, he is a recipient of various awards. These include the Public Interest Law Award of the New York State Bar Association Public Interest Committee and the Westchester Civil Liberties Union, Civil Liberties Award. He is a past Distinguished Lawyer in Residence at Touro Law School.
Leven lives with his wife, Marianne Artusio, who grew up in Pelham, and their dog Elsie. Their children Carolyn and Carson went to Pelham schools.