2026 Stockton Kimball Award Goes to Levy

By Keith Gillogly

An innovator in the field of neurovascular surgery and endovascular treatment of neurological diseases and conditions, Levy has fundamentally influenced the field of neurosurgery. He has pioneered surgical techniques that have been adopted across the world and helped establish Buffalo as a destination for top neurosurgical care.

Levy is chair of UBNS, the clinical practice plan associated with the Department of Neurosurgery, and is also professor of radiology at the Jacobs School.

“This award is a celebration of decades of relentless grit involving so many of us collaborating with multiple departments at UB,” Levy said. “The Stockton Kimball Award recognizes these efforts and inspires us to reach for our collective ‘next.’ We must take a moment to enjoy these past successes, so we may build upon them to push neuroscience into new frontiers.” 

He added that “this is a milestone moment that reflects decades of academic inquiry by our stroke research team at UB neurosurgery. Whether it was inspiration from mentors, or a team effort by department colleagues, we created a paradigm shift in stroke intervention together.” 

“Dr. Levy is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in neurosurgery whose career reflects extraordinary dedication to patient care, innovation, and academic excellence,” said Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School.

“The Stockton Kimball Award honors individuals whose careers exemplify excellence, leadership, and lasting impact. Dr. Levy embodies these ideals in every sense, and we are proud to recognize him with this well-deserved honor,” Brashear said.

Levy’s clinical and research focus on cerebrovascular disease, particularly aneurisms and stroke, has shaped modern neurosurgical practice and endovascular treatment, leading to improved outcomes for patients around the world. His work in neurosurgery has helped foster the establishment of thrombectomy — the removal of arterial clots — as a standard of care for stroke patients and advanced the use of stents for acute stroke. Additionally, Levy surgically implanted one of the first brain-computer interfaces in a patient with paralysis.

His clinical research interests include novel methods to restore blood flow inside blood vessels, treatment of acute stroke, drug-coated stents to prevent vessel narrowing, and using stents to stabilize blood vessels to prevent rupture. He also studies the molecular causes of blood vessel re-narrowing using stents. 

Levy has authored more than 800 peer-reviewed publications. Over the years, he has conducted National Institutes of Health-funded research on optimizing approaches to endovascular therapy of acute ischemic stroke, preventing recurrent stroke in intracranial stenosis, and using micro-radiographic techniques for neurovascular interventions, among other research.

Most recently, he and his colleagues successfully conducted a carotid artery stenting operation in an outpatient neurosurgery center, a global first demonstrating the procedure’s precision, speed, safety and viability outside of a hospital setting.

Levy was also a principal investigator on the recent COMMAND trial assessing a permanently implanted brain-computer interface allowing people with limited mobility to operate technology such as mobile devices and computers using only their thoughts.

Across the professions of neurosurgery and medicine, Levy has demonstrated enduring commitment to education, global outreach, and philanthropic initiatives. He currently serves as president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and as vice chair of the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

Levy has received many prestigious honors highlighting his neurosurgical acumen, contributions to medicine, and dedication to patient care and mentoring. His numerous awards include the Drake Lectureship Award, the Dacey Medal for Outstanding Cerebrovascular Research, and the Duke Samson Award for his groundbreaking work on the COMMAND trial. This year, Levy received the Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Award, the highest honor bestowed by his secondary school alma mater. 

Levy is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association. He is an elected member of the Society of Neurological Surgeons, neurosurgery’s oldest professional society, limited to 200 active members, and of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery.

Levy completed his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College, studying molecular biology and biochemistry. He earned his MD at George Washington University School of Medicine and completed a neurosurgical residency at the University of Pittsburgh. He received fellowship training in endovascular surgery at the Jacobs School and also earned an MBA at Northeastern University. 

Levy was honored May 19 during the Jacobs School’s Faculty and Staff Recognition Awards celebration at the Jacobs School. He will deliver the Stockton Kimball Lecture in 2027.

The award and lecture recognize an outstanding scholar and researcher who has also contributed significantly to the university, school and community. It is named in memory of Stockton Kimball, MD ’29, dean of the medical school from 1946 to 1958.