Edward Lewinski-Corwin

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Edward Henry Lewinski-Corwin (October 13, 1885 – May 8, 1953) was a Polish-born author, physician, and public health leader who worked in New York City and New York State.

Lewinski-Corwin was born in Poland and studied in Warsaw, earning the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in 1902 and studying at the University of Warsaw from 1903 to 1904. He earned a PhD from Columbia University in economic, social, and biological sciences in 1910; his thesis, Workman’s Insurance in Belgium, was published in 1911 by the U.S. Department of Labor.

In May 1911 he became executive secretary of the New York Academy of Medicine’s Committee on Public Health Relations and changed his name to Edward Lewinski-Corwin. In 1912 he organized the Association of Outpatient Clinics to help establish medical standards for dispensaries, and he conducted the first comprehensive survey of dispensaries in 1917–1918.

He also authored The Political History of Poland, which received positive reviews for filling an important gap in English-language Polish history, though some critics noted flaws in his views on Ruthenia and Lithuanian influence.

In 1924 he published The Hospital Situation in Greater New York, helping lead the United Hospital Fund to form what would become the Hospital Council of Greater New York. He started a bureau to improve convalescent care and directed a study of convalescent needs in New York City to set standards for convalescent homes. He taught a two-year course in institutional management at New York University.

From 1928 to 1929 he organized the International Hospital Federation, serving as its general secretary and treasurer. He was named honorary charter fellow of the American College of Healthcare Administrators in 1934. He also served as associate professor of public health practice at Columbia University and received Polish honors, including the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Cross of Independence.

Lewinski-Corwin died on May 8, 1953 after a six-week illness at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City. The New York Times called him an internationally known authority on public health.