David C. Leven

David C. Leven was the Executive Director of End of Life Choices New York between 2002 and 2016. Since then he has been the Executive Director Emeritus and Senior Consultant. The organization seeks to ensure that patients have their health care wishes honored at the end of life and that they receive quality care, while not receiving unwanted care. An advocate for patients and an expert on advance care planning, patient rights, palliative care and end-of-life issues, including aid in dying, Mr. Leven has played a leadership role in having legislation introduced and enacted in New York to improve pain, palliative and end-of-life care. He initiated the Palliative Care Education and Training Act, the Palliative Care Information Act and several laws pertaining to health care proxies.

Mr. Leven lectures frequently to diverse professional groups, students and citizens and has been a regular guest lecturer at College of New Rochelle School of Nursing and Fordham Graduate School of Social Service. He has spoken at numerous medical centers and at conferences focusing on palliative and end-of-life care. Mr. Leven has lectured at every area law school and has debated on aid in dying at many of these schools as well as at Albany, Rutgers and Yale law schools, at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture and Mt. Sinai Medical School.

A graduate of the University of Rochester and Syracuse University College of Law, Mr. Leven is a recipient of numerous awards including the Westchester Civil Liberties Union, Civil Liberties Award and the Public Interest Law Award of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Public Interest Law. He is a past Distinguished Lawyer in Residence at Touro Law School.