Joseph Levitt, MD, MS

Associate Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine)

Bio

Dr. Joseph Levitt specializes in the treatment of adult pulmonary diseases including COPD, asthma, bronchiectasis, chronic cough, sarcoidosis, and pulmonary infections. He has practiced pulmonary medicine for more than 10 years. In addition to outpatient pulmonary medicine, Dr. Levitt is a critical care intensivist with a specific research interest in the clinical management of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

Clinical Focus

Pulmonary Critical Care

Academic Appointments

Associate Professor - University Medical Line, Medicine - Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine

Administrative Appointments

Program Director, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Stanford University Department of Medicine (2015 - Present)

Professional Education

Residency: University of Chicago Hospitals Internal Medicine Residency (2001) IL
Medical Education: University of Minnesota School of Medicine (1998) MN
Fellowship: Stanford University Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship (2005) CA
Fellowship: University of Chicago Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship (2004) IL
Internship: University of Arizona Internal Medicine Residency (1999) AZ
Residency: John H Stroger Jr Hospital of Cook County Internal Medicine Residency (2002) IL
M.D., University of Minnesota (1998)

Contact

Academic jlevitt@stanford.edu

Alternate Contact Ashvinder Khanna Coordinator Div. Pulmonary and Critical Care aashi@stanford.edu Tel: 650 723-6381

Clinical (Primary)

This is the primary clinic for this clinical provider. For additional clinical locations and information, please visit the link(s) listed below in the 'Additional Clinical Info' section.

Chest Clinic 300 Pasteur Dr Rm A157 MC 5351 Stanford CA 94305 Tel: (650) 725-7061 Fax: (650) 498-6288

Additional Clinical Info

Stanford Health Care

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

My research focuses on the physiolgogic and biomarker characteristics of early acute lung injury (ALI) prior to need for mechanical ventilation. While, to date no pharmacologic treatment has improved survival in ALI, following the paradigm of early goal directed therapy for severe sepsis, clinical benefit may derive from identifying patients and initiating treatment prior to the need for positive pressure ventilation (and therefore prior to meeting current study entry criteria).

Clinical Trials

Aspiration in Acute Respiratory Failure Survivors 2 Not Recruiting
More
The purpose of this study is to learn more about problems with swallowing that could develop in patients who are very sick and need a machine to help them breathe.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact Joseph Levitt, MD, MS, .
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
I-SPY COVID-19 TRIAL: An Adaptive Platform Trial for Critically Ill Patients Recruiting
More
The goal of this project is to rapidly screen promising agents, in the setting of an adaptive platform trial, for treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients. In this phase 2 platform design, agents will be identified with a signal suggesting a big impact on reducing mortality and the need for, as well as duration, of mechanical ventilation.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
Novel Experimental COVID-19 Therapies Affecting Host Response Recruiting
More
The overarching goal of the Master Protocol is to find effective strategies for inpatient management of patients with COVID-19. Therapeutic goals for patients hospitalized for COVID-19 include hastening recovery and preventing progression to critical illness, multiorgan failure, or death. Our objective is to determine whether modulating the host tissue response improves clinical outcomes among patients with COVID-19.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
COVID-19 Outpatient Pragmatic Platform Study (COPPS) - Acebilustat Sub-Protocol Not Recruiting
More
The overall objective of this study is to efficiently evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of different investigational therapeutics among adults who have COVID-19 but are not yet sick enough to require hospitalization. The overall hypothesis is that through an adaptive trial design, potential effective therapies (single and combination) may be identified for this group of patients. COVID-19 Outpatient Pragmatic Platform Study (COPPS) is a pragmatic platform protocol designed to evaluate COVID-19 treatments by assessing their ability to reduce viral shedding (Viral Domain) or improve clinical outcomes (Clinical Domain). To be included into the platform, every investigational product will collect data for both Domain primary endpoints. Individual treatments to be evaluated in the platform will be described in separate sub-protocols.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact Study Team, 650-721-9316.

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
View full details
COVID-19 Outpatient Pragmatic Platform Study (COPPS) - Master Protocol Not Recruiting
More
The overall objective of this study is to efficiently evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of different investigational therapeutics among adults who have COVID-19 but are not yet sick enough to require hospitalization. The overall hypothesis is that through an adaptive trial design, potential effective therapies (single and combination) may be identified for this group of patients. COVID-19 Outpatient Pragmatic Platform Study (COPPS) is a pragmatic platform protocol designed to evaluate COVID-19 treatments by assessing their ability to reduce viral shedding (Viral Domain) or improve clinical outcomes (Clinical Domain). To be included into the platform, every investigational product will collect data for both Domain primary endpoints. Individual treatments to be evaluated in the platform will be described in separate sub-protocols.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact Study Team, 650-721-9316.

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
View full details
Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines 4 ACUTE Recruiting
More
This is a randomized, open label, adaptive platform trial to compare the effectiveness of antithrombotic and additional strategies for prevention of adverse outcomes in COVID-19 positive inpatients
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Nidhi Rohatgi, MD MS
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
ARrest RESpiraTory Failure From PNEUMONIA Recruiting
More
This research study seeks to establish the effectiveness of a combination of an inhaled corticosteroid and a beta agonist compared to placebo for the prevention of acute respiratory failure (ARF) in hospitalized patients with pneumonia and hypoxemia.

Lead Sponsor
- Stanford University
Stanford Investigators
View full details
LIPS-A: Lung Injury Prevention Study With Aspirin Recruiting
More
The primary hypothesis was that early aspirin administration will decrease the rate of developing acute lung injury during the first 7 days after presentation to the hospital.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
LIPS-B: Lung Injury Prevention Study With Budesonide and Beta Recruiting
More
This study tested whether inhaled budesonide and formoterol were able to alleviate or prevent pulmonary injury when administered early in hospital course to the patients at risk for developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The FDA has approved many uses for budesonide and formoterol, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the use of these two drugs is experimental for ARDS.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells For Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (START) Recruiting
More
This was a Phase 2a, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a single dose of Allogeneic Bone Marrow-derived Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (hMSCs) infusion in patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
EPVent 2- A Phase II Study of Mechanical Ventilation Directed by Transpulmonary Pressures Recruiting
More
This phase II multi-centered, randomized controlled trial of mechanical ventilation directed by esophageal pressure measurement will test the primary hypothesis that using a strategy of maintaining a minimal but positive transpulmonary pressure (Ptp = airway pressure minus pleural pressure) throughout the ventilatory cycle will lead to an improvement in patient survival.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
Reevaluation Of Systemic Early Neuromuscular Blockade Not Recruiting
More
This study evaluates whether giving a neuromuscular blocker (skeletal muscle relaxant) to a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome will improve survival. Half of the patients will receive a neuromuscular blocker for two days and in the other half the use of neuromuscular blockers will be discouraged.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact SPECTRUM, 6507236576.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
- Matthew Strehlow
View full details
Statins for Acutely Injured Lungs From Sepsis Recruiting
More
Objective: assess the efficacy and safety of oral rosuvastatin in patients with sepsis-induced Acute Lung Injury (ALI). Hypothesis: Rosuvastatin therapy will improve mortality in patients with sepsis-induced ALI.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells For Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Recruiting
More
This is a Phase 1, open label, dose escalation, multi-center clinical trial of Allogeneic Bone Marrow-Derived Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs) for the treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The purpose of this study is to assess the safety of hMSCs in patients with ARDS.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
- Joseph Levitt, MD, MS
View full details
ACTIV-3: Therapeutics for Inpatients With COVID-19 Not Recruiting
More
This study looks at the safety and effectiveness of different drugs in treating COVID-19 in people who have been hospitalized with the infection. Participants in the study will be treated with either a study drug plus current standard of care (SOC), or with placebo plus current SOC.

Stanford is currently not accepting patients for this trial. For more information, please contact SPECTRUM, 6507245282.
Lead Sponsor
Stanford Investigators
View full details

2023-24 Courses

Independent Studies
- Directed Reading in Medicine
  MED 299 (Aut, Win, Spr)
- Graduate Research
  MED 399 (Aut, Win)

Graduate and Fellowship Programs

Medicine (Masters Program)

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