Dean Straff, MD

Dr. Dean J. Straff is the Director of Emergency Medicine at White Plains Hospital. He also leads the ED Observation Unit and the WPH Armonk Urgent Care. Dr. Straff previously served as the Hospital’s Associate Director of Emergency Medicine; prior to that he was the Hospital’s Assistant Director of Education and Simulation. His areas of focus include ED clinical operations, patient satisfaction, data analytics, efficiency, and quality improvement. He was recently awarded Westchester Magazine’s 2025 Healthcare Heroes award. Dr. Straff’s extensive professional development includes a 15-month Clinical Quality Fellowship with the Greater New York Hospital Association/United Hospital Fund and a training program with the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Emergency Department Directors Academy. Before joining White Plains Hospital, Dr. Straff was an Emergency Medicine Attending Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell, where he also served as the Medical Director of the Emergency Physician Assistant Program. Dr. Straff completed his undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania and received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and at the University Hospitals of Columbia and Cornell, where he served as Chief Resident and received the Distinguished Housestaff Award for all-around excellence.