DAVID ELKIN
David Elkin is not your typical second-year medical student at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. In addition to practicing medicine, he practices magic on his patients.
David has brought MagicAid, a program with the mission of relieving patients from some of their health worries by showing them and teaching them magic, to Stony Brook Children's Hospital, where he serves as the “resident magician” and performs for kids and their families every week.
Every Tuesday you can find David on the Pediatric floor, performing his magic and putting huge smiles on our Pediatric patients and their families. He takes the time to teach his magic to any child who wants to learn, and often gives them a magic trick to keep.
David started magic at a young age by hustling people at cards and Three-Card Monte. He made his lunch money manipulating card games on the school bus and during nutrition in middle school and early high school.
When he was 14, he auditioned for and was accepted to the Academy of Magical Arts Junior program, which has produced some of the greatest magicians of our time. David performed alongside many magicians who are well-known in the magic community, such as Criss Angel, Cyril Takayama and Steve Martin.
David performed for many private parties, fundraisers, and at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood for its many celebrities and guests. He was also a regular performer at events for the Somaly Mam Foundation, a charity dedicated to saving and rehabilitating women who were sold into slavery.
In high school, he founded MagicAid. He performed at the hospital every Friday night, ultimately for over 900 kids and adults. He was lucky enough to be featured on ABC Channel 7 News for his work with MagicAid.
At the ripe age of 20, David retired from performing magic and now teaches and consults. He has consulted for magicians' appearances on the stage as well as on TV shows, such as on the Jay Leno and Ellen Degeneres shows.
He also was invited by The Magic Castle’s president, Neil Patrick Harris, to join his committee at the castle to share his many ideas on how to improve The Magic Castle Clubhouse. He has been an active member on the committee since 2012 and leads teams in designing and implementing new features, gags, and illusions for the clubhouse.