After more than two decades of outstanding leadership, Arthur S. Levine, MD, will step down later this year as the University’s senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine. It has truly been A Job Well Done.
Since learning of the news, many of Dr. Levine’s colleagues, past and present, have conveyed heartfelt, appreciative accolades. If you wish to add your comments and reflections to the list below, please do! (Your entry will be posted soon.)
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Comments
It goes without saying that Arthur S. Levine, MD, has far exceeded the expectations for achieving research rankings in the very highest national tier set at the time of his recruitment. He has been able to attract exceptional academics, foster the career development of existing faculty, establish new basic science departments, develop a pipeline of talented new investigators, and leverage relationships with national and international colleagues to create a talent pool and infrastructure that uniquely position the University of Pittsburgh to be on the forefront of biomedical advances and their translation into clinical practice.
Beyond these tremendous accomplishments, I am most grateful for Dr. Levine’s support and advocacy of my own career. In 1994, I was recruited to Pitt with a very unusual background for my role as assistant dean in the School of Medicine, having been a primary care physician and hospital administrator.
Despite his strong interests in basic science, Art recognized how I could contribute to the core missions of the Schools of the Health Sciences and afforded me multiple opportunities to intellectually and personally grow and develop. Through his support, I have been able to take on so many different responsibilities, both internal and external to the University and UPMC, leading to an amazingly rich and rewarding career over the past 25 years.
Dr. Levine’s ability to recognize and foster talent among diverse individuals has been a key success factor to our institution but also to the vast number of individuals he has been able to touch over his tenure here. For this, we are all tremendously indebted.
—Barbara Barnes, MD, MS
Associate Vice Chancellor for Industry Relations and Continuing Education, Health Sciences
Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education, School of Medicine
Vice President for Sponsored Programs, for Research Support, and for Continuing Medical Education, UPMC
Art has been very savvy in essentially establishing Pitt Med as a computational powerhouse. Three years prior to the Department of Biomedical Informatics, he created the Department of Computational and Systems Biology and the Department of Structural Biology. We’re still the only med school in the country that has three computational departments among basic science chairs. Those were wise investments. Art will be forever revered and loved for the ways he’s built basic medical science, and I do believe these computational disciplines are a keystone in his leadership.
If there’s one thing Art can lay credit for it’s having a better balance of translational and basic science, and that’s largely because of the many excellent scientists Art has recruited.
Personally, he is one of the most well-read leaders in academic medicine who I’ve had the privilege to work with. I consult for about 40 academic health systems and cancer centers and am chair of BI—I’ve never met a more balanced, focused, and strategic scientifically focused mind and intellect as Art. He stands alone being up-to-date on things that matter for health sciences.
—Mike Becich, MD, PhD
Founding Chair of Biomedical Informatics
Associate Vice Chancellor for Informatics in the Health Sciences
University of Pittsburgh
Art reads everything. I don’t know of any dean who has that level of commitment to understanding the science. It’s very egalitarian. It’s not, “Let me know if you have an important paper.”
He’s reading papers from first-year assistant professors who just joined the faculty. He also instituted the seminar program where particularly junior faculty from across the schools of the health sciences come to a seminar and he’s there, chairs the seminar, introduces the speaker, and really wants to get people the exposure they need early in their careers to make connections.
That’s his commitment to both benefitting the careers of young people and also maximizing the investment the school makes. If you’re investing $1 million in the lab of a promising young professor, that makes sense. But a lot of schools don’t do anything else to help, and that’s clearly not how he thinks about it all.
Art’s general belief about how to build strong departments is to find really strong people and he doesn’t second-guess very often. The best people write their own job descriptions.
—Jeremy Berg, PhD
Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Science Strategy and Planning in the Health Sciences
Professor of Computational and Systems Biology
University of Pittsburgh
I was successively a postdoctoral fellow, tenure-track investigator, tenured investigator, and branch chief during Art Levine’s tenure as scientific director of NICHD. Art was the one who in 1997 appointed me chief of the Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch, a position that (with some name changes) I still hold.
Art Levine is a visionary leader who built the intramural program of NICHD into one of the best intramural programs (actually THE best while he was here) of all 27 institutes that make up the NIH. I remember that in Art’s NIH retirement party, the director of NICHD, Duane Alexander, paraphrased Walter Gretzky (father of ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky) saying that Art “skated where the puck was going.” I think this is an apt definition of Art’s ability to anticipate where the most important scientific discoveries would come from and to support the people who would make those discoveries possible. He had a special ability to identify young talent and to appoint them to positions of responsibility. This was the case with my mentor, Rick Klausner, whom Art appointed branch chief at 33 years of age, and who would go on to have a stellar career in science, leadership, and business. In another very bold move, Art appointed me to succeed Rick as branch chief. I was also young and untested in positions of leadership, but he trusted me. Many years later, I don’t think Art would be disappointed with his choice. In life, there are certain people who trust your abilities even more than you do. That was Art for me; I wouldn't be what I am and where I am if it weren’t for Art’s confidence in my abilities.
There are several things I remember of my time under Art. One of them is that he was an outstanding writer. He would write the minutes of the branch chiefs’ meetings, including a summary of a scientific presentation. Not even the person who presented the talk could have written a better summary! Art had an unusual grasp and understanding of any scientific topic. I don't think I’ve met anyone with more clarity of thought and expression. Art was also very proud of the intramural program and did not miss any opportunity to promote it. One important aspect of his leadership at NICHD was that he did not use the power of his office to benefit his own research group but to enable the work of others. He didn’t talk about himself but about others under his aegis. He was also particularly able to tell good from bad science. The intramural program of NICHD flourished under his leadership. More than 20 years after leaving NICHD, Art is still remembered as a model, even legendary, leader.
I am delighted that the University of Pittsburgh is recognizing Art’s lifetime contributions to science and scholarship. Art has enormously improved not only the institutions in which he has served but also the lives of countless others around him. I am grateful and proud to have been able to work with Art and look forward to hearing about his future research endeavors!
—Juan S. Bonifacino, PhD
NIH Distinguished Investigator
Associate Scientific Director
Neurosciences and Cellular and Structural Biology Division
NICHD, NIH
It is an honor to be able to contribute to this collection of memories of Dr. Arthur Levine. I know very little about his major impact on the University of Pittsburgh, but we had a great deal of opportunity for interactions at the NICHD. Here, Art was my direct supervisor, in which role he supported me consistently and generously.
From the years at NICHD, I remember a statement I inserted into my talk at a symposium celebrating Art Levine on the occasion of, I believe, his 60th birthday. I chose to paraphrase the famed words that Joseph Haydn said to Leopold Mozart about his son, Wolfgang Amadeus:
"…as an honest man I tell you that Art Levine is the greatest scientific director known to me either in person or by name; he has supreme scientific taste and, furthermore, the most profound knowledge of science."
I felt then that I could not say it better using different words, and I still do.
—Igor Dawid, PhD
Scientist Emeritus
NICHD, NIH
Probably the most prominent thing I can say that really demonstrates Art’s tremendous support has to do with the summer research program. It has grown tremendously. The first year I took over, there was a huge increase in the number of applicants, and we needed far more money than Dr. Levine had allocated in previous years. I sent him an email saying, I’ll try to get outside money, but we need more funds. There wasn’t even a hesitation on his part. He said, “You’ll have what you need—we want the vast majority of our students between MS1 and 2 to be involved in a quality experience, and I’m willing to provide the money.” There was a huge increase in support. Instead of saying, You’ll have to select those who are qualified and make a cut-off; he said, “Anyone who’s qualified [and we do review them], we’ll make it happen.”
—Don DeFranco, PhD
Associate Dean of Medical Student Research
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Dr. Levine is a visionary educator. From the very beginning, he wanted to incorporate research as part of the curriculum and that challenged a lot of notions about whether something like that could be feasibly incorporated into the curriculum. Having research be part of the culture of the curriculum of the medical school influences the types of students who apply—they’re applying specifically because of their research. Many have done research before medical school. It brings a cohort of students who are very motivated and academically focused. I see that as being a really nice effect of having research as part of the curriculum.
— Brad Dicianno, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Assistant Dean for Medical Student Research
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Women aren’t asked to be on boards as often as men, but Art gave me a chance to be on the School of Medicine’s Board of Visitors. He had many deans on his board, so being able to meet the dean at Yale, at Penn, and the others who served was very helpful to me. I’ve been asked to be on many others because he did that for me.
— Julie Freischlag, MD
Dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine
CEO of Wake Forest Baptist Health
It is difficult to overstate Art Levine’s impact on Pitt Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh as a whole.
Art arrived at a seminal moment—following in the footsteps of medical sciences leaders like Thomas Detre, George Bernier, and George Michalopoulos—and wasted no time inspiring opportunities and excellence while advancing his own bold vision for Pitt.
By leveraging the creation of UPMC and the federal government’s commitment to doubling research funding at the National Institutes of Health, Art drew top-notch research faculty and physicians to Pittsburgh. And he helped fuel our evolution—which continues today—into a world-class research hub and health sciences enterprise.
What followed, what constitutes Art’s impact to date, has been nothing short of transformative for the University, the city of Pittsburgh, the region, and—in many ways—the broader fields of medicine and health today.
—Patrick Gallagher, PhD
Chancellor
University of Pittsburgh
Art really knows what excellence in science is about—and I very much appreciate that in somebody who normally would be called an administrator.
—Angela Gronenborn, PhD
Founding Chair of Structural Biology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
I write as a family member, not a physician—my “Dr.” is for a PhD in philosophy, not an MD. Art and I are first cousins; his mother Ethel Rubenstein Levine was the beloved older sister of my mother Betty Rubenstein Guyer. But my parents helped with Art’s upbringing: When both sides, parents and child, needed a break from Art's boundless teenage energy and will, my parents took him in for several summers, in spite of their own houseful of little boys.
We boys loved having him around, and somehow my mother, who had a core of steel beneath her calm demeanor, managed it all. As Art grew and channeled his extraordinary drive into science and medicine, he never forgot my parents’ kindness and extended his generous repayment of it throughout our extended family.
He never became too busy to answer a medical question from any cousin, on behalf of oneself or any friend, and inspired several cousins to follow him into the medical profession, while others of us were inspired to other learned pursuits by the example of his polymathic intellect. He helped find the best treatment for cousins, not only on his own side of the family, but those on other sides as well.
And when my parents were old and living on fairly little but too proud to accept help from any but their own children, Art would subtly contribute by paying my father a fair price for paintings that my father would have been happy to give him for nothing.
But most importantly, of course, Art's commitment to medical research and medical education has spread the benefits of his work far beyond our own family; Indeed through the countless doctors and scientists who have passed through his labs, through his countless publications, and through the thousands of medical students he has led through his more than 20 years at the helm of one of our country's greatest medical schools, it seems safe to say that he has repaid my own parents’ generosity countless times over to the entire nation and the world.
On this momentous occasion, I speak for my siblings and my generation of cousins in congratulating Art on his monumental achievements at Pitt and in wishing him the best in his new project. May he be blessed with continued good health and productivity for many years to come!
—Paul Guyer, PhD
Professor of Humanities and Philosophy
Brown University
Art gave me carte blanche to invigorate the student research program that would benefit all students. We structured the projects so they met a standard, helped students through improved training on how to do research, and we rewarded them with a structure and certification. There was great buy-in, great enthusiasm. It was a valuable experience working with Art, reporting to Art on this, and I learned much from him about leadership style. It was a tremendous opportunity that prepared me for my current role at Hopkins. There’s no way I would be here without that experience Art gave me.
—David J. Hackam, MD, PhD
Pediatric Surgeon-in-Chief and Codirector, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
Garrett Professor and Chief of Pediatric Surgery
Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics and Cell Biology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Art Levine’s unerring vision of the importance of scholarly activity for every medical student is widely recognized: the hope of inspiring bright minds to develop a passion for investigation and to provide answers to tough clinical problems through basic, translation, or clinical research in the rich environment of our medical school.
I was fortunate to see another side of Art’s tenure as senior vice-chancellor—his interactions with students. For 20 years, he chose to have lunch with me and eight-to-ten medical students every few weeks, so that by graduation each student would have met with him at least once. He would share some of his ideas about the state of medicine; but, most importantly, he heard from every student about their experience here and how he could help make it better.
Delighting in their stories and their impressive presence, his appreciation of our students was palpable. He often asked me if I had really selected them on a random basis because of their outstanding accomplishments and their ability to articulate their ideas. He particularly emphasized to them that they should pursue their interests—in a scholarly way of course—whether in basic or clinical research or public health or health policy or underserved or global medicine.
He cared deeply that our curriculum provide our students with the best set of tools to tackle, in a meaningful way, current and future challenges in health care.
— Joan Harvey, MD
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Art Levine was responsible for recruiting me as a principal investigator when he was serving as director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health, where I have worked for my entire career as a research scientist. For this I feel the deepest gratitude, as my job at NIH has been an enduring source of fulfillment and one of the most important events in my life.
In recruiting me, Art was ahead of the curve in recognizing the importance of studying model organisms enjoying powerful genetic systems in uncovering fundamental mechanisms governing cell biology and animal development. In addition to recruiting me, Art attracted a whole cadre of young scientists with this objective and generously supported our efforts, with the only requirement that we do cutting-edge work and be regarded as leaders in our fields, regardless of whether a path could be traced to a human disorder from our discoveries in yeast, fruit flies, frogs, or mice.
He recognized that important discoveries for human health often don’t come from tackling a problem head-on using human, or even mammalian, subjects for research, but in allowing investigators to follow their noses and use the best systems and strategies available to solve important biological puzzles. Art has an impeccable nose for high-quality science, and it was a privilege to be among the many young researchers who benefited from his confidence in our ideas and ability to succeed.
In addition to surrounding himself with talented people, Art excelled in finding the resources and creating the high-quality laboratories needed to ensure success. Under his tenure, the NICHD research program in Bethesda expanded dramatically and added state-of-the-art facilities to support cutting-edge work in developmental biology of mouse and zebrafish models, which continue to function prominently in these fields today. Art always operated with a supreme confidence in his ability to succeed, which allowed him to take risks in procuring new space and resources that yielded huge returns for the scientists working under him. I look back on this period as a golden age in the emergence of NICHD as a research powerhouse on the NIH campus.
While it was of course a great loss when Art chose to leave NICHD and assume a leadership role at Pitt, his legacy lived on here as the people he’d recruited and so skillfully provided for continued to excel in his absence. And, it was completely unsurprising when we saw that Art brought the same aggressive leadership and broad vision to his new position at Pitt that we’d experienced under his tenure at NICHD, greatly increasing the scope and excellence of the research endeavor, the infrastructure needed to support it, and the high standards for success required to make it thrive.
Art Levine put his indelible mark on two large research enterprises, working tirelessly and with panache to help bring each one to achieve world-class status. To be able to claim Art’s achievements for even one institution would be an impressive feat in a lifetime. I salute Art Levine for his wide-ranging and enduring contributions to the success of biomedical research and feel honored to have been touched so directly by his vision, energy, and warm friendship.
—Alan Hinnebusch, PhD
Head, Section on Nutrient Control of Gene Expression
NICHD, NIH
Although many people see Art primarily as a scientist, I spent enough time with him that I realized early on that he is also a philosopher and a humanist. That’s one of the ways in which he and I really connected—on the basis of thinking more broadly about the context of what we were trying to do. Art’s love of science, and his unparalleled ability to recognize good science and select the best scientists, is well-documented in many of the wonderful comments on this page. So, I want to add my perspective on the essential role that his love of humanity and appreciation of individuals and their careers played in making him an outstanding leader, mentor, colleague, and good friend.
— Steven L. Kanter, MD
President and CEO, Association of Academic Health Centers/International
Art, congratulations on your tremendous accomplishments during your tenure as dean and senior vice chancellor. It is so impressive on many fronts. Also, so good to see so many great recruits into the chair positions—as we know, always challenging. Hope you are doing well personally.
—Douglas Kondziolka, MD, MSc
Vice Chair, Clinical Research (Neurosurgery)
Director, Center for Advanced Radiosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery; Professor of Radiation Oncology
New York University Langone Medical Center
Art was, and remains, a particularly strong advocate for academic medical centers and the critical role of federal funding in advancing science and improving health. His leadership at Pitt led to remarkable scientific contributions and attracted impressive new talent over his tenure.
— Vivian Lee, MD, PhD, MBA
President for Health Platforms, Verily Life Sciences
In his 21 years at the helm of the University of Pittsburgh’s medical school, Arthur Levine has helped usher in the future of medicine—most notably through his emphasis on facilitating and supporting basic science research. As two of the few academic medical centers with standalone structural biology departments, Stanford Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine illustrate their dedication to better understanding biomedical problems from a structural and mechanistic perspective. The resulting basic science discoveries may one day be the centerpiece of an innovative method that predicts, prevents, or cures disease.
—Lloyd B. Minor, MD
Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean
Stanford University School of Medicine
The leadership position that has been held by Dr. Levine is large, complex, and extraordinarily challenging. Art faced the added pressure of succeeding Dr. Thomas Detre, a legendary figure who played a major role in bringing world-class medicine to Pittsburgh. Art responded to that challenge by becoming a legend himself—a scientific visionary, a remarkable judge of talent, and a tireless worker, who did not shy away from any of the difficult tasks that came with his position. It also should be noted that, from his first day on campus, Art cared about the progress of the entire University, another quality that made him such a valuable partner.
When he was preparing to step down as senior vice chancellor for the health sciences, Dr. Detre said to me, “Mark, this psychiatrist has taken you as far as he can. Now, you need to recruit a leader who really understands basic biology.” We found that person in Art Levine, who was the first choice of virtually everyone involved in the search process, even though the pool of candidates was strong. Because of the importance of the position, I did some personal reference-checking, including a call to a Nobel Laureate, who had led the National Institutes of Health. The key assessments of Art were consistent: that he has an extraordinary mind, incredibly high standards, and seemingly endless energy.
Art is a broadly educated person, which has been apparent in some of the partnerships he has forged and friendships he has made throughout the University. His interest in the Honors College would be one good example. Art also takes pride in being a life-long student of the English language, and his ability to communicate effectively has been a real asset in virtually every aspect of his work.
A decade or so ago, another member of my senior leadership team commented that everyone seemed to be affected by the aging process, to one degree or another. In his mind, there was just one notable exception—Art Levine. The fact that Art is able both to stay current in so many different areas and to keep up with the work of so many different faculty members is amazing. We all hoped that maybe he was taking some kind of secret potion that he might share with us someday. So far, though, that has not happened.
One of Art’s highest priorities was getting our third biomedical science tower built. In making the case for its construction, he correctly predicted that if we built it, incredibly talented researchers would come to Pitt. In a very meaningful way, that building stands as a physical symbol of all that has been accomplished under Art’s leadership. Even more important, though, are the programs that he started and the people he recruited or persuaded to stay in the face of competing recruitment efforts. In most cases, the argument he made came down to one thing—that Pitt was the university in which they could most effectively advance their own ambitious agendas. With Art at the helm, that was not an example of hollow salesmanship. Instead, Art created a culture and environment in which high achievement was valued and supported.
—Mark Nordenberg
Chancellor Emeritus
Chair, Institute of Politics
University of Pittsburgh
Arthur Levine is in a class by himself. It’s remarkable for an individual to serve as medical school dean for a decade. It is almost unheard of to serve as dean for more than two. During his tenure, Arthur has provided UPMC with outstanding and steady leadership across all three academic missions and, as a result, UPMC is recognized as a world-class institution. His colleagues within the AAMC’s Council of Deans (COD) know him for his insight and the passion he brings to critical issues. His voice will be deeply missed within the COD.
—John E. Prescott, MD
Chief Academic Officer
Association of American Medical Colleges
As a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development when Dr. Levine was director, I came to appreciate him as an insightful, inspiring, and dedicated scientific leader—and these qualities have obviously contributed to his remarkable contributions in advancing biomedical research at the University of Pittsburgh.
—Robert G. Roeder, PhD
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Professor
Head, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Rockefeller University
Art, it is only two short decades ago that Chancellor Nordenberg selected you as his very first draft choice from the NIH to lead the University of Pittsburgh health sciences and medical school team. Subsequently, over 21 exciting and productive seasons, you inspired us to national victory today in a very tough league of competitors. When you came to Pittsburgh in 1998, our team, though much improved by your predecessor, Dr. Thomas Detre, still had a long way to go to prove it was not only big, worthy, and exciting but also fast and nimble.
From my perspective, my having had the great pleasure to have worked with you over all these years, I will note only a few of your virtues and achievements:
You uniquely built the University’s basic science team. You identified, picked, and retained other outstanding players from around the world, both offense and defense, to join our team. Through their and your intelligence, creativity, and magnetic powers, the University of Pittsburgh health sciences’ bench strength became numerous and deep. You worked consistently and creatively with the other great, dedicated medical clinical teams—UPMC and its leadership, Mr. Romoff’s team. You attracted to Pittsburgh the most intelligent and collaborative medical students, diverse and multi-talented.
In closing, I thank you for these and your many other virtues and achievements as well as your personal friendship to me and others. What comes next? Here is my prediction: With your other colleagues in aging brain research, you will together throw a 95-yard pass of new understanding in this most challenging area of neuroscience.
—Loren H. Roth, MD, MPH
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh
Consultant, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
I had the good fortune to begin my biomedical research career at National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, where Dr. Art Levine was my scientific director. I am thankful to him for hiring me as a research fellow and for guiding me through many subsequent steps in my career.
I learned quickly that he not only read every paper that was submitted, but he also remembered everything and could discuss my work in detail at any stage. He sought me out specifically to praise my first paper; and, thereafter, I discovered that he was always ready and eager to discuss science and research. As my work progressed, he supported me with successive promotions, and I am now a principal investigator and associate scientific director at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Dr. Levine is very special to me and to many other young researchers who he recruited during his years at NIH. He was always perceptive, generous, and engaged. I don’t think I could have pursued my research and succeeded in my career without his support. Over many years, he set an example by promoting intellectual rigor and by delighting in provocative and exciting discoveries. He has a remarkable sense of dedication to scholarly pursuits. He is a true intellectual, a devoted mentor, and a visionary. He has accomplished great things along the way, through very hard work and unusual powers of perception and dedication.
When he left NIH for the University of Pittsburgh, it was a great loss to our community but wonderful for the growth of the University of Pittsburgh. Very few individuals combine deep scientific knowledge and insight with the ability to be highly pragmatic in leadership positions in biomedical research. Dr. Levine has that magical combination, which has enabled him to build the careers of individuals and of large medical enterprises. Many would join me in saying “hats off” to Dr. Levine for his multifaceted and spectacular contributions to biomedical research.
—Tracey Rouault, MD
Associate Scientific Director
Chief, Metals Biology and Molecular Medicine Group
Head, Section on Human Iron Metabolism
NICHD, NIH
You have been an exemplary and inspiring leader and have built one of the truly great medical centers in the world. I have also so much valued our friendship. Your dedication to excellence has often shaped my own thinking, and your loyal team is impressive. I have always learned a great deal from my annual visits to your institution—which leaves me only to wish you well in the years ahead and with my hopes that you will make real advances in dealing with the horrible Alzheimer’s epidemic. With admiration and respect.
—Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCH
Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
Dean, Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine (2001–11)
University of Pennsylvania
Art Levine is sui generis. He combines a deep knowledge of and passion for science with the administrative skills to oversee a complex biomedical research and education enterprise. His “taste” in identifying top scientific talent, and ability to recruit that talent, will leave an indelible imprint on the University of Pittsburgh medical school that will assure its bright future for years to come.
—Allen M. Spiegel, MD
Dean Emeritus
Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology) and of Molecular Pharmacology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Dr. Levine is a ferocious champion of student learning and student capabilities as physician-investigators. He makes time to come to student presentations from different programs—the Scholarly Research Project, PSTP, MSTP. I see him go from poster to poster. He connects with the students, wants to hear them describe their work. In the pre-med community, he’s changed the vision of Pitt. It’s broadly understood that if you come to Pitt, you are not only going to be an excellent clinician but trained to do research.
—Richard Steinman, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine and of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology
Associate Dean, Director Medical Scientist Training Program
Director, Physician Scientist Training Program
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Art’s command of the range of important research issues within medicine is greater than that of anyone else I’ve ever known. In the time he’s been here, the institution has gone from kind of middle of the pack to one of the very best.
—Ann E. Thompson, MD, MCCM
Vice Dean
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Dr. Levine is hands-off, doesn’t micromanage, gives people a lot of space to develop in their own way. But you have to deliver.
—Peter Veldkamp, MD, MS
Associate Dean for Global Health Education
Director of Education, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Art:
Congratulations on an extraordinary career as dean. You have supported neurology and neurosciences throughout your tenure, and now I understand why as you prepare to embark on a new mission of understanding and eventually preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Thank you for all your encouragement, advice, and guidance. Without you we would not have a center for cerebrovascular research, Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Brain Institute, and Neurological Institute, to name a few notable accomplishments just in the neurosciences.
There has not been a single recruit in neurology and neuroscience who wasn’t challenged by your detailed questioning of what seemed like relatively obscure areas of investigation. You not only could argue toe to toe with these investigators but usually give them ideas they hadn’t considered.
At your young age you continue to have endless energy, constant new ideas, and a clear vision for an academic medical center and medical school. You are truly a remarkable person with a remarkable record of accomplishments, progress, and advancement. Above all, I appreciate your mentorship, unwavering support, and particularly your friendship through good times and bad.
—Lawrence Wechsler, MD
Chair for the Department of Neurology
Henry B. Higman Professor of Neurology/Neurosurgery
University of Pittsburgh
Vice President of Telemedicine, UPMC Physician Services Division