Jerrold H. Levy, M.D. ’78, Internship ’79, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in cardiothoracic anesthesiology and critical care medicine. The Miami native’s research has significantly advanced the understanding and treatment of blood clotting and bleeding in surgical and critically ill patients.
Ranked among the top 2% of the world’s most-cited scientists, Dr. Levy is professor emeritus of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Duke University School of Medicine. He is also an adjunct professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of British Columbia. He has authored more than 600 peer-reviewed publications and been cited more than 100,000 times; his research focuses on bleeding, coagulopathy and acute inflammatory responses in critical illnesses.
Dr. Levy’s interest in these fields began during his medical training at the Miller School of Medicine, where Emanuel Papper, M.D., Ph.D. — a pioneer of academic anesthesiology — served as dean from 1969 to 1981.
“Dr. Papper had a remarkable ability to recognize potential in young people,” Dr. Levy said. “He was incredibly supportive of my career. During my rotations, I was drawn to hematology, immunology and intensive care medicine, and at the time, anesthesiology was one of the primary pathways into critical care.”
“Miami is where my story began, both personally and professionally. I grew up working in our family store after school and during summers. I was the first in my family to graduate from college; my father never finished high school. Yet my parents were unwavering in their support of my intellectual curiosity.”
After graduating from the Miller School, Dr. Levy completed an internal medicine internship at UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital. He completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, serving as chief resident and completing fellowships in critical care and cardiac anesthesiology.
Dr. Levy has returned to the Miller School four times as a visiting professor of anesthesiology and delivered a grand rounds lecture on anaphylaxis last summer.
His Miami connection and long-standing affection for the Miller School inspired Dr. Levy to establish Department of Anesthesiology’s first lectureship. He views it as a modest expression of gratitude to the institution, and to Dr. Papper, for helping launch a distinguished academic career.
“Miami is where my story began, both personally and professionally,” Dr. Levy said. “I grew up working in our family store after school and during summers. I was the first in my family to graduate from college; my father never finished high school. Yet my parents were unwavering in their support of my intellectual curiosity.”
That curiosity propelled Dr. Levy to the forefront of his field. He currently serves as principal investigator on two international studies — one focused on novel anticoagulants in sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation, and another on heparin resistance, both of which are among his long-standing research interests. He is vice chair of the Scientific and Standardization Committee of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, previously chaired its Perioperative and Critical Care Committee, and is an associate editor of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
Reflecting on his journey, Dr. Levy noted that it remains humbling to see how, despite the odds, “a kid from Miami was able to realize his dream of becoming a physician and scientist.”
In honor of his transformational career in medicine, the Miller School’s Medical Alumni Association recently honored Dr. Levy with its Distinguished Alumni Award.
