Returning to Tampa after 20 years, Lawrence P. Levitt, MD, will speak to USF medical students in early 2012, sharing with them the lessons he has learned in his career, and which are still applicable to medical students and physicians today.

Dr.  Levitt founded the neurology division at Lehigh Valley Hospital and assisted in transforming it into one of the largest teaching hospitals in Pennsylvania. He is retired professor of neurology at Penn State College of Medicine, and is currently Senior Consultant in Neurology Emeritus at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA.

A successful author, Dr. Levitt is co-author of “Neurology,” one of America’s most popular neurology texts. The book is now in its eighth edition, and has been translated into eight foreign languages including Russian, Chinese and Japanese. He is a founding trustee of The Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust in Allentown.

In addition, he published a well-received House Officer Series, symptom-oriented guidebooks for diagnosing, treating, and managing various disorders, including editions for pediatrics and neurology. He also co-authored with John E. Castaldo, MD “Uncommon Wisdom -True Tales of What Our Lives as Doctors Have Taught Us About Love, Faith and Healing” (2010 by Rodale Books), a compilation of stories and medical cases through the eyes of two physicians across their careers.

Dr. Levitt provided an essay that gives a glimpse of his Tampa connections, starting with his first encounter as a young infectious disease physician and epidemiologist and coming full circle to the recent partnership between the USF College of Medicine and Lehigh Valley Health Network, where he spent the bulk of his medical career.

The vignettes in his essay illustrate how involving ourselves in efforts and causes can have a great impact on entire communities.

More information about Dr. Levitt’s talk at USF should be posted on the USF Health web site in a few months. Contact COM Educational Affairs(813-974-7131) for details.