This is a short spoken tribute by Jeffrey Bland, PhD (with a second speaker heard occasionally) honoring the recently deceased Dr. Warren Levin. Bland describes Levin as a pioneering clinician in early integrative/functional medicine, founder of the Levin Center in New York City, and recounts Levin's notable legal victory (vindication by New York State courts) after attempts to delicensure him roughly 26+ years earlier. The speaker also praises Levin's courage, influence, and legacy and mentions his wife, Susan Levin.
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I'd like to take a moment out of our normal discussion of what's happening in the innovation in healthcare and new technologies to really acknowledging the passing of a great, great member of our community, Dr. Warren Levin. Dr. Levin was and continues to be an inspiration to me. He's a mentor, a guide, an intellectual sparring partner, a person of great courage, a pioneer in every respect, and a.
Person for whom we all in our.
Field owe actually a deep level of respect. In some senses, you might say that Warren Levin was the kind of the swing clinician from the early days of what was to be later called integrative and complementary and functional medicine into its more modern period. Why do I say that? Well, Dr. Levin was an intellect of very highest level. He brought tremendous insight, inquiry, research, grounding and clinical expertise. He was the founder of the Levin center at the World Trade center in.
New York City, the first kind of major integrative medical center in America that.
Was overseen by a medical doctor who had broad reach and appeal.
He did something that was truly remarkable.
And demonstration of his courage and his willingness to stand tall. And that is in a period of time, some 26 or more years ago, where many physicians were under attack by their local medical societies for doing something outside the norm and many of them were subject to delicensure if they didn't step in line. He took on, in New York City and New York State a tremendous attack that was levied by Victor Herbert and his colleagues to try to delicense Dr. Levin. Dr. Levin fought incredibly vigorously with incredible courage and intellectual aplomb, brought in some of the great character references, including Dr. Linus Pauling himself to be testimony at his trial, and ultimately was the first physician to be vindicated by the New York State courts for his right to continue to practice under his scope of licensure in areas that were not, quote, usual and customary, but fulfilling an extraordinary standard of excellence.
So in some senses, that put to.
Rest a lot of the other activities.
That were going around the country to.
Try to cordon off doctors that were doing things differently and give them the right to practice under the scope of their own licensure. So I want to just take a moment and thank Warren for all of his years of guidance, contributions and friendship. He will be missed by many of us greatly, but his legacy will live on. His wife, Susan Levin, carries a flag and the torch, and she's a very extraordinary energy in her own right. And I can't just say enough good things about what Warren has left us with. So, Warren, may your trips and travels from here on. Be great and you be celebrated in the way that you deserve. Thank you.
