Dr. William Levin, UTMB president emeritus,
commits to establish lectureship in hematology and oncology
Pledge is a lead commitment to university’s Family
Matters Campaign
GALVESTON, Texas — Dr. William C. Levin, president emeritus of the
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, has pledged to establish a
lectureship in hematology and oncology at the university.
The William C. Levin Family Lecture in Hematology and Oncology will support
speaking engagements by noted faculty from UTMB as well as from other academic
health centers. These lectures will be open to all fellows, residents,
students and faculty interested in learning more about hematology and
oncology, medical specialties pertaining to blood and blood-forming tissues,
and abnormal tissue growth, respectively. Levin, who specialized in
hematology, was the second UTMB chief executive to hold the title of
president, serving in that capacity from 1974 to 1987.
His $50,000 pledge to establish the lectureship is among the first
commitments to the university’s Family Matters Campaign. The five-year, $25
million initiative provides an avenue for members of the UTMB community to
financially contribute to an area of the academic health center that may have
some personal significance for them.
The Family Matters initiative, which officially launches to the campus
community on July 15, is part of the university’s Timeless Values, Pioneering
Solutions Campaign, a $250 million fund-raising initiative to enhance areas of
excellence in teaching the art and science of health care; infectious
diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; health care access and
telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery.
UTMB President John D. Stobo thanked Levin, a member of the School of
Medicine’s class of 1941, for maintaining close ties to the academic health
center. “Dr. Levin has been, and continues to be, a most valued member of the
UTMB community,” Stobo said. “I am honored to know such a UTMB legend, and I
am grateful that he made this extraordinary commitment. His philanthropy
reflects a lifetime of dedication, hard work, concern for others, vision and
achievement. I have often said that UTMB is an institution with a soul. Dr.
Levin’s commitment to strengthen the training of students, faculty and staff
in an area that touches so many lives is a testament to that fact.”
Dr. Jerry C. Daniels, the Edna S. and William C. Levin Professor of
Internal Medicine, added, “Because of his past and current generosity, Dr.
Levin continues to be a staunch advocate for UTMB, even years after he retired
as president. The Levin Family Lecture in Hematology and Oncology will add to
his admirable educational legacy here.”
Several other endowments at the university bear the Levin name in
recognition of his more than 40 years of service to the institution. Among
them are the following:
• The Edna Seinsheimer Levin Professorship in Cancer Studies was created in
1998 by the Levin Family Foundation in memory of Levin’s wife, who died of
cancer two years earlier. It is currently held by Dr. Caroline Stegink Jansen,
an associate professor of physical therapy in UTMB’s School of Allied Health
Sciences. Levin, his daughters and sons-in-law, Lynn and Armin Cantini and
Gerry and Eugene Hornstein, established the Levin Family Foundation.
• Dr. and Mrs. Levin endowed the Edna S. and William C. Levin Professorship
in Internal Medicine in 1985.
• The Brown Foundation established the William C. Levin, M.D., Chair in
Environmental Toxicology in 1991. It is held by Dr. Mary Treinen-Moslen, a
professor in the university’s departments of Pathology, and Preventive
Medicine and Community Health.
• The Alumni Advisory Committee for Minority Affairs set up the William C.
Levin, M.D., Fund for Minority Students in 1988.
During his time as UTMB president, Levin orchestrated numerous
accomplishments in education, research, patient care and administration. One
of his crowning achievements concerned student diversity. Levin asked a group
of alumni physicians in the mid-1970s to form an advisory committee that would
determine why so few students from underrepresented groups attended the
university’s School of Medicine. Based upon their conclusions, Levin
instituted a number of programs to attract and retain these students. Thanks
to his efforts, UTMB is now widely recognized for the diversity of its student
body. In fact, in 2003, Black Issues in Higher Education magazine ranked
UTMB’s School of Medicine first in the number of Hispanics and seventh in the
number of African Americans earning medical degrees.
Other major achievements that occurred under Levin’s leadership included
the establishment of an M.D.-Ph.D. combined degree program, a master of
science program in nursing, a Ph.D. neurosciences track, a master of medical
sciences program, and an allied health sciences master’s degree program in
health promotion and gerontology. The campus also grew during Levin’s tenure,
with completion of the John Sealy Hospital tower, Children’s Hospital and
University Hospital Clinics Building, all of which were largely funded by The
Sealy & Smith Foundation of Galveston. The Learning Center Building that
opened in 1981 was renamed William C. Levin Hall upon his retirement. Levin
received the honorary title of president emeritus in 1998 in recognition of
his contributions to UTMB’s success and progress.
After graduating from UTMB in 1941, Levin conducted postgraduate hematology
work at the Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, Mo. He rejoined
his alma mater in 1944 to serve on the faculty as an instructor in internal
medicine. Levin held various titles at UTMB, including director of the
hematology division and clinical research center, before he became president.
While on the faculty, he participated in numerous hematology research
advancements, such as being among the first to demonstrate that sickle cell
hemoglobin interferes with the kidney’s ability to concentrate urine. Sickle
cell is a blood disease that causes red blood cells to become deformed, or
sickle-shaped. The red blood cells become misshapen because they have an
abnormal type of hemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen from the lungs
to the rest of the body. For his exemplary career and service to the
university and the field of medicine, Levin received the Ashbel Smith
Distinguished Alumnus Award, the UTMB School of Medicine’s highest alumni
honor, in 1976.
An active member of the Galveston community throughout his career, Levin
has been involved in the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Grand 1894 Opera
House, Temple B’Nai Israel, Rosenberg Library, Galveston Park Board of
Trustees, Galveston College Foundation board and the Trinity School board. He
has also been involved with the Menil Foundation of Houston and the Houston
Institute for Arts and Education.
Lynn Cantini and Gerry Hornstein have been part of the UTMB family since
they were very young and have followed in their parents’ footsteps in terms of
service not only to UTMB, but to the Galveston community as well.
UTMB