Life on My Terms

About the Book

It never would have occurred to me to record the story of my life; I believed it to be of little public interest . However, Professor Jonathan Halevy, director general of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where I have helped to establish a center for humanistic medicine, and other friends believed otherwise. They maintained that the men and women who will learn from and be served by the institutions I have been able to help with gifts in support of humanistic values would like some idea of who I am. In response to their urging I have attempted to present an accurate portrait of a fortunate man.

About the Author

NORMAN E. LEVAN, M.D. was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1916. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Southern California. In 1940, shortly after beginning his internship, Dr. Levan entered the U.S. Army. He served until 1946, primarily in the Central Pacific, and then returned to Los Angeles to begin his residency in dermatology. For twenty years he served as chairman of dermatology at USC. Now ninety four, he continues to practice his specialty near his home in Bakersfield, California, and to share his life’s good fortune with deserving institutions of higher learning and healthcare delivery.