An Excerpt From the Show

What's This Scene All About?

Dr. Arthur Levine was the University of Pittsburgh's beloved Dean of the School of Medicine and Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences from 1998 to 2020. Before he came to Pittsburgh, Dr. Levine worked at the NIH and served as the Scientific Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Since stepping down as Dean, Dr. Levine has not retired; instead, he is now Executive Director of the University’s Brain Institute.

Though this scence from 2011's Intussusception pokes fun at Dr. Levine's interest in NIH funding, he was wildly successful at leading Pitt into a new era of research. During his time as Senior Vice Chancellor, Pitt's NIH funding went from $169 million to $578 million. And despite what this scene indicates, Pitt was ranked fifth nationally in NIH funding during Dr. Levine's tenure. This spike in research funding led Dr. Levine to open 20 new research departments at Pitt, tripled research space at the university, and estimatedly brought just under 20,000 jobs to the Pittsburgh region, leaving a legacy to be proud of.

Learn More About This Show

A complete recording of this performance will be available to those with a valid University computing account soon.

More information about this and other Scope and Scalpel performances can also be found on our finding aid. Please contact us to view the Scope and Scalpel materials in person or to talk to our History of Medicine librarian.