ST. LOUIS – Washington University in St. Louis has appointed Bruce D. Levy as executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of WashU Medicine, with the physician-scientist set to begin the role July 1, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced Monday.
Levy will succeed David H. Perlmutter, who is concluding his deanship after more than 10 years leading the medical school.
“Bruce Levy is a deeply respected leader in academic medicine whose career reflects a strong commitment to advancing discovery, improving patient care and training the next generation of physicians and scientists,” Martin said. “His collaborative approach, innovative mindset and dedication to expanding access to research-driven care make him uniquely suited to build on WashU Medicine’s extraordinary momentum at this important moment.”
Martin also praised Perlmutter’s tenure, saying, “His leadership over the past decade has left an enduring mark on WashU Medicine and on the field of academic medicine more broadly.”
Levy, who grew up in St. Louis and specializes in pulmonary and critical care medicine, is returning after more than 35 years at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He currently is the inaugural executive vice chair of medicine at Mass General Brigham and the Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Physic at Harvard Medical School.
He brings the leadership experience to WashU Medicine as academic health systems face “uncertainty surrounding federal research funding and health-care reimbursements,” the university said.
“Academic medicine is at a pivotal moment, and I believe institutions like WashU Medicine have an extraordinary opportunity and responsibility to shape the future of academic life sciences and health care,” Levy said. “I look forward to working with faculty, staff, students and trainees to build on this solid foundation and advance innovations and care that improve health for people in St. Louis and around the world.”
At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Levy was co-director of the medical residency program for 13 years and later served as chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine for 10 years before becoming chair of the Department of Medicine. In his most recent role at Mass General Brigham, he helped integrate the departments of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, along with their 1,000 faculty members and 900 trainees.
The university said Levy has personal ties to Washington University. He grew up in a neighborhood bordering the campus, and both his parents earned degrees from WashU and later joined the medical school community. Levy said his early research experiences as a high school student in WashU Medicine laboratories influenced his career path.
“It was clear then, as it remains today, that WashU Medicine is a special place with exceptional strengths for inspiring and nurturing early careers in science and medicine,” Levy said. “I believe my early experiences at WashU were formative in my ultimate decision to train as a physician-scientist.”
Levy earned his medical degree in 1988 from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and is board-certified in internal medicine, critical care medicine and pulmonary disease, the university said.
WashU Medicine ranks No. 2 in funding from the National Institutes of Health and invests $1.2 billion annually in research, according to the university. The school includes more than 3,000 physicians and scientists and is affiliated with BJC HealthCare, with physicians caring for patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Siteman Cancer Center.
Levy said he plans to build on Perlmutter’s tenure.
“I am honored to lead WashU Medicine at this important time, and to build on Dean Perlmutter’s remarkable achievements during the past 10-plus years,” Levy said. “I look forward to working with the Executive Faculty, faculty, trainees, students and staff as we chart our future course together, in collaboration with Chancellor Martin, university leaders and BJC HealthCare.”
