Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., an internationally known expert in lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and AIDS-related malignancies, has been named chief medical officer of City of Hope.
Levine will be the organization’s chief clinician and will oversee all clinical and hospital care programs at City of Hope. Levine most recently was Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chair of the Division of Hematology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), as well as medical director of USC/Norris Cancer Hospital.
As City of Hope’s chief medical officer, or CMO, Levine will develop and implement the institution’s clinical strategy and program development. She will serve as the primary liaison with the City of Hope Medical Group and its physician members to promote collaboration across disciplines and ensure effective staff recruitment and retention. Levine will co-lead programs aimed at continually improving the standard of care at City of Hope, including quality of service, patient safety, clinical research, clinical information management and professional education. As chief clinician she will serve as a role model and facilitator for all clinical staff.
“We are thrilled to have Alexandra Levine join City of Hope. She brings both her vast scientific expertise in hematology and HIV and her limitless compassion for patients facing cancer,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive officer. “Dr. Levine is a noted advocate of bringing more humanism into medicine and can address quality patient care from all angles, managing the needs of patients while also providing guidance for the physicians who treat them.”
Levine held the Ronald H. Bloom Family Chair in Lymphoma at the Keck School. Her research interests include lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and HIV/AIDS among women. She worked with Jonas Salk, M.D., for eight years on the development and testing of an AIDS vaccine. Levine has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 20 major research grants, most funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Levine’s scientific and clinical contributions have received national and international recognition. In 1995, President Clinton appointed her to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. She also chaired the council’s research committee. Levine has served as a member of the Board of Councilors of the National Cancer Institute and is currently a member of the Oncologic Drug Advisory Board of the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, she served as HIV/AIDS consultant to the health departments of Chile, Russia, India and China.
“I am delighted and honored to be given the opportunity to work with the City of Hope family. This institution has always distinguished itself by its commitment to quality in terms of patient care and research, and by the kindness and caring that has always been integral to its mission,” said Levine. “City of Hope is now poised to move to the next levels of expertise and national leadership, and I am most thankful to be given the chance to participate in this very exciting future.”
Levine also has a history at the Duarte campus. She was among the first students in the summer research program now known as the Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy at City of Hope.
Levine is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American College of Physicians, and the International AIDS Society. She has published more than 300 articles and book chapters in noted medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Blood and the Journal of AIDS. In 1997, she received the Lymphoma Research Foundation of America’s Evelyn Hoffman Memorial Award in recognition for her achievements in lymphoma research and patient care.
Levine received her medical degree from USC and completed fellowships at Emory University and Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center.
