David Levine, professor emeritus of medicine and former director of the Division of General Internal Medicine (GIM), died on Nov. 5, 2024, at the age of 86. His pioneering work in community-based participatory research helped address health disparities, particularly in cardiovascular disease, and left a legacy in academic medicine and public health. He was a dedicated physician, researcher, mentor and leader who profoundly impacted the field of medicine over the course of his 50-year career.

Levine was the principal investigator of one of the longest-standing, continuously funded T32 training grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which formed the foundation of the clinical research fellowship in GIM in 1985. Through this program, which grew into one of the nation’s most competitive fellowships during his tenure, Levine trained more than 100 researchers who have gone on to become leaders in academic medicine and public health.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University in 1959, his M.D. from University of Vermont in 1964, and completed his residency at Montefiore Hospital and Waltham Hospital. He served in the U.S. military from 1965 to 1968, including a deployment in South Korea at the Seoul Military Hospital. After his service, he completed a preventive medicine residency, earned his M.P.H. and Sc.D. at The Johns Hopkins University, and joined the faculty in 1972 at the School of Hygiene and Public Health in the Department of Behavioral Sciences. He became acting chair of the department in 1981.

In 1985, Levine transitioned to GIM in the school of medicine, serving as division director from 1986 to 1996 and again as interim director from 2002 to 2004. Under his leadership, the division expanded and moved toward becoming one of the most prominent at Johns Hopkins, known for its research, teaching and clinical excellence. He retired in October 2022.

Levine held joint appointments at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the school of nursing, and was a core faculty member at the Berman Institute of Bioethics.