In Memory of David Levine and Richard Danziger

With profound sadness, the Berman Institute shares news of the pass of two leading figures in its history, David M. Levine, MD, ScD, MPH, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and Richard Danziger, a member of the Institute’s National Advisory Board and former Trustee of the university.

Dr. David Levine, the former Samsung Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a founding core faculty member of the Berman Institute who played a key role in establishing its world-renowned postdoctoral training programs, passed away 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.

Dr. Levine received his bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University in 1959, his medical degree from the University of Vermont in 1964 and completed his residency at Montefiore Hospital and Waltham Hospital. He earned his Master of Public Health and Doctor of Science at Johns Hopkins and joined the faculty in 1972 at the School of Hygiene and Public Health in the Department of Behavioral Sciences; and became acting chairman in 1981. In 1985, Dr. Levine transitioned to the General Internal Medicine Division in the School of Medicine, serving as Division Director from 1986 to 1996 and again as interim director from 2002 to 2004.

Richard Danziger died on Nov. 9, 2024, at the age of 86. He was a trustee of Johns Hopkins University and before joining the National Advisory Board of the Berman Institute where he played a key role in providing support to its doctoral students. A graduate of Yale Law School, he practiced law in New York City for decades. After a trip to Japan in 1974, his love for Japanese art was sparked, with his passion for learning translating into teaching at Yale, Princeton and elsewhere. Danziger served as Chair of the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Society of New York, and of the Freer Gallery of Art. He was a member of the Governing Board of the Yale University Art Gallery, served on the Asian Art Visiting Committee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and on the Visiting Committee of the Japan Society Gallery.