Betty W. Levin
Professor
Health and Nutrition Sciences
Location: 4111 Ingersoll Hall
Phone: 718.951.5000 x2744
Fax: 718.951.4670
Email:
Betty Levin has been at Brooklyn College since 1986 and in the Doctor of Public Health program program at the CUNY Graduate Center since 2007. She has recently taught undergraduate and doctoral courses on the social aspects of health, as well as M.P.H. courses on the foundations of public health, bioethics course and the master's paper courses. She participated in the development of the D.P.H. program at the Graduate Center, the M.P.H. program and Children's Studies at Brooklyn College and the Bioethics Interest Group of the AAA. She was founding editor of the department "Public Health Matters" in the American Journal of Public Health. Her current activities include: Executive Committee, CUNY School of Public Health; executive board of Public Health Association of New York City and Pediatric Ethics Committee of New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Education:
Ph.D., Columbia University - 1986 (Sociomedial Sciences)
M.A., Columbia University - 1977 (Anthropology)
B.A., Barnard College - 1969 (Anthropology)
Areas of Expertise:
Levin, a medical anthropologist with training in public health, is best known for research on ethical issues in neonatal intensive care. She has studied other ethical issues in pediatrics, HIV/AIDS, palliative care, public health and "urban bioethics" (race, class and urbanicity). Active in national professional associations (AAA, ASBH and APHA), she has promoted transdisciplinary work in the social sciences, bioethics, medicine and public health. Her current focus is public health ethics.
Books and Publications
"Data on Inequalities in Mortality: From Local to Global." Unequal Before Death. Eds. C. Staudt, and M. Block. Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom: Cambridge Scholarly Press. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2012
"Response to Commentary by Jay Cohn, MD" (letter to the editor). Journal of Cardiac Failure. In press. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2012
Kirsch, B. and B.W. Levin. "Heart Failure: Can You Think of a Better Name?" Journal of Cardiac Failure 18.3: 173-74. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2012
Gordon, E.J. and B.W. Levin. "Contextualizing Ethical Dilemmas: Ethnography for Bioethics." Empirical Methods for Bioethics. Eds. L. Jacoby and L.J. Siminoff. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Also published in Advances in Bioethics 11: 83-116. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2008
Nakashima, Masaaki and Betty Levin. "Shaping End of Life Policy in Japan in the Shadow of American Bioethics." Abstracts and oral presentation. 107th Annual Meetings of the American Anthropological Association. San Francisco, Nov. 19-23. (Books and Publications: Abstract) 2008
Browner, C.H. and B.W. Levin, co-editors. "The Social Production of Health: Critical Contributions from Evolutionary, Biological and Cultural Anthropology." Special issue, Social Science and Medicine 61: 745-879. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2005
Levin, B.W. and C.H. Browner. "The Social Production of Health: Critical Contributions from Evolutionary, Biological and Cultural Anthropology" introduction. Social Science and Medicine 61: 745-50. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2005
Levin, B.W. and A.R. Fleischman. "Public Health and Bioethics: Benefits of Collaboration." American Journal of Public Health 92.2: 165-67. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2002
Fleischman, A.R., B.W. Levin and S.A. Meekin. "Bioethics in the Urban Context." Journal of Urban Health 78.1: 2-6. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2001
Siegler, E.L. and B.W. Levin. "Physician-Older Patient Communication at the End of Life." Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 16.1: 175-204. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2000
"Adolescents and Medical Decision Making: Observations of a Medical Anthropologist." The Adolescent Alone. Eds. J. Bluestein, N. Dubler and C. Levine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 160-79. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 1999
Levin, B.W. and M.E. Northridge. "Why Public Health Matters." American Journal of Public Health 89: 1630-31. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1999
Levin, B.W. and N.G. Schiller. "Social Class and Medical Decision Making: A Neglected Topic in Bioethics." Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 7: 41-56. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1998
"Ethical Perspectives." Beyond the 4th Dimension: Assuring Quality Health Care for Moms and Babies. Proceedings of the Scientific Summit 1997. Arlington, Va.: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 1997
"Beyond Drive-Thru Deliveries." The Hastings Center Report 26.5: 43. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1996
"Physician Attitudes and Decision-Making about the Withdrawal of Life Support" invited annotation. American Journal of Public Health 85.3: 306-07. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 1995
Levin, B.W., D.H. Krantz, J.M. Driscoll and A.R. Fleischman. "HIV and Decision-Making about Treatment of Non-HIV Related Conditions: A Survey of Neonatologists." American Journal of Public Health 85.11: 1507-13. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1995
Levin, B.W., J.M. Driscoll and A.R. Fleischman. "Treatment Choice for Infants in the NICU at Risk for AIDS." Journal of the American Medical Association 265.22: 2976-81. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1991
"International Perspectives on Decision-Making in Neonatal Intensive Care." Social Science and Medicine 30.8: 901-12. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1990
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
"Corporations and Public Health" session moderator. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. Oct. 30 - Nov. 2. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2011
"Medicine, Law and Policy: Framing Debates" oral session organizer and chair. American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. Montreal, Nov. 16-20. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2011
Levin, B. and N. Reiss. "Revising the Cannon: Ongoing Debates Relating to Organ Donation." American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. Montreal, Nov. 16-20. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2011
"From Local to Global: Social Origins of Disparities in Mortality." Unequal Before Death Conference, organized by the Columbia University Seminar on Death. March 20. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2010
"Anthropological Approaches to Bioethics: Critiques and Collaborations" discussant. Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Philadelphia, Dec. 2-6. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
"Exploring Health and Economic Marginalities in a New Era of Global Capitalism" discussant. Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Philadelphia, Dec. 2-6. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
"Scientific Session: Public Health and Social Justice" moderator. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association. Philadelphia, Nov. 8-11. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
"Pandemics, Epidemics and Public Health Ethics. Public Health Without Borders" moderator. 136th Annual Meetings of the American Public Health Organization. San Diego, Oct. 25-29. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2008
"Biomedicine and Kinship at the End of Life: Changing Conceptions, Changing Practices." Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association. San Jose, Calif., Nov. 15-19. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2006
"Health Care for People, Not Profit?" session chairwoman. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association. Boston, November 4-8. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2006
Levin, Betty W. and Margaret Souza. "Anthropologists, Kinship Work and Research: From Birth to Death." World on the Edge - Joint Meetings of the Society for Medical Anthropology and the Society for Applied Anthropology. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, March 28-April 2. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2006
Professional Leadership
Chairwoman, Goldmann Student Paper Award Committee, 2009-12. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2012
Executive board member, Public Health Association of New York City, 1997-2003, 2006-12. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2012
Member, Student and Program Committee, 2009-12. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2012
Representative to the APHA Governing Council, 2010-12. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2012
Public Health Association of New York City Executive Board member (1997-2003, 2006-09); chairwoman, Awards Committee; member, Student and Program Committee (2009); representative to the APHA Governing Council (2010-11). (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2010
Executive Committee, CUNY School of Public Health. 2009-present. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2009
Executive Committee, Health Science Doctoral Program; Graduate Council Representative, D.P.H., CUNY Graduate Center, 2007-present. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2009
Member, Governing Council, Public Health Association of New York City, American Public Health Association. Elected 2009 for 2010-11. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2009
American Public Health Association Ethics Forum Program Committee (1989, 1991-99, 2004-05, 2007); Medical Care, program co-chairwoman, Social Science and Public Health (2007 and 2008). (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2008
Founding member, Pediatrics Bioethics Committee, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York Presbyterian Hospital,1984-present. (Professional Leadership: Public Service) 2008
Strategic Planning Committee, School of Public Health, City University of New York, 2006-08. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008
Reviewer, Public Policy, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2007
Abstract reviewer, AIDS Caucus, American Public Health Association, 2005-present. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2006
Chairwoman, Social Science Subcommittee, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2006
Reviewer, Social Science, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2005
Vice president, Public Health Association of New York, 2000-03. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2003
Abstract reviewer, AIDS Caucus, American Public Health Association. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2002
Chairwoman, Member Survey Committee, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, 2000-present. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2002
Founding department editor, "Public Health Matters," American Journal of Public Health, 1999-2002. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2002
Chairwoman, Program Committee/reviewer, Race and Culture Subcommittee, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2001
Member, Governing Council, American Public Health Association, 1995-present. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 1998
Chairwoman, American Public Health Association. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 1993
Program chairwoman, American Public Health Association. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 1992
Pedagogical Achievements
Levin, Betty and Anahi Validrich. Developed a new course at the CUNY Graduate Center, Public Health 811, Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Public Health: Theory and Method. 2008
