Gerald S. Levey, vice chancellor of medical sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will deliver the keynote address at the UCLA School of Dentistry's 40th commencement ceremony, at Royce Hall on Sunday, June 3, at 10 a.m.

Levey is a nationally recognized leader in both academic medicine and private sector medical affairs. An internist and endocrinologist, he is widely known for his research on the thyroid gland and the heart. Additionally, Levey takes a particular interest in issues of the nation's physician supply and the role of generalist physicians. 

"I am looking forward to Dr. Levey's remarks," said No-Hee Park, dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry.  "Commencement 2007 marks the 40th time that UCLA is graduating dentistry's newest leaders, and I know that Dr. Levey will honor the occasion with inspiring thoughts regarding our graduates' opportunities and responsibilities as new members of the professional health community." 

At the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Levey holds the academic rank of professor of medicine in the department of medicine. As vice chancellor of medical sciences, he oversees a diverse medical enterprise, including the medical school, UCLA Medical Center, the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA.

Levey joined UCLA in September 1994. He previously served as senior vice president for medical and scientific affairs at Merck & Co., one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies.

Levey has held major leadership positions throughout his career, including having served as chair of the department of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 1979 to 1991. He is past president of the Association of Professors of Medicine, was a member of the board of governors of the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a member of the Association of American Physicians. Levey is a member of the medical honorary society Alpha Omega Alpha and was a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator while at the University of Miami (1971–78) and received his mastership from the American College of Physicians in 1997.

The UCLA School of Dentistry is dedicated to improving the oral health of the people of California, the nation and the world and has established an international reputation for its teaching, research, patient care and public service initiatives. The school provides education and training programs that develop leaders in dental education, research, the profession and the community; conducts research programs that generate new knowledge, promote oral health and investigate the cause, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral disease; and delivers patient‑centered oral health care to the community and state. For more information, visit http://uclasod.dent.ucla.edu.

UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 300 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

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