Dr. Mike Levitt has been named the holder of the Arthur A. Ward Endowed Professorship in Neurological Surgery. Dr. Levitt exemplifies the commitment to clinical work and the understanding that the neurosurgical clinical environment affords opportunities to understand human physiology and disease in which we are obliged to engage. He is a well-funded investigator, Associate Residency Program Director and a nationally recognized leader in the treatment of cerebrovascular disease using endovascular techniques. He is a leader in the department and at Harborview Medical Center.
The Ward Professorship was established in 1987 through the Regional Excellence campaign which was conducted jointly by the School of Medicine and University Hospital to raise funds sufficient to endow several professorships and chairs at the University. Included among these was the Arthur A. Ward Professorship in Neurological Surgery, named in honor of the first chair of the Neurosurgery Department and director of the Epilepsy Center in Seattle.
Arthur A. Ward, Jr., born in Manipay, Ceylon, received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from Yale University. After serving an internship at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, New York and a residency at Montreal Neurological Institute in Canada, he became an instructor of neurosurgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. In 1948, Dr. Ward joined the University of Washington faculty as assistant professor of surgery and was subsequently promoted to associate professor and then to professor. In 1965, he was appointed the first chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery and served in this capacity until 1981. He retired in 1986 and passed away in 1997.
Dr. Ward, an internationally acclaimed expert in epilepsy, was instrumental in establishing the Regional Epilepsy Center at Harborview Medical Center. He served as president of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons and held offices and memberships in many other professional organizations and societies. He also served on the editorial boards of several prestigious journals related to the field of neurological science.