The world has lost a wonderfully kind, generous, and compassionate man whose gifts of intellectual curiosity and methodological discipline were matched only by his devoted mentorship of countless individuals and dedication to his faith. He will be truly missed across our communities.

This video was taken when Bob and I visited the local Chabad house during the LeDucq MVP meeting in Nantes, France (2010). Bob was an outstanding scientist who made major contributions to our understanding of heart valve biology. He was also a remarkable mentor to many cardiologists and researchers around the world. Above all, he was a kind, generous, and caring person. To many of us, he was not only a mentor, but also a true friend. He stayed in close contact and continued to collaborate with his fellows, supporting and nurturing our success even long after we had left Boston. He leaves behind a very big gap and will be deeply missed.

Bob has been a constant and enthusiastic inspiration, friend and support since I first worked with him at the CFM Lab at Georgia Tech in 1997.

Heartfelt sympathy to the family of Dr. Levine. He was so kind and treated everyone with great respect. It was a pleasure to work with him at MGH.

Dr Levine was one of my research advisers when I was doing my PhD at GaTech in 1990. I remember spending long hours in the lab with him. He was passionate, enthusiastic, and full of kindness. May he rest in peace.

I have fond memories of Robert Levine as a fine gentleman. He possessed rare qualities I considered admirable, which I still wish to emulate. May his memory be a blessing.

Canadian Society of Echocardiography, Toronto, Canada May 1-2, 2025 

Remembering Dr. Bob Levine - always bringing people together through passion for excellence in cardiovascular education.

Dear Bob, 
I will never forget the countless moments we spent working together, and I will forever cherish the memory of your extraordinary achievements.  RIP. 
L. Jiang

Dr Levine was an extraordinary man. A gifted teacher and brilliant clinician-scientist who moved the needle of cardiovascular care and trained countless echocardiography specialists around the world. It was an honour and pleasure to have known him and have been mentored by him. He was a kind, gentle and thoughtful man who uplifted all around him. I learnt so much from him. He will be dearly missed. Thoughts and best wishes to his loved ones at this most difficult time. 

Associate Professor Mayooran Namasivayam 
Sydney, Australia

The world has lost another wonderful teacher, mentor and human being.  No matter how long we would struggle to get images on a technically limited echo, and how bad we felt about the poor quality of the exam, Bob always displayed enthusiasm and found helpful information from our limited scans so we Sonographers never felt our endeavers were without  value.  I was privileged to learn from and work with Bob for 6.5 years, and continued with an Echo career I 
could not have imagined when I first came to MGH.   Rest in Peace, Dr. Levine.

Dr. Levine was an incredible mind in cardiovascular research, but to those of us lucky enough to know him, his true legacy is the people he inspired. I am so grateful to be one of the many students deeply moved by his brilliance, kindness, and passion for medicine.

This photo captures a memory I will always cherish, the day we met in person. Even though our time working together was cut tragically short, the passion he sparked in me for cardiology will stay with me forever. He didn’t just teach us to be better researchers, he taught us to look at medicine with real curiosity and hope. Dr. Levine will be deeply missed, but his spirit will live on in all the students he guided.

With deepest sympathy, 

Eduardo Vallejo 
UFMG medical student
Brazil

Bob Levine was a remarkable human being; I was fortunate to know him and to interact with him on many occasions. I remember, clearly, the 8th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), held in Orlando FL. Bob was the Program Chair and I was concluding my two-year term as the ASE President. Bob was responsible for inviting and looking after the excellent faculty, but the two most important people he included were his mother and father! I remember watching them kvell [a Yiddish term that means "to beam with intense pride and joy"] over their son. Bob had lots of responsibilities and was able ... as usual ... to do many things well, at once, but he paid particular attention to his parents. The kvelling went both ways!

As others have noted, Bob was brilliant, a superb teacher able to explain complex topics in clear and simple terms. Echocardiography, and cardiovascular medicine, and our patients, have been the beneficiaries of his work. Perhaps more importantly, from my perspective, is Bob's modesty. In an era when self-promotion is common, and where some judge their worth based on how many online "followers" they have, Bob did not tell others how smart and accomplished he was. He simply demonstrated this by the way he lived. He was a gracious human being.

Bob was a true mensch, and I will miss him. May his memory be a blessing and an inspiration.

Alan S. Pearlman MD, FASE
Seattle

Dear Dr. Robert Levine,

It was truly an honor to meet you last year and to have the opportunity to organize the PRIMA study meeting in Brazil. Those were remarkable days, filled with meaningful exchanges and unforgettable moments that I will always carry with me.

I am deeply grateful for the experience and for the chance to work alongside such an inspiring leader and researcher.

With great respect, I keep you in my thoughts and prayers. May your memory be a blessing.

Thank you for everything.

Warm regards,
Edleusa Lima

On behalf of the LABIC research group in Brazil, we express our sincere condolences on the loss of Dr. Levine. We are grateful for the opportunity to have collaborated with him and to have benefited from his insight, wisdom, and dedication to scientific excellence.

His legacy will remain present in the knowledge he shared. May his memory be a blessing to his family, colleagues, and all those whose lives he touched.

I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Levine last year during the Listen to My Heart event, affiliated with the PRIMA project, in Brazil. Dr. Levine was undoubtedly a brilliant man, endowed with unparalleled curiosity and spirit, always willing to teach and mentor the students who sought his guidance. He will be remembered for his dedication, commitment, and enthusiastic spirit toward medicine and cardiology. We have undoubtedly lost a brilliant physician and a great mentor. May we, the future generation of professionals, carry his teachings forward in our daily practice.

Bob was the scientific mentor we should all aspire to be: curious, passionate, engaging, generous. He shaped my career in ways no one else was able to do. He cared about his mentees almost as if they were family. Most of us were from abroad, starting in a unfamiliar country, intimidated by the prestige of MGH. He made us feel welcome, constantly valued our ideas and work, and influenced us deeply. Bob was truly special and will always be in my heart.

I had the opportunity to meet Dr.Levine in Brazil last year through the PRIMA project. A curious gentleman, dedicated to science. At the group's celebration event, he was with everyone present, meeting, listening and showing interest and affection. It was an honor to be able to work under your leadership. May your legacy remain, we will stay here, continuing the project for you!

Dear friends,

This very sad news came as a true earthquake to me. I have known Robert since 1998, and we never lost touch.

As a fellow at MGH, I had the privilege of learning echocardiography from him during memorable reading sessions, day and night. He elevated echocardiography to an extremely sophisticated physiologic tool for understanding and treating heart disease. He was an outstanding teacher, mentor, and person. He did not simply teach from his chair—he gave you the tools to become an independent researcher and physician and at your turn a teacher.

He was also a remarkable writer, mastering the English language and playing with words and intonation during his exceptional scientific presentations, with an unequaled didactic skill. He would spend hours refining a figure or diagram to ensure it conveyed exactly the right message.

Born and raised in New York, he was also a true Bostonian, with the curiosity and ingenuity that characterize that city. He had an exceptionally open mind toward all people and cultures.

His legacy as an extraordinary mentor, physician, and researcher is already alive in the many fellows who have gone on to become leaders in cardiology around the world, maintaining a strong and lasting connection to the MGH echo lab family and to their mentor.

On a personal level, as mentioned in the MGH obituary, we shared a deep connection to Orthodox Jewish faith. He was a true friend, joining us for holidays and Shabbat at my home in Boston and later in Paris, sharing our joys—weddings and bar mitzvahs—and our sorrows, He was truly part of our family. All members of the Messas family—uncles, aunts, and cousins—knew and loved him, and deeply appreciated his intelligence, kindness, and profound knowledge of Jewish tradition.

His outstanding intellect, his smile, his kindness, and his love for all humanity will be deeply missed by me and my entire family.

May his memory be a blessing for all of of us.

Best regards
Emmanuel Messas

I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Prof. Robert Levine. It was a great honour to work under his leadership in the PRIMA Study. He truly believed in me and in the entire Tanzania team, and his encouragement inspired us greatly. We will deeply miss his guidance, enthusiasm, and unwavering passion for advancing the field of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. My sincere condolences to his family and colleagues during this difficult time.

Fond reminiscences of a very  sweet person; 
May his memory be blessed.

Rob was also an active member in many of our School's Clubs:  
Chess, Science, Cantorial Club (he was also a Megillah reader). Talmud, Service Squad, Bowl team, Senior Ateret, Service Squad and was on the Staff of the Pioneer Year Book.

2007 Leducq meeting in Paris-FR : Bob with... Dan Gilon, Emmanuel Messas,  Dan Judge, Chip Norris,  Sue Slaugenhaupt, Alain Carpentier, Magdi Yacoub, and Albert Hagège..

Mark Handschumacher, Robert Levine, Luis Guererro - the amazing collaborators who contributed so much as a team to the scientific community

Young Bob Levine at Parade with his family

Even early on, it was obvious that Robert was operating on a different level. There was a clarity and depth to the way he understood things that set him apart, and you could tell he was going to leave a real mark.

His work on the mitral valve truly changed the way we look at it. He didn’t just add knowledge; he reframed the way people think about the anatomy and function, and that impact is felt everywhere. At the same time, he was an exceptional teacher. He mentored and tutored so many people, always with patience, clarity, and a genuine desire to help others understand. People didn’t just learn from him, they felt supported by him.

He carried all of that knowledge without ego. He treated people with respect, with patience, with a kind of steady kindness that never depended on who you were or what you knew. There was nothing performative about it just a genuine decency that stayed consistent.

He loved learning Torah, and it showed. Not in words, but in how he lived, thoughtful, grounded, and serious about what matters. And he also loved music, which somehow fitsthere was something harmonious in the way he thought and moved through the world.

It’s rare to see someone reach that level of professional greatness and remain, at the same time, such a true mensch.

That’s how he will be remembered.

May his memory be a blessing.

I lived in the same condo complex as Robert. He was always such a pleasure to run into and always made me feel that he was happy to see me. He always said "Debra...Hello!. He was such a a kind man and, although I did not know him well, I know he was committed to family, friends, work, the condo community, and his religious community.

MGH Echo conference -Judy Hung, Arthur E Weyman, Jane Marshall, guest speaker Leng Jiang, Robert Levine - photo provided by Leng Jiang

Vintage MGH Echo Lab Photo provided by Leng Jiang

A meaningful moment with Dr. Levine and a family whose child was diagnosed with acute rheumatic fever. He was devoted to improving the lives of children affected by this disease.

Dr. Levine at a cardiology meeting in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where many cardiologists gathered to hear his inspiring lecture. He also gave an interview about the PRIMA project, aimed at identifying biomarkers for the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever. A brilliant scientist whose legacy we will always cherish.

Scientists, fellows, students… sharing this lovely memory of Dr Levine’s visit to Brazil in July 2025.

Dr Levine with the Leducq-PRIMA network members (all of us) at the Federal University os Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  Our gratitude to Dr Levine for bringing us together and leading us in this project.

Dr Levine with the Leducq-PRIMA network members (clinical science) at the Federal University os Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Dr Levine with the Leducq-PRIMA network members (basic science) at the Federal University os Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

OBITUARY

Dr. Robert A. Levine

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