The Authors
Lawrence P. Levitt, M.D.
Larry is a retired neurologist and co-author of “Neurology for the House Officer,” an invaluable resource for medical students and residents that has been translated into eight languages. Larry is a graduate of Weill Cornell Medicine and trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Bellevue Hospital and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
As a member of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, a division of the CDC, he was among the first to administer children’s immunizations for measles. Upon moving to Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the 1970s, he founded the neurology division at Lehigh Valley Hospital and served as a Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trustee, helping to establish the first hospice in Pennsylvania, along with a regional trauma program and a burn center. He is also the co-author of “Uncommon Wisdom: True Tales of What Our Lives As Doctors Have Taught Us About Love, Faith and Healing,” which draws connections between doctors and patients.
Larry was married to the incomparable Eva Levitt for 61 years and was continuously inspired by her family’s story of survival. He is thrilled to partner with Stephanie Smartschan, a passionate writer and editor, to share this story with the world. He hopes it will be an inspiration to the wider community, but most especially to his and Eva’s three children, Adam, Marc, and Lora, and their six grandchildren.
Stephanie Smartschan
Stephanie is an award-winning journalist turned marketing and development professional. She got her start working for the Boston Globe while a student at Northeastern University and went on to write for the Cape Cod Times newspaper, covering everything from casinos to courts, nuclear power plants to religion.
For ten years, she worked for the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley as director of marketing and it was through this role that she met Eva Levitt, who served as president for two years, and her husband Larry, who never left the office without telling a good joke.
Stephanie was verklempt – overwhelmed with emotion – when Eva and Larry asked her to co-write this book and shared their story so openly. She did so in her “free” time, as she continues to work full time for Jewish nonprofits while raising two beautiful daughters, Emma and Lily, along with her husband Adam and their dogs Macon and Gus in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Speaking Engagements & Media
The co-authors of “Evitchka” are available for speaking and media engagements. Contact them for more information.