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John E. Castaldo, chief of neurology at Lehigh Valley Hospital, and Lawrence P. Levitt, Sr., consultant in neurology emeritus at Lehigh Valley Hospital, will discuss their book The Man with the Iron Tattoo noon Tuesday, March 20 in Oechsle Hall, room 224.
Interested students must RSVP by Monday, March 19 to June Thompson, coordinator of Scholars and Health Professions programs, at x5521 or email. A pizza lunch will be provided. All students exploring a career in medicine or anyone with an interest in healthcare are invited to attend.
Copies of The Man with the Iron Tattoo are available in the College Bookstore. The authors will be available to sign copies of the book following their lecture.
Castaldo and Levitt will discuss how unconventional medicine and a kind bedside manner can be the best course of treatment, saving the human spirit as well as a life. Through anecdotes from their medical careers, the doctors weave fascinating and touching lessons on healing. Their book reflects on where in medicine the roles of technology and science end and the role of the spirit begins.
“This is a chance to listen to and ask questions of physicians who are reflecting quite explicitly on their practice,” says Stephen Lammers, Manson Professor of Religious Studies and coordinator of the Healthcare and Society program. “If students can see themselves doing the same kind of reflection with the same kind of passion, then they might just be good candidates for medical school.”
Castaldo has conducted neuroscience research for 20 years and leads the nationally recognized Lehigh Valley Hospital Stroke Center. He is a professor of clinical medicine (neurology) at Penn State College of Medicine and has published numerous articles on cerebrovascular disease. He received the Cardiovascular/Neurovascular Care Award from the American Heart Association for his clinical work.
Levitt founded the neurology division at Lehigh Valley Hospital and assisted in the effort to transform the hospital into the largest teaching hospital in Pennsylvania. He is a professor of clinical medicine (neurology) at Penn State College of Medicine. He also is coauthor of Neurology, one of the nation’s most popular neurology texts. The book, now in its seventh edition, has been translated into eight foreign languages.
Thompson has personal experience with Castaldo, who treated her daughter after she had a stroke.
“Our family is forever grateful to Dr. John E. Castaldo, who came to my daughter’s bedside at the Lehigh Valley Hospital emergency room when she suffered her first stroke three years ago,” she says. “As a result of his timely arrival, immediate diagnosis to her condition, sensitivity to our family’s distress, and commitment to compile a team of intensive care unit physicians for her to receive 24-hour care, she has made a full recovery with no residual stroke symptoms. He is truly a blessing to our family.”
The lecture is sponsored by the Healthcare and Society and Health Professions programs.