Rita Levi-Montalcini Biography

Rita Levi-Montalcini was an Italian American neurologist who won a share of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Renowned for her work in neurobiology, she is credited to have revolutionized the study of neural development through her work. Her research in cell growth and nerve networks paved the way for further investigations which shed new light on the treatment of diseases like dementia and cancer. The daughter of a Jewish engineer and mathematician, she grew up in a loving home with an intellectually stimulating environment. Her father was a conservative person, and as was the norm in the early 20th century Italy, he discouraged his daughters from pursuing professional careers. However Rita was an intelligent and rebellious young woman who chose to become a doctor despite her father’s initial opposition. She entered the University of Turin and graduated with a summa cum laude degree in Medicine and Surgery. The 1930s marked a politically tumultuous period in Italy and Jews were barred from academic and professional careers. Forced into hiding during the German occupation of Italy during the World War II, she moved to the United States after the war and established a successful career as a neurologist. She frequently returned to her motherland and helped establish the Institute of Cell Biology in Rome and became its first director.