Leah Lowenstein

Leah Miriam Hiller was born on June 17, 1930, to Sarah Hiller in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She had three sisters. Lowenstein completed her B.S. at the University of Wisconsin. As a semiprofessional cellist, Lowenstein completed most of medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health on a music scholarship. She was awarded the funds for four years and it went unnoticed by the university when she enrolled in medical school during her third year. She earned extra money by playing in a string trio. Completing her doctor of medicine in 1954, she was one of only three women in her medical class. Lowenstein was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed her internship at the UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. Lowenstein was a research associate in the department of anatomy at the University of Oxford for three years, where she earned a DPhil at Somerville College in 1958. She completed a residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 1959. In 1960, she completed a fellowship in renal and metabolic diseases at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Tufts. == Career ==

Lowenstein was an attending physician at Boston Medical Center and a physician-in-chief at Boston City Hospital (BCH). She was the medical director of the alcohol research unit at Harvard Medical School and BCH. Lowenstein held academic positions at the Tufts University School of Medicine and the Thorndike Memorial Laboratory of Harvard Medical School. In 1974, she became assistant dean and was promoted to associate dean and professor of medicine and biochemistry in 1977. Lowenstein succeeded interim dean Frank D. Gray Jr. who replaced William Kellow following his death. She began on July 1, 1982, and worked at JMC for 18 months. Lowenstein was an advocate for women in medicine. == Personal life ==

Lowenstein was married to English biochemist John Lowenstein. They moved to England in the late 1950s while he worked at the University of Oxford. He later taught at Brandeis University upon their return to New England. They have three sons, Charles J. Lowenstein MD, Andrew Lowenstein, and Marc Lowenstein. Lowenstein was Jewish. == Awards and honors ==

Lowenstein was a member of the Institute of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She served as president of the New England Chapter of the American Medical Women's Association in the 1970s. In 1983, she received an alumni award from University of Wisconsin for her service to medicine and medical education, leadership, and commitment to the scientific community. == Selected works ==