Dr. Susan Levenstein, a primary care doctor and internist, left New York City in 1978 – trading in the East River for the Tiber River. In Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome, Dr. Levenstein lets us in on what it has been like to practice medicine in Rome over the past forty years – how universal healthcare and a healthy lifestyle helps Italians counterbalance the shortcomings of their healthcare system such as inconsistencies in care and medical training.
“From Michelangelo to Giotto, Saint Mark’s to the Trevi Fountain, backstreets like movie sets, women with perfect earrings, men with their shirts half unbuttoned…I loved how workmen burst into song, how children ran around in restaurants, and especially how all of a sudden, abracadabra, it was April in Rome, with a non-stop soundtrack of screaming swallows, and there had been no winter.”
Dr. Susan Levenstein in Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome
Dottoressa is also a tribute to Rome, a city with which she fell in love and continues to love more than 40 years later. She shares her favorite elements of Roman life and leaves you in awe – “From Michelangelo to Giotto, Saint Mark’s to the Trevi Fountain, backstreets like movie sets, women with perfect earrings, men with their shirts half unbuttoned…I loved how you could eat spaghetti every night and never get tired, how workmen burst into song, how children ran around in restaurants, and especially how all of a sudden, abracadabra it was April in Rome, with a non-stop soundtrack of screaming swallows, and there had been no winter.”
When she is not caring for monks, ambassadors, and study abroad students, Dr. Susan Levenstein can be found blogging at Stethoscope on Rome, playing the piano, and enjoying the view of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum from her balcony.
Contains affiliate links – thank you for supporting the website.
Dr. Ashwini Bapat is a palliative care physician, Founder and CEO of EpioneMD, which provides virtual advanced care planning and serious illness coaching to individuals and telepalliative care consultation to healthcare organizations. She resides in Portugal.
