In celebration of Italian American Heritage Month, we continue to recognize the economic, cultural, political, and social contributions of notable immigrants and refugees who’ve helped shape America’s vibrant tapestry. Today, we spotlight Nobel Prize-winning neurobiologist Rita Levi-Montalcini.
Born in Turin, Italy, in 1909, Levi-Montalcini started her career there before joining Washington University in St. Louis as a research associate in 1947, eventually gaining American citizenship.
Although inspired by the arts as a child, Levi-Montalcini defied social norms and enrolled in medical school at the University of Turin. After earning her medical degree in 1936, she worked as a research assistant studying the nervous system until her academic career was interrupted by World War II.
As WWII raged on, Levi-Montalcini was not deterred from her passion and established a laboratory in her bedroom to study the growth of nerve fibers in chicken embryos – the blueprints for much of her further research. When Nazi Germany invaded Italy in 1943, she and her family fled south to Florence to avoid being targeted for their Jewish heritage. Even though she herself had little protection under the Nazi occupation, she volunteered her medical expertise to care for those injured in the war. The family returned to Turin in 1945, and shortly after, Washington University in St. Louis offered Levi-Montalcini the opportunity of a lifetime: a research fellowship.
Although intended to last only a single semester, the university offered Rita a full-time research position for her outstanding work, one she went on to hold for 30 years.
During her tenure at Washington University, she made groundbreaking discoveries studying nerve growth factors, a concept that has broadened the field of cancer research since its discovery. Levi-Montalcini was appointed as a full professor in 1958, and by 1962, she opened and operated a second laboratory in Rome while simultaneously teaching and researching in St. Louis.
Levi-Montalcini was honored with countless awards and accolades for her commitment to the field of neurobiology. Most notably, she and her collaborator, Stanley Cohen, received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1986 and, in 1987, the National Medal of Science. In 2001, she was appointed Senator for life by the President of Italy, recognizing her humanitarian work alongside her scientific prowess.
Rita Levi-Montalcini’s considerable contributions to medicine, neurobiology, and scientific research spanned a lifetime, as she continued to both teach and practice medicine into retirement and remained active until she died in 2012.
