Bernard Lewinsky

Last updated

Bernard Lewinsky
Born
Bernard Salomon Lewinsky

(1943-01-10) January 10, 1943 (age 81)
San Salvador, El Salvador
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley
University of Oregon
University of California, Irvine
Occupation(s)Physician, medical researcher
Spouses
Marcia Kaye Vilensky
(m. 1969;div. 1987)
Barbara Lynn Lerner
(m. 1987)
Children2, including Monica

Bernard Salomon Lewinsky [1] (born January 10, 1943 [2] ) is a Salvadoran-born American physician and medical researcher. He is also a photographer, and many of his photographs are displayed at medical offices. He organized a legal defense fund for his daughter Monica during an inquiry into her relationship with President Bill Clinton.

Contents

Early life and education

Lewinsky's parents, Susi and George Lewinsky, were German Jews who left Germany in the 1920s, and settled in El Salvador. [3] [4] His mother was from Hamburg. [4] Both of them were highly involved in the arts, with his mother being a landscape painter and his father a violinist. [5] Lewinsky was born in San Salvador. [6] During his childhood, Lewinsky was interested in photography, but after the family moved to the United States in 1957 when he was 14, he turned to medicine. His interest in photography renewed in 1987, when he began using photographs in his radiology practice and going to photography workshops. [7] [8] In 1976, he joined the Sinai Temple. [9]

Lewinsky attended the University of California, Berkeley, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in biology. He next attended the University of Oregon for a Master of Science in biology in 1965. Finally, he received his medical degree in 1969 at the University of California, Irvine. His medical internship was at the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. Then he spent two years in the army as Chief of Radiation Therapy Services at the Letterman Army Hospital, for which he was awarded a Commendation Medal. After his schooling and training was complete, he began working in 1977 at the Western Tumor Medical Group as a junior assistant. [5] In 1978 Lewinsky became a partner with the group. That same year, he helped open a new facility in West Hills and in 1990 another facility in Valencia. He has worked with the group ever since, becoming its president in 1994. After the other partners sold their stakes to Lewinsky, he became the sole proprietor. [2] [5]

Medical career

Lewinsky is a board-certified radiation oncologist who is among the top 15% of breast cancer researchers in terms of publication volume, according to Vitals.com. [10] He is the President and owner of West Hills Radiation Therapy Center. [11] Lewinsky is a Fellow of the American College of Radiology and also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura, a cancer support organization. [12]

Lewinsky has studied non-surgical cancer treatments that aim to reduce the number of treatments that patients receive. [13] He has also partnered with a veterinarian oncologist to help treat animals with cancer. [14] Lewinsky has published a number of medical papers in collaboration with several other scientists that focus on breast cancer. [15] [16] [17] He has also been published in various textbooks. [18]

His earliest job in oncology was a residency at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco, California. [9]

Photography

Lewinsky is also an accomplished photographer. [19] [20] His photographs are displayed in a "healing art gallery" at the West Hills radiation therapy center plus 20 medical offices across the country. [6] [21] Lewinsky has published a book of his photographs titled Nature – Our Healing Partner that is primarily aimed at his patients. The proceeds from its sale benefit the American Cancer Society. [22] [5] In January 2002, a number of his works were featured at the G. Ray Hawkins Gallery in an exhibit titled "The Healing Arts". Divided into two parts, one "focus[ed] entirely on work that Lewinsky has done for his treatment center", while the second featured "work borrowed from hospitals across the country"." [7]

In order to learn to be a better photographer, Lewinsky attended workshops by famous photographers such as Howard Bond, John Sexton, Ray McSavaney, and Tom Morse. [23] Lewinsky has stated that one whose photography he attempted to emulate in his early efforts was Ansel Adams. [5]

Personal life

Lewinsky married Marcia Kaye Vilensky (born 1949), his first wife, in 1969. They had two children—Monica, in 1973, and Michael, in 1977. The couple divorced in 1987. [24]

From 19951997, his daughter Monica was involved in a relationship with then-President Bill Clinton. Lewinsky organized a legal defense fund for his daughter, announcing it on the Today Show. [25] In a 1998 CNN interview, he described Monica's defense attorney William H. Ginsburg as a "close friend", and spoke out against government and media scrutiny of his daughter. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Lewinsky</span> American activist and writer (born 1973)

Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American activist. Lewinsky became internationally known in the late 1990s after U.S. President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an affair with her during her days as a White House intern between 1995 and 1997. The affair and its repercussions became known as the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radiation therapy</span> Therapy using ionizing radiation, usually to treat cancer

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is a treatment using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer therapy to either kill or control the growth of malignant cells. It is normally delivered by a linear particle accelerator. Radiation therapy may be curative in a number of types of cancer if they are localized to one area of the body, and have not spread to other parts. It may also be used as part of adjuvant therapy, to prevent tumor recurrence after surgery to remove a primary malignant tumor. Radiation therapy is synergistic with chemotherapy, and has been used before, during, and after chemotherapy in susceptible cancers. The subspecialty of oncology concerned with radiotherapy is called radiation oncology. A physician who practices in this subspecialty is a radiation oncologist.

A radiation oncologist is a specialist physician who uses ionizing radiation in the treatment of cancer. Radiation oncology is one of the three primary specialties, the other two being surgical and medical oncology, involved in the treatment of cancer. Radiation can be given as a curative modality, either alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. It may also be used palliatively, to relieve symptoms in patients with incurable cancers. A radiation oncologist may also use radiation to treat some benign diseases, including benign tumors. In some countries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are controlled by a single oncologist who is a "clinical oncologist". Radiation oncologists work closely with other physicians such as surgical oncologists, interventional radiologists, internal medicine subspecialists, and medical oncologists, as well as medical physicists and technicians as part of the multi-disciplinary cancer team. Radiation oncologists undergo four years of oncology-specific training whereas oncologists who deliver chemotherapy have two years of additional training in cancer care during fellowship after internal medicine residency in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proton therapy</span> Medical Procedure

In medicine, proton therapy, or proton radiotherapy, is a type of particle therapy that uses a beam of protons to irradiate diseased tissue, most often to treat cancer. The chief advantage of proton therapy over other types of external beam radiotherapy is that the dose of protons is deposited over a narrow range of depth; hence in minimal entry, exit, or scattered radiation dose to healthy nearby tissues.

Adjuvant therapy, also known as adjunct therapy, adjuvant care, or augmentation therapy, is a therapy that is given in addition to the primary or initial therapy to maximize its effectiveness. The surgeries and complex treatment regimens used in cancer therapy have led the term to be used mainly to describe adjuvant cancer treatments. An example of such adjuvant therapy is the additional treatment usually given after surgery where all detectable disease has been removed, but where there remains a statistical risk of relapse due to the presence of undetected disease. If known disease is left behind following surgery, then further treatment is not technically adjuvant.

M. Krishnan Nair was an Indian oncologist. He was the founding director of the Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, a director of the S.U.T. Institute of Oncology, and Trivandrum Cancer Center(TCC), part of SUT Royal Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and a professor at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research in Kochi. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri in 2001 for his contributions in the cancer care field.

Virginia v. Cherrix is a 2006 court case in which the Commonwealth of Virginia sued to force Starchild Abraham ("Wolf") Cherrix, aged 16 at the time of the court case, to undergo further conventional medical treatment for a highly treatable form of cancer, Hodgkin disease.

Breast cancer management takes different approaches depending on physical and biological characteristics of the disease, as well as the age, over-all health and personal preferences of the patient. Treatment types can be classified into local therapy and systemic treatment. Local therapy is most efficacious in early stage breast cancer, while systemic therapy is generally justified in advanced and metastatic disease, or in diseases with specific phenotypes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oncology</span> Branch of medicine dealing with, or specializing in, cancer

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (ónkos), meaning "tumor", "volume" or "mass". Oncology is concerned with:

Carlos Alberto Pérez was an American radiation oncologist. He is well known for his contributions to the clinical management of patients, especially those with gynecologic tumors and carcinoma of the prostate, the breast and head and neck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N.E.D.</span>

N.E.D. is an alternative/folk rock band whose members are medical doctors, mostly gynecologists and gynecologic oncologists. Their members are John Bogess, M.D. on lead vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Nimesh Nagarsheth, M.D. on drums and percussion; Robert "Bob" Burger, M.D. on bass, Gizelka David-West, M.D. on vocals; and William Winter, M.D. on guitar and backing vocals. They released their self-titled debut on Motéma Music in 2009, followed by a second album in 2010 titled 6 Degrees. Their songs focus on emotional content and make no explicit references to cancer.

Simon N. Powell is a British cancer researcher and radiation oncologist residing in New York City.

Mildred Vera Peters, OC was a Canadian oncologist and clinical investigator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gorski</span> Science-based medicine advocate

David Henry Gorski is an American surgical oncologist and professor of surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He specializes in breast cancer surgery at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. Gorski is an outspoken skeptic and critic of alternative medicine and the anti-vaccination movement. He writes as Orac at Respectful Insolence and as himself at Science-Based Medicine, where he is the managing editor.

Ralph R. Weichselbaum is an American physician specializing in radiation oncology, a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, Ludwig professor, He is Daniel K. Ludwig Distinguished Service Professor of Radiation Oncology and Chairman, Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and Head of the University of Chicago Center for Radiation Therapy, and the director of the Chicago Tumor Institute. Weichselbaum is also Co- Director of the Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Kodaganur S. Gopinath, MS, FAMS, FRCS (Edin) is an Indian surgical oncologist, known for his pioneering work on oncological research. He is a recipient of many awards including Dr. B. C. Roy Award, considered to be the premier medical honour in the country. The President of India recognised his services to the field of oncology, by awarding him the fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri, in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Ainscough</span> Journalist, cancer patient and alternative medicine blogger

Jessica Ainscough was an Australian teen magazine editor who became a writer and wellness entrepreneur following a rare cancer diagnosis at the age of 22. Ainscough went by the self-coined nickname "The Wellness Warrior" and used her popular blog by the same name to share her personal story of using alternative cancer treatments. Ainscough died of her untreated cancer at the age of 29.

Richard Margolese, MD, CM FRCS (C), is a Canadian scientist and has been a leader of multiple research studies that have changed the standard treatment for early-stage breast cancer. He is a native of Montreal, Canada.

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University is a nonprofit cancer research and patient care center based in Atlanta, Georgia. Winship Cancer Institute is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Georgia.

Lori Jo Pierce is an American radiation oncologist and 57th President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She is a Full Professor and Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the use of radiotherapy in the multi-modality treatment of breast cancer, with emphasis on intensity modulated radiotherapy in node positive breast cancer, the use of radiosensitizing agents, and the outcomes of women treated with radiation for breast cancer who are carriers of a BRCA1/2 breast cancer susceptibility gene.

References

  1. Yglesias, Linda; Richard T. Pienciak (February 1, 1998). "Monica: Making of a Temptress". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Linda Boone Hunt (December 2000). "Picture of loyalty" (PDF). Modern Physician. 4 (12): 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  3. "Deaths: Miriam Meyerowitz". J. The Jewish News of Northern California . July 26, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Morton, Andrew (1999). Monica's Story. Macmillan. p. 15. ISBN   978-0-312-97362-9.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Margie Anne Clark (December 2006 – January 2007). "In Ansel's Footsteps: A Doctor's Approach to Healing" (PDF). Élite. Prime Publications: 32–34. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Heller, Rachel (March 11, 2009). "Doctor Calms Radiation Fears With Nature Photos". Jewish Journal . Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  7. 1 2 Nodecker, Natalie (December 2001). "Healing Nature" (PDF). American Photo. Bonnier Group: 17–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  8. Pooley, Eric (March 2, 1998). "Monica's World". Time . Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Tugend, Tom (January 30, 1998). "L.A. temple fends off Lewinsky inquiries". Jweekly . Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  10. "Bernard S Lewinsky, MD". Vitals.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  11. "Bernard S. Lewinsky, MD, FACR – Medical Director & Radiation Oncologist". West Hills Radiation Therapy Center. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  12. "Medical Advisory Board". The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  13. Dador, Denise (March 16, 2010). "Cancer patients excited about new treatments". KABC-TV . Archived from the original on April 13, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  14. "Lewinsky Dad Using His Clinic To Treat Cancer In Animals". The Philadelphia Inquirer . September 3, 1999. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  15. Melvin J. Silverstein; Michael D. Lagios; Pamela H. Craig; James R. Waisman; Bernard S. Lewinsky; William J. Colburn; David N. Poller & M.C.R.Path (December 6, 1998). "A prognostic index for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast". Cancer . 77 (11). John Wiley & Sons: 2267–2274. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19960601)77:11<2267::AID-CNCR13>3.0.CO;2-V . PMID   8635094. S2CID   5822088.
  16. Silverstein MJ, Lagios MD, Groshen S, Waisman JR, Lewinsky BS, Martino S, Gamagami P, Colburn WJ (May 13, 1999). "The influence of margin width on local control of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast". The New England Journal of Medicine . 340 (19). Massachusetts Medical Society: 1455–1461. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199905133401902 . PMID   10320383.
  17. Peter J. Howe (May 13, 1999). "Rethinking radiation after a breast surgery". Boston Globe . Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  18. Silberman, Howard; Silberman, Allan W. (2009). Principles and Practice of Surgical Oncology: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Difficult Problems. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 219–228. ISBN   978-0-7817-6546-6 . Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  19. "Monica Lewinsky's Dad: Dr. Bernard Lewinsky". Delicious Day. November 24, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  20. Rubright, Linda (July 14, 2009). "We Wish More Doctors Were Like Dr. Bernard Lewinsky". WaitingroomMagazine.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  21. "Health Calendar". Los Angeles Daily News . July 9, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  22. Dador, Denise. "Cancer doc heals through photography". ABC News . Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  23. Avi Amiel & Jeremy Rosenberg. "Bernard Lewinsky on his photography" (PDF). Art Collector International. 2 (2): 18–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  24. Leen, Jeff (February 4, 1998). "Role Puts Spotlight on Lewinsky's Mother". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  25. Lacher, Irene (April 19, 1998). "A Talk With Monica's Main Man". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  26. "Sources: Lewinsky Testifies She Had A Dozen Sexual Encounters With Clinton". CNN. August 6, 1998. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2011.

Further reading