Rita Levi-Montalcini

Senator for life
Rita Levi-Montalcini
OMRI OMCA
Rita Levi-Montalcini, c. 1975. Image courtesy of the Bernard Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine.
Born(1909-04-22)22 April 1909
Turin, Italy
Died30 December 2012(2012-12-30) (aged 103)
Rome, Italy
NationalityItalian
CitizenshipItaly, United States
Alma materUniversity of Turin
Known forNerve growth factor
Relatives
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsNeurobiology
InstitutionsWashington University in St. Louis
Member of the Senate of the Republic
Life tenure
1 August 2001 – 30 December 2012
Appointed byCarlo Azeglio Ciampi

Rita Levi-Montalcini OMRI OMCA (US: /ˌleɪvi ˌmoʊntɑːlˈtʃiːni, ˌlɛv-, ˌliːvi ˌmɒntəlˈ-/ LAY-vee MOHN-tahl-CHEE-nee, LEV-ee -⁠, LEE-vee MON-təl-,[3][4] Italian: [ˈriːta ˈlɛːvi montalˈtʃiːni]; 22 April 1909 – 30 December 2012) was an Italian neurobiologist. She was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with colleague Stanley Cohen for the discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF).[5]

From 2001 until her death, she also served in the Italian Senate as a Senator for Life.[6] This honor was given due to her significant scientific contributions.[7] On 22 April 2009, she became the first Nobel laureate to reach the age of 100,[8] and the event was feted with a party at Rome's City Hall.[9][10]

  1. ^ Anon (2012). "Rita Levi-Montalcini EMBO profile". people.embo.org. Heidelberg: European Molecular Biology Organization.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference formemrs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Levi-Montalcini". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Levi-Montalcini". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  5. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1986". The Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  6. ^ Bradshaw RA (2013). "Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909–2012) Nobel prizewinning neurobiologist and eminent advocate for science". Nature. 493 (7432). London: 306. Bibcode:2013Natur.493..306B. doi:10.1038/493306a. PMID 23325208.
  7. ^ "Rita Levi-Montalcini". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  8. ^ Abbott, A. (2009). "Neuroscience: One hundred years of Rita". Nature. 458 (7238): 564–567. doi:10.1038/458564a. PMID 19340056.
  9. ^ "The Doyenne of Neuroscience celebrates her 100th birthday". IBRO. Retrieved 31 December 2012.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ Owen, Richard (30 April 2009). "Secret of Longevity: No Food, No Husband, No Regrets or anything like that at all". Excelle. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2012.