Alumna, Renowned Endocrine Pathologist Makes $2.3 Million Gift

12/14/2020

Virginia A. Livolsi, M.D. ’65 establishes endowed chair and scholarships in biology

To speak only of the extraordinary accomplishments of Virginia A. LiVolsi, M.D. ’65, is to omit some of the most fascinating and moving aspects of her life: her pioneering spirit, her fascination with the mysteries of the human body, and her deep commitment to passing the torch of a quality education to future generations.

Dr. LiVolsi’s journey from the University of Mount Saint Vincent to her prominence as a world-renowned pathologist marks her as not only a trailblazing scientist and physician, but also as a brilliant mentor and an authoritative voice in the field of thyroid cancer.

Born and raised in New York City and educated by Ursuline sisters through high school, Virginia at first planned on attending a college taught by Ursulines—until she laid eyes on the newly-constructed Science Hall at the University of Mount Saint Vincent. She chose the Mount and never looked back.

Virginia enrolled in a science immersion program the summer following her freshman year, and for eight weeks happily rode the subway an hour each way to attend classes. Yet despite her considerable aptitude for the biological sciences, “I was still planning to major in chemistry, even though most of the other students were planning to attend medical school.” She eventually changed her mind and began applying, even though at that time only a tiny percentage of women were being accepted to the top medical schools. To her surprise, she was accepted to Columbia University.

“I can’t prove it, but I believe I was the first Mount graduate to be accepted there,” she said. “I’ll always be grateful for the way I was taught at the Mount.”

Through a quirk of timing during medical school, Virginia found herself taking two terms of pathology back-to-back. “It was my first introduction to pathology, and I loved it. From the first slides on the microscope all the way through my clinical rotations,” she recalled.

After medical school she again broke into a male-dominated field by narrowing her focus to surgical pathology—the examination of specimens from patients undergoing surgery. She recalled her instructors as “brilliant,” and perceived the mysteries to be solved through pathology as limitless. “Pathologists must know as much or more than their clinical colleagues in order to put the whole mystery together,” she said. “And they must always remember the patient at the other end of the slide.”

The arc of her career continued to climb. She taught pathology at Yale University School of Medicine for nine years before accepting a position as head of Surgical Pathology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Today, she continues to mentor legions of young physicians and scientists as a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and as a Professor of Otorhinolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery, both at Penn Med. In 2012, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) honored her with its inaugural Mentorship Award, acknowledging the many students and fellows who have gone on to successful careers in medicine and research. She also became the first woman to serve as president of the Arthur Purdy Stout Society of Surgical Pathologists.

During the late 1990s, Dr. LiVolsi was invited to participate as a member of the Pathology Panel of the Chernobyl Tumor Bank. The elite group of pathology experts was charged with reviewing cases of thyroid tumors arising in exposed pediatric populations following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. In 2006, as chair of the panel, she presented their findings in a report to the United Nations, thus becoming the first female pathologist to address that revered international body. By then she was considered a world expert, and was interviewed by the BBC for a documentary on Chernobyl in 2010.

Earlier this year, Dr. LiVolsi demonstrated her commitment to the Mount with an extraordinary gesture of generosity and dedication to the understanding of the biological sciences. In November, she bequeathed $2,000,000 for an endowed professorship to be awarded to a mid- to senior-level faculty member who not only teaches biology, but also conducts biological research meant to illuminate the understanding of human physiology and disease. That professor is James J. Fabrizio, Ph.D.: The Virginia A. LiVolsi, M.D. Professor in Biology. But Dr. Livolsi’s support didn’t stop there—she went a step further by bequeathing two $150,000 scholarships to be awarded to students pursuing undergraduate degrees in biology.

Virginia continues to support the Mount in numerous ways. In addition to membership in the Centennial Society at the level of President’s Associate, she has served on the College’s Science Advisory Committee. The College honored her with an Ad Laudem Dei award in 2007, and in 2014 she was invited to talk about the damaging health effects of radiation fallout for the ParaMount Perspectives Speaker Series.

“I’m a scientist by trade, and from the beginning, when I selected the Mount for my education, I felt it was important to foster the teaching of science,” Dr. LiVolsi said. “I’m impressed with the Mount’s commitment to science, especially its nationally recognized nursing program. [The Mount] has a great strength there. My support is a symbol of my gratitude for all the students who have benefited from their Mount education.”

For this humble scholar and scientist, the credit belongs to her teachers at the College and the mentors who supported her throughout her professional life. They are the ones who fanned the spark of curiosity that gave Virginia LiVolsi the courage to defy the odds against women in her field, to boldly declare the disturbing findings from a nuclear disaster that many might have preferred to ignore, and to mentor the next generation of pathologists in solving the mysteries of the human body.

About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of professional accomplishment, service, and leadership in the 21st century.