Dr. Levine spoke to NPF Rare Disease fellows October 2022 and emphasized the importance of “Saluting the Heroes” in the fights for rare disease treatments. He also spoke to NPF Rare Disease fellows in November 2023:  The Orphan Drug Act at 40. 

James A. Levine, M.D., Ph.D., is president of Foundation Ipsen. Fondation Ipsen, based in Paris, is the largest science communication foundation in Europe. Fondation Ipsen operates under the federal auspices of Fondation de France. Levine spent 30 years as a Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic where he was Director of the Mayo Clinic Obesity Solutions Institute and held the Richard Emslander Chairs (2) in Metabolism and Endocrinology. He held whilst at Mayo Clinic, multiple senior roles in business development and education. Doctor Levine is the Regents Professor at Umea University Sweden and the Dean’s Distinguished Professor at Case Western Reserve University.

Fondation Ipsen is the leading science communications foundation in Europe – the mission, ‘Science for people’. The impact of Fondation Ipsen in 2020 was 10.4 million persons. The foundation overseas science programs, scalable educational courses and book publication (130,000 books in circulation) in 142 countries with partners: UNESCO, OECD, the journal Science (AAAS), Mayo Clinic, Institut Curie, the Pasteur Institut and the International Olympic Committee (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024).

Levine’s obesity research – 5 papers in Science, and papers in Nature, NEJM, Lancet, and JAMA – has focused on Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) and approaches to help people, especially from underserved populations, become more active, decrease cardiovascular risk and become healthier. He has developed multiple body-worn devices that measure physical activity and caloric intake, the treadmill desk and a variety of office and school solutions to promote Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

Levine is an international expert on obesity. In the United States, he was an invitee to the President’s Panel and the State Department. He advised 4 US Presidents. Internationally, he has consulted with governments around the world such as Germany, Sweden, India and PR China and is a designated Expert at the United Nations.