Peter G. Levine (December 22, 1960 – January 8, 2022) was an American medical researcher, science educator, and authority on stroke recovery. He published articles on brain plasticity as it relates to stroke, with emphasis on modified constraint induced therapy, cortical reorganization, telerehabilitation, electrical stimulation, electromyography-triggered stimulation, mental practice, cortical plasticity, acquired brain injury, spasticity, sensation recovery, evidence-based practice, outcome measures, and others. His 2013 book Stronger After Stroke is regarded as an authoritative guide for patients and therapists dealing with stroke. The book has received numerous positive reviews, and has been translated into Indonesian, Japanese, and Korean. His seminars throughout the United States were described by one reviewer as "funny, entertaining, engaging, dynamic, well organized, passionate and lighthearted." Levine was a trainer of stroke-specific outcome measures for The Ohio State University; B.R.A.I.N. Lab. He was a researcher and co-director at the Neuromotor Recovery and Rehabilitation Laboratory at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Before that, he was a researcher at the Human Performance & Motion Analysis Laboratory, which is the research arm of the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation.
Early life
Levine's father, Martin Levine, was an IBM-trained systems analyst. The Levine family moved constantly, with Peter attending 14 different schools from kindergarten to college, including Lanikai Elementary in Honolulu, Hawaii; the Overseas School of Rome; and during high school, the Community School in Tehran. In 1979, the family was in the mass evacuation of Americans from Tehran using U.S. C141A military transports from Mehrabad Airport. After graduating from George Mason University, Levine moved to Austin, Texas, in 1987, and joined the grunge band Flowerhead shortly thereafter.
Personal life
Levine lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his Finnish-born wife and physical therapist Aila Mella. They had two children.
Publications
Books
Stronger After Stroke by Peter G. Levine, Demos Medical Publishing, New York (2009 1st ed., 2012 2nd ed. 2018 3rd ed.); Indonesian version, Depok publishers (2011); Japanese version, GAIABOOKS publishers (2014), Korean version, Freedom to Dream Seoul Medical Books.