A native of New Jersey, Dr. Lavine graduated summa cum laude from Pomona College, where he received distinction in his combined major of chemistry and zoology and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his M.D. degree from the School of Medicine of the University of California, San Diego, and then served his residency in St. Louis at the Washington University Affiliated Hospitals, which included Barnes Hospital, The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, and St. Louis Children's Hospital, among others.
After completing his training, Dr. Lavine became certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and practiced ophthalmology in Phoenix, Arizona for almost fifteen years. His practice was renowned across the Southwest for its unique ethical orientation. In his own words, "I felt there should be at least one place where people could still get an honest opinion."
By virtue of its reputation, the practice grew through patient and physician referral and never through advertising, marketing, or surreptitious means. When the main ophthalmic equipment supplier presented its proposal and indicated verbally that it maintained at no charge the instruments of all the ophthalmologists who referred patients to its optical shops for eyeglasses, Dr. Lavine decided to purchase his equipment instead from another, little-known supplier under less favorable terms. No one in the practice, including Dr. Lavine, was allowed to accept an offer of free eyeglasses from any optician. No gifts or gratuities of any kind, with the exception of drug samples for patients, were accepted from pharmaceutical companies. Drugs purchased by Dr. Lavine were provided to patients at cost or, frequently, free of charge. Dr. Lavine also dispensed contact lenses at cost, possibly the only practice to do so. The office was one of the very few to comply with the AMA recommendation to subscribe only to magazines free of cigarette advertisements for the waiting room.
Dr. Lavine has also maintained an active interest in preventive nutrition with regard to all medical problems, a field in which he has received international recognition. He has contributed many articles to the medical literature, publishing in such journals as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Archives of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology, and Annals of Ophthalmology.
In recent years, Dr. Lavine has devoted considerable time to teaching, speaking, and writing in the areas of eye care, nutrition, and medical ethics, with audiences ranging from doctors and other health care personnel to the general public.
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