Aubrey Levin
Encyclopedia
Aubrey Levin is a prominent professor of clinical psychiatry
at the University of Calgary
.
Levin was fist licensed as a psychiatrist in South Africa
in 1969. He was a Colonel in the South African Defence Force
(SADF), as well as the chief psychiatrist at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital during the 1970s
, during which time he was the attending psychiatrist at Greefswald, an isolated detention barracks where harsh conditions were supposed to 'cure' conscripts of supposed 'vices' and conscientious objections. He rose to notoriety for his work on an aversion therapy
medical program which attempted to cure gays and lesbians of homosexuality
. After the end of apartheid, South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission
heard testimony regarding the controversial nature of the aversion project Levin ran while in the SADF.
Levin later left South Africa and was licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan
, Canada
, in 1995, and then by Alberta
's college in 1998. In March 2010 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta suspended Levin's license over accusations of abuse after a male patient secretly filmed the psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances.
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
.
Levin was fist licensed as a psychiatrist in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1969. He was a Colonel in the South African Defence Force
South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
(SADF), as well as the chief psychiatrist at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital during the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, during which time he was the attending psychiatrist at Greefswald, an isolated detention barracks where harsh conditions were supposed to 'cure' conscripts of supposed 'vices' and conscientious objections. He rose to notoriety for his work on an aversion therapy
Aversion therapy
Aversion therapy is a form of psychological treatment in which the patient is exposed to a stimulus while simultaneously being subjected to some form of discomfort...
medical program which attempted to cure gays and lesbians of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. After the end of apartheid, South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected...
heard testimony regarding the controversial nature of the aversion project Levin ran while in the SADF.
Levin later left South Africa and was licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in 1995, and then by Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
's college in 1998. In March 2010 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta suspended Levin's license over accusations of abuse after a male patient secretly filmed the psychiatrist allegedly making sexual advances.