Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr.

 

Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr. is chairman of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® board of directors. He is a prominent surgeon and oncologist, a widely regarded medical educator and a leader in professional and civic organizations. Leffall previously served as Komen’s board chairman from 2002 to 2007 and is a long-time supporter of Komen for the Cure’s mission to save lives and end breast cancer forever.

He currently serves as the first Charles R. Drew professor of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine, a position he was named to in 1992. Having served as a member of the Howard University faculty for nearly a half-century, Dr. Leffall has taught approximately 5,500 medical students and helped train 275 general surgery residents.

Leffall’s professional life has been devoted to the study of cancer, particularly among the African American population. In his former position as national president of the American Cancer Society, he launched a program focusing on the increasing incidence and mortality of cancer in this community and the implications for other racial and ethnic groups. Today, nearly every oncology group has the issue of disparities as a major priority.

In 2006, Susan G. Komen for the Cure established the LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr. Komen Fellowship in Health Disparities to support the participation of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the field of breast cancer. The fellowship provides funding at the post-doctoral level to a host institution, for a three-year program supporting training and research addressing health disparities as they pertain to breast cancer.

Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr.  Bio