Massachusetts General Hospital

BiographyDr. Leigh earned her medical degree at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where she also completed training in General Pediatrics, followed by Adult and Child Neurology.  Following completion of specialty training, she joined Duke University in the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine. At Duke University Medical Center, she developed the Duke Neurofibromatosis Clinic and Biobank.  She directed the Duke Neurofibromatosis Clinic until her recruitment to Massachusetts General Hospital.  Her expertise in providing multidisciplinary care to pediatric, as well as, adult patients with Neurofibromatosis strengthens our family-centered treatment model to provide specialized and continued care for both children and adults.

ResearchIn Neurofibromatosis, type 1 (NF1), clinical variability is common.  Prior studies of families affected by NF1 have implicated trait-specific modifier genes as important determinants of the clinical variability in NF1.  The focus of Dr. Leigh's current research is directed at searching for modifiers of tumor development, whose identification may provide us with potential therapeutic targets, as well as clues to better understanding of the underlying mechanisms in tumor development.