Michelle Leech

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Michelle Leech AM FRACP is the Deputy Dean of Medicine at Monash University [1] and an academic clinician-scientist. Leech oversees the delivery of the Monash medical program and maintains an active research profile and clinical practice as a rheumatologist.

Contents

Education

Leech graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Hons) from Monash University in 1987. She went onto residency training in internal medicine at Prince Henry's Hospital and advanced physician training in rheumatology at Monash Health. Leech completed her PhD at Monash University's Centre for Inflammatory Diseases and the Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians training program in 2000. [2]

Career

Clinical

Leech is a consultant physician and currently serves as Head of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinic at Monash Health. [3] In 2014, Leech was the Medical Director of Arthritis Australia. [4] She has served on a number of National Rheumatology Advisory Boards, including Janssen-Cilag, Novartis, Abbvie, UCB, Cortical and MSD. [4]

Research

Leech is part of the rheumatology research group in the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health. [5] Her research interests are focused on cytokine biology, glucocorticoid action and cell cycle proteins in the context of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis. She also maintains an active research profile in medical and interprofessional education. Leech has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers. [2] Her most cited papers are:

Administration

As of June 2024, Leech is a Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University, Nursing and Health Sciences. [1] [7] Prior to this appointment, Leech was director of the undergraduate medical program at Southern Clinical School (now the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health).[ citation needed ] Other appointments include Deputy Chairperson, Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria, [8] Vice President, Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand, [4] and member of the Scientific Advisory Committee, Arthritis Australia [9]

In 2010, Leech received funding from the Department of Health and Ageing to develop interprofessional learning opportunities at Monash University and Southern Health (now Monash Health). [10]

In 2017, Monash University's medical program moved from a Bachelor of Medical Science and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) under Leech's leadership. [11] Leech also serves on the Royal Australasian College of Physicians examination panel. [4]

Honours, awards and distinctions

Related Research Articles

Rheumatology is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatology covers more than 100 different complex diseases, collectively known as rheumatic diseases, which includes many forms of arthritis as well as lupus and Sjögren's syndrome. Doctors who have undergone formal training in rheumatology are called rheumatologists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rheumatism</span> Medical conditions affecting the joints or connective tissue

Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including arthritis and "non-articular rheumatism", also known as "regional pain syndrome" or "soft tissue rheumatism". There is a close overlap between the term soft tissue disorder and rheumatism. Sometimes the term "soft tissue rheumatic disorders" is used to describe these conditions.

Palindromic rheumatism (PR) is a syndrome characterised by recurrent, self-resolving inflammatory attacks in and around the joints, and consists of arthritis or periarticular soft tissue inflammation. The course is often acute onset, with sudden and rapidly developing attacks or flares. There is pain, redness, swelling, and disability of one or multiple joints. The interval between recurrent palindromic attacks and the length of an attack is extremely variable from few hours to days. Attacks may become more frequent with time but there is no joint damage after attacks. It is thought to be an autoimmune disease, possibly an abortive form of rheumatoid arthritis.

John Cosh (1915–2005) was a British rheumatologist. He is known for his long-term studies of the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, co-discovery of the genes associated with rheumatoid arthritis, and his work on the benefits of herbal medicines.

The American College of Rheumatology is an organization of and for physicians, health professionals, and scientists that advances rheumatology through programs of education, research, advocacy and practice support relating to the care of people with arthritis and rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Terri H. Finkel is an American pediatric rheumatologist and immunologist who is the Children's Foundation of Memphis Endowed Chair and tenured professor of pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Previously, she was the pediatrician-in-chief, chair of pediatrics and chief scientific officer at Nemours Children's Hospital. She is known for her research into autoimmunity, AIDS, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and cancer. Her work has been recognized in more than 200 publications, 10 U.S. patents, and 4 licensed technologies. Finkel has been placed in the top one percent of American pediatric rheumatologists by U.S. News & World Report. Her numerous honors include being named among America's Top Doctors by Castle Connolly every year since 2011 and induction into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Firestein</span> American rheumatologist

Gary S. Firestein is an American rheumatologist, professor, and founding director of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) at the University of California San Diego and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at University of California, San Diego.

Paul-Peter Tak M.D. PhD FMedSci is an immunologist and academic specialising in the fields of internal medicine, rheumatology and immunology. Tak has been the President & CEO of Candel Therapeutics since September 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lars Klareskog</span> Biologist

Lars Klareskog is a Swedish physician, immunologist, and rheumatologist, known for research into the genetics of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachelle Buchbinder</span> Australian rheumatologist and medical researcher

Rachelle Buchbinder is an Australian rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist. Her clinical practice is in conjunction with research involving multidisciplinary projects relating to arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. She promotes improvement of communication with patients and health literacy in the community.

Ross E. Petty is a Canadian pediatric rheumatologist. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and a pediatric rheumatologist at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. He established Canada’s first formal pediatric rheumatology program at the University of Manitoba in 1976, and three years later, he founded a similar program at the University of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherine Gabriel</span> Egyptian–Canadian rheumatologist and administrator

Sherine E. Gabriel is an Egyptian–Canadian rheumatologist and administrator. She is the fourth president of Rush University and James A. Campbell, MD, Distinguished Service Professor, having formerly served as Dean of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In 2020, Gabriel was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Medicine for "her leadership in academic medicine and recognition for being an inspiring thought leader in research, clinical business development and educational innovation."

Nancy E. Lane is an American rheumatologist. She is an Endowed Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology, and Aging Research at the University of California, Davis and director of the UC Davis Musculoskeletal Diseases of Aging Research Group. She has also sat on the editorial boards of Nature Reviews Rheumatology, Rheumatology,Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism,Arthritis & Rheumatology, and The Journal of Rheumatology. Her work on aging and glucocorticoids in cell populations is internationally recognized.

Maria Virginia Pascual is a Spanish-American pediatric rheumatologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey A. Criswell</span> American physician

Lindsey A. Criswell is an American rheumatologist and physician-scientist. She is director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Criswell was vice chancellor of research at University of California, San Francisco where she held the Jean S. Engleman Distinguished Professorship in Rheumatology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert H. Carter (rheumatologist)</span>

Robert H. Carter is an American rheumatologist and physician-scientist serving as the deputy director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) since 2008. He was the acting director of NIAMS from December 2018 until February 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana J. Kaplan</span> Physician Scientist/ Rheumatologist

Mariana J. Kaplan is a rheumatologist and physician-scientist. She researches mechanisms of immune dysregulation, organ damage, and premature vascular disease in systemic autoimmunity. Kaplan is chief of the systemic autoimmunity branch at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Paul Emery is a British rheumatologist, researcher, and academic. Emery has been the Versus Arthritis Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Leeds from 1995 to 2017, Head of its Rheumatology Department from 1995 to 2008. He is Head of the Academic Unit of Musculoskeletal Disease and Lead Clinician of Rheumatology at the Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, and was the Director of the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre from 2009 to 2022. He is known for introducing early intervention in inflammatory arthritis. Emery played a critical role in bringing sensitive imaging (MRI) into rheumatology practice. In 2012, Emery was awarded the Carol Nachman Prize for Rheumatology, and as of 2024, he has published over 1660 peer-reviewed articles with over 160,000 citations. Emery was the most cited European/World Rheumatologist in 2010-2020, and was selected in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation's "list of highly influential biomedical researchers, 1996–2020."

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References

  1. 1 2 "Faculty leadership and senior management". Monash University Department of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Michelle Leech". Monash University.
  3. "ARA Rheumatologist Michelle Leech". rheumatology.org.au.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Professor Michelle Leech". Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand.
  5. "Michelle Leech". Clinical Sciences at Monash Health.
  6. 1 2 3 Google Scholar Author page, Accessed September 27, 2020
  7. "Michelle Leech". Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  8. "PMCV: Training, Developing & Inspiring Early Career Professionals". www.pmcv.com.au.
  9. "Board and committees". Arthritis Australia.
  10. Leech, Michelle (2013). Working and learning together: Creating interprofessional learning opportunities for students. Monash University Publishing.
  11. "School of Medicine". School of Medicine.
  12. "MBBS Director wins teaching award". Monash University.