Lawrence Alan Leiter
MDCM
Qualification
- Research Fellowship, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (1980-1982)
- Clinical Fellow, Endocrinology & Metabolism Program, University of Toronto (1979-1980)
- Senior Assistant Resident, Internal Medicine, Toronto General Hospital (1978-1979)
- Junior Assistant Resident, Internal Medicine, Toronto General Hospital (1977-1978)
- Straight Intern, Internal Medicine, The Wellesley Hospital (1976-1977)
- MDCM, McGill University (1976)
- BSc (First Class Honours), Psychology, McGill University (1972)
Other Academic and Clinical Appointments
Associate Scientist, Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute (2008 - present)
Scientific Director, St. Michael’s Hospital, Canadian Cardiometabolic Risk Initiative (2007 - present)
Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto (1998- present)
Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto (1998 - present)
Associate Director, Nutritional & Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital (1990 - present)
Director, Lipid Clinic, St. Michael’s Hospital (1990 - present)
Associate Physician, Mount Sinai Hospital (1990 - present)
Staff Physician, St. Michael’s Hospital (1990 - present)
At a Glance
- Dr. Leiter conducts clinical trials on the prevention of atherosclerosis, especially in diabetes
- He also investigates dietary and pharmacologic treatment of diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obesity.
- Dr. Leiter is an investigator in many of the landmark diabetes trials including the DCCT, ACCORD, and ADVANCE and is on the Executive/Steering Committees of many ongoing outcome trials in both the diabetes and lipid areas.
About Dr. Lawrence Leiter
Dr. Lawrence A. Leiter is Director of the Lipid Clinic; Associate Director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre; and Associate Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto where he was also the Head of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism from 2000-2010. He is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Leiter is a Past-President of the Canadian Society of Endocrinology & Metabolism (CSEM) and a past Chair of the Clinical and Scientific Section of the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). He has been involved in many national and international committees and consensus conferences including those of the International Diabetes Federation, CDA, Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP), Canadian Cardiovascular Society (Dyslipidemia), and Obesity Canada. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Diabetes Care.
For his work, Dr. Leiter has received a number of awards including the CDA Frederick G. Banting Award and the American Diabetes Association Charles H Best Award (awarded to DCCT investigators), both for Distinguished Service, the 2005 CSEM Educator of the Year Award, and the 2006 CDA Gerald S. Wong Award in recognition of significant contributions to the diabetes community. He was the inaugural winner of the St. Michael’s Hospital Complete Physician Award in 2009. He is also the 2016 recipient of both the CDA Lifetime Achievement Award for Research Excellence and the CSEM Robert Volpe Distinguished Service Award. In 2019 was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Research Synopsis
Dr. Leiter has several research interests including clinical trials on the prevention of atherosclerosis, especially in diabetes, and the dietary and pharmacologic treatment of diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obesity. He has over 800 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He was an investigator in many of the landmark diabetes trials including the DCCT, ACCORD, and ADVANCE and has had leadership roles in many past and ongoing outcome trials in both the diabetes and lipid areas. In 2018, 2019, and 2020 he was a Clarivate Analytics Top 1% Highly Cited Researcher.
Recent Awards and Distinctions (Selected)
Award for Top 1% Highly Cited Researchers, Clarivate Analytics (2020, 2019, 2018)
Research Laureate Award, American College of Physicians - Ontario Chapter (2020)
Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2019)
Fellow, American College of Cardiology (2018)
Lifetime Achievement Award for Research Excellence, Canadian Diabetes Association (2016)
Robert Volpe Distinguished Service Award, Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (2016)
Charles H Best Lecture Award / U of T, Toronto Diabetes Association (2016)
National and International Committee Memberships (Current)
Member, Executive Committee VESALIUS Trial. Effect of Evolocumab in patients at high cardiovascular risk without prior myocardial infarction or stroke (2019 – present)
Member, Executive Committee SCORED Trial. Effect of Sotagliflozin on cardiovascular and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and moderate renal impairment who are at cardiovascular risk (2017 – present)
Member, Executive Committee SOLOIST-WHF Trial. Effect of Sotagliflozin on cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes post worsening heart failure (2017 – present)
Member, Canadian Cardiovascular Society Lipid Guidelines (2015 – present)
Member, International Hypoglycemia Study Group (2012 – present)
Member, Canadian Harmonized Cardiovascular Risk Factor Management Guidelines (2009 – present)
Chair, Canadian Cardiometabolic Risk Working Group (2008 – present)
In the News
Inclisiran Lowers Cholesterol Across all BMI Groups. Physician’s Weekly. November 22, 2021.
Lawrence A. Leiter, MD: Inclisiran Lower Chosterol in Overweight Individuals. HCPLive. November 20, 2021.
Inclisiran Reduced LDL-C in Obese Patients. Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology (DAIC). November 15, 2021.