Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE, Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University

Research Description: Dr. Mary Leonard is the Arline and Pete Harman Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute. Her multidisciplinary research program is primarily focused on the impact of chronic diseases and their therapies on bone metabolism, body composition, and physical function. Her NIH-funded studies have addressed changes in lean body mass, fat distribution, muscle strength, and bone density and structure during growth and aging, and in the setting of chronic kidney disease, systemic inflammation, glucocorticoid therapy, and treatment for malignancies thus aligning well with NORC. She has extensive experience with DXA, conventional (lowresolution) QCT and high-resolution pQCT, and micro-MRI methods to assess bone structure and strength. Dr. Leonard is well versed with the strengths and limitations of DXA and pQCT methods to assess body composition and bone health and was the P.I. of a successful Shared Instrumentation Grant to fund a HighResolution pQCT scanner. She directs the Stanford Assessment of Muscle and Bone across the Ages (SAMBA) Laboratory. The laboratory provides measurements of bone density and body composition by Dual Energy Xray Absorptiometry (DXA), bone and muscle density, bone strength and microarchitecture by High-Resolution pQCT, isometric and isokinetic muscle strength and endurance by Biodex, grip strength, physical function and frailty, and anthropometry. Dr. Leonard serves on the Stanford NORC Internal Advisory Committee (IAC). She also collaborates extensively with many members of the NORC.