Dr. Margaret “Magee” Leigh Lectureship Honors a Legacy of Pediatric Pulmonary Leadership

For more than four decades, Margaret “Magee” W. Leigh, MD, was a physician in the UNC Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and a highly respected leader in the field, shaping the next generation of leaders in pediatric medicine through her teaching, mentorship and research in chronic lung diseases.

Her legacy will continue through the newly established Department of Pediatrics Dr. Margaret W. Leigh Lectureship, which will bring world-renowned experts to UNC to educate and inspire pediatric trainees for years to come.

A nationally recognized clinician, educator, and researcher

Now retired, Dr. Leigh was the consummate clinician and a tireless advocate for her patients and their families. She has been recognized by her colleagues as an exemplary diagnostician and has cared for hundreds of children with lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia. She has been an internationally recognized authority in both these conditions and served as director of one of the largest accredited North American cystic fibrosis care centers for over two decades.

“She made a difference for hundreds of patients and families here in North Carolina and beyond,” said Stephanie Duggins Davis, MD, Physician-in-Chief at UNC Children’s.

With sustained research support from the National Institutes of Health, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Foundation, and American Lung Association, Dr. Leigh contributed to 146 original manuscripts and invited reviews to high impact journals. Indeed, she authored seminal papers that profoundly changed our understanding of primary ciliary dyskinesia and led to a revolution in diagnostic testing and care.

Dr. Leigh was one of the most active faculty mentors on the Chapel Hill campus, serving on numerous mentoring committees for fellows, junior and midlevel faculty. She was the first recipient of the University of North Carolina Department of Pediatrics Mentoring Award. She was director of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-certified fellowship program for years, and trained over fifty fellows, many now independent scholars in academic pediatrics around the world, including several division directors, leaders in industry, departmental vice chairs, and a department chair.

Throughout her career, Dr. Leigh received numerous national honors for her scholarship including membership in the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society, PCD Foundation Founder’s Award, the American Thoracic Society Assembly on Pediatrics Lifetime Achievement Award and  William J. Martin II Distinguished Achievement Award, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine Edwin L. Kendig, Jr. Award.

A lectureship that carries mentorship forward

But for many colleagues and trainees, her greatest impact was personal.

“This is the first lectureship named after a woman in the Department of Pediatrics,” Dr. Davis said. “She has been an extraordinary role model for everyone, but especially for women in academic pediatrics, and this lectureship highlights the impact of previous inspirational female leaders.”

“Magee was the reason I chose pulmonology as a career,” said Thomas Ferkol, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology. “She was a true triple threat – an outstanding clinician, educator, and physician scientist. She showed that you could do it all.”

The lectureship is designed to carry that legacy into the future by supporting UNC’s mission to train and inform the next generation of pediatric physicians and scientists through lectures and educational opportunities featuring national and international experts.

A milestone made possible through philanthropy

The Dr. Margaret W. Leigh Lectureship was made possible through generous philanthropic support from many donors who helped raise $100,000 to establish the named lectureship and create a lasting tribute highlighting Dr. Leigh’s impact.

“This lectureship is a true honor,” Dr. Leigh said. “I thank the numerous donors that include physicians, patient families, research colleagues, trainees, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, dieticians, social workers, research coordinators, family and friends who  contributed to this lectureship and to my rewarding career at UNC.”

“We are certainly very grateful for the generosity of all the donors,” Dr. Davis added.

For more information on supporting the Dr. Margaret W. Leigh Lectureship, please contact Mary Gard, Executive Director of Development, UNC Health Foundation.