Leah Acker MD, PhD

Leah Acker is a physician-scientist on the faculty at Duke University School of Medicine. She practices as an anesthesiologist in the Duke Health System and is a member of the Private Diagnostic Clinic, Duke's Faculty Physician Practice Group. Her research focuses on using novel neuro-modulatory technologies to improve perioperative outcomes, particularly among older adults.

Before this, She completed a PhD in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics, in which optogenetics technologies were adapted to non-human primates to modulate behavior, working memory, and visual attention. This work advances the viability of these tools for the modulation of neural circuits clinically and requires expertise and innovation in gene therapy, molecular biology, medical devices, neurosurgery, and optics. She is also a proud Blue Devil, who graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine and completed graduate medical education at Duke University in Anesthesiology, where she was the ACES chief resident.