Leigh Anne Neumayer MD, MS, FACS

Leigh A. Neumayer, MD, MS, FACS, internationally known for her expertise in breast cancer surgery and research, advocacy for women’s health issues, and leadership in surgical education, is the chair of the University of Arizona College of Medicine's Department of Surgery and the Margaret E. and Fenton L. Maynard Endowed Chair in Breast Cancer Research. Dr. Neumayer directed the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to assist junior faculty members in developing research initiatives in women’s health. She was instrumental in building a successful multidisciplinary research program in breast cancer at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, which includes basic, translational, and clinic trial components.

Dr. Neumayer’s clinical practice focuses on diseases of the breast, breast cancer in particular. She offers all surgical treatments for breast cancer, including breast conservation surgery with oncoloplastic reconstructions, and mastectomies of all types, including total skin-sparing mastectomy. She works closely with reconstructive surgeons to ensure access to the latest reconstructive techniques.

Dr. Neumayer has participated in many national clinical research trials and recently implemented a local trial (POWER PIINC) to determine the effect of a week of hormone-blocking therapy on breast cancer cells. She was principal investigator for the largest-ever randomized trial comparing inguinal hernia repair techniques at Veteran Affairs Medical Centers. The results of that trial were published in the article, “Open Mesh versus Laparoscopic Mesh Repair of Inguinal Hernia” in the April 29, 2004, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Currently, Dr. Neumayer is co-investigator on two other studies, including a NIH R01 grant to study non-invasive, MRI-guided, high-intensity-focused ultrasound for breast cancer therapy.