Remembering Dr. Arnold S. Leonard
It is with a heavy heart that we must share with you the news that Arnold S. Leonard, BA, BS, MD, PhD, passed away peacefully on October 30, 2024. Dr. Leonard was an outstanding Minnesota-born and worldwide medical pioneer specializing in pediatric surgery from 1956 to 2006. A founding member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, he was among the first group of founders to take and pass the specialty boards in Pediatric Surgery. Dr. Leonard was also an exceptional innovator. He developed a revolutionary long-term central venous access device that bears his name – The Leonard Double Lumen Catheter. This catheter is still the most popular long-term central catheter used today in the United States for the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents in cancer patients. Additionally, he developed the Leonard Long Intestinal Tube – a novel device to treat acute small bowel obstruction.
Dr. Leonard was also famously among the team of surgeons who performed a successful life-saving mandible resection on "Big Boy," a beluga whale at the Minnesota Zoo who developed a life-threatening infection of the mandible. Beyond this, he developed a unique method to expose the spine from an anterior approach, a technique that has revolutionized scoliosis treatment. Dr. Leonard also developed a ground-breaking method to correct chest deformities, Pectus Excavatum and Carinatum and performed over 1500 such repairs in his lifetime. He was considered to be one of the world's experts in the treatment of such deformities. Finally, Dr. Leonard created a technique for surgically removing metastatic deposits of various sarcomas to the lung. This technique is now duplicated throughout the United States and has saved or extended the lives of thousands of children - a most remarkable legacy to leave.
The Dr. Arnold S. Leonard Foundation for Cancer Research has raised nearly 11 million dollars for cancer research, and Dr. Leonard's established Arnold S. Leonard Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery is currently held by Dr. Daniel Saltzman. He will be dearly missed by all who were lucky enough to cross paths with him.
Thank you, Dr. Leonard, for your lasting impact on this institution and each of us.
Sayeed Ikramuddin, MD, MHA
Daniel Saltzman, MD, PhD
