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Lawrence A. Leiter

MDCM, FRCPC, FACP, FACE, FAHA

Investigator

Email: Lawrence.Leiter@unityhealth.to
Tel: 416-867-7441

Research Programs

Biography

Please note: Dr. Leiter is not taking any summer students.

Dr. Lawrence A. Leiter is Director of the Lipid Clinic, Associate Director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre and an Associate Scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.  From 2000-2010, he was Head of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. He is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Leiter has several research interests including clinical trials on the prevention of atherosclerosis, especially in diabetes, and the dietary and pharmacologic treatment of diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obesity. He has over 750 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He was an investigator in many of the landmark diabetes trials including the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD), and Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron MR Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) and is on the Steering Committees of many ongoing outcome trials in both the diabetes and lipid areas. In 2018, 2019, and 2020 he was a Clarivate Analytics Top 1% Highly Cited Researcher

Dr. Leiter is a past President of the Canadian Society of Endocrinology & Metabolism (CSEM) and a past Chair of the Clinical and Scientific Section of the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). He has been involved in many national and international committees and consensus conferences including those of the International Diabetes Federation, CDA, Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP), Canadian Cardiovascular Society (Dyslipidemia), and Obesity Canada.

For his work, he has received a number of awards including the CDA Frederick G. Banting Award and the American Diabetes Association Charles H Best Award (awarded to DCCT investigators), both for Distinguished Service. In 2016, Dr. Leiter received the Canadian Diabetes Association Long Term Achievement Award for Research and the Canadian Society of Endocrinology’s Robert Volpe Distinguished Service Award. He was also the inaugural winner of the St. Michael’s Hospital Complete Physician Award in 2009.  In 2019 was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Recent Publications

  1. Bonaca, MP, Bhatt, DL, Simon, T, Fox, KM, Mehta, S, Harrington, RA et al.. Limb Outcomes With Ticagrelor Plus Aspirin in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus and Atherosclerosis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024;83 (17):1627-1636. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2024.03.377. PubMed PMID:38658101 .
  2. Aggarwal, R, Bhatt, DL, Szarek, M, Leiter, LA, Cannon, CP, Lopes, RD et al.. Time to clinical benefit with sotagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease: Insights from the SCORED randomized trial. Eur J Heart Fail. 2024; :. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.3240. PubMed PMID:38629597 .
  3. Bakbak, E, Krishnaraj, A, Bhatt, DL, Quan, A, Park, B, Bakbak, AI et al.. Icosapent ethyl modulates circulating vascular regenerative cell content: The IPE-PREVENTION CardioLink-14 trial. Med. 2024; :. doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2024.03.009. PubMed PMID:38552629 .
  4. Wright, RS, Leiter, LA, Lesogor, A, Ray, KK. Reply: Evaluation of the Inclisiran Safety in High-Risk Populations. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024;83 (13):e129. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2024.01.032. PubMed PMID:38538207 .
  5. Ray, KK, Gunn, LH, Conde, LG, Raal, FJ, Wright, RS, Gosselin, NH et al.. Estimating potential cardiovascular health benefits of improved population level control of LDL cholesterol through a twice-yearly siRNA-based approach: A simulation study of a health-system level intervention. Atherosclerosis. 2024;391 :117472. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2024.117472. PubMed PMID:38447434 .
  6. Gilbert, MP, Skelly, J, Hernandez, AF, Green, JB, Krychtiuk, KA, Granger, CB et al.. Effect of albiglutide on cardiovascular outcomes in older adults: A post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2024;26 (5):1714-1722. doi: 10.1111/dom.15479. PubMed PMID:38317618 .
  7. Mackinnon, ES, Leiter, LA, Wani, RJ, Burke, N, Shaw, E, Witges, K et al.. Real-World Risk of Recurrent Cardiovascular Events in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Patients with LDL-C Above Guideline-Recommended Threshold: A Retrospective Observational Study. Cardiol Ther. 2024;13 (1):205-220. doi: 10.1007/s40119-024-00349-6. PubMed PMID:38285331 PubMed Central PMC10899549.
  8. Krychtiuk, KA, Marquis-Gravel, G, Murphy, S, Alexander, KP, Chiswell, K, Green, JB et al.. Effects of albiglutide on myocardial infarction and ischemic heart disease outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the Harmony Outcomes trial. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother. 2024; :. doi: 10.1093/ehjcvp/pvae006. PubMed PMID:38271596 .
  9. Bohula, EA, Marston, NA, Ruzza, A, Murphy, SA, De Ferrari, GM, Diaz, R et al.. Rationale and design of the effect of evolocumab in patients at high cardiovascular risk without prior myocardial infarction or stroke (VESALIUS-CV) trial. Am Heart J. 2024;269 :179-190. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2023.12.004. PubMed PMID:38160917 .
  10. Patel, SM, Morrow, DA, Bellavia, A, Berg, DD, Bhatt, DL, Jarolim, P et al.. Natriuretic peptides, body mass index and heart failure risk: Pooled analyses of SAVOR-TIMI 53, DECLARE-TIMI 58 and CAMELLIA-TIMI 61. Eur J Heart Fail. 2024;26 (2):260-269. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.3118. PubMed PMID:38131261 .
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Director, Lipid Clinic, St. Michael’s Hospital
  • Associate Director, Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital
  • Professor, Departments of Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto