Biography
Amanda Jo LeBlanc, Ph.D. is a tenured Professor and Associate Dean of Research in the School of Nursing at the University of Louisville. Dr. LeBlanc also directs a research program in the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in the School of Medicine focusing on cellular therapies for coronary microvascular disease and advancing age and has achieved national funding from the NIH, AHA, and DOD. She serves as a Chairperson for numerous NIH Special Emphasis Panels and AHA study sections each year. Dr. LeBlanc is the Pilot Project Program Director for the Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences and recently served as the Chairperson for the University Council on Animal Welfare at the University of Louisville. Dr. LeBlanc was named a Fellow of the American Heart Association in 2023 and is in her 2nd term as an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology. She was a Plenary lecturer for the 12th World Congress for Microcirculation held in Beijing in September of 2023 and also serves as the Chair-elect of the International Liaison Committee for Microcirculation. In 2025, Dr. LeBlanc was elected as a Fellow of the prestigious Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program at Drexel University College of Medicine.
Originally from Clarksville, Indiana, Dr. LeBlanc received her BS in Exercise Science from Indiana University and her MS from the University of Louisville. She completed her Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology and initial postdoctoral fellowship training in Cardiovascular Toxicology at West Virginia University. Afterwards, she completed a second postdoctoral fellowship at the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute focused on Regenerative Medicine and Cardiovascular Therapeutics.
Research Interests
I have an extensive research background in cardiovascular physiology, focusing most exclusively on myocardial perfusion and reactivity in models of both aging and sex-specific cardiology. My graduate research at WVU focused on the structural and functional microvascular alterations that occur with advancing age and sex differences in the heart. After I completed my Ph.D., my interest in translational research in cardiac physiology blossomed at the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (CII) where I was able to learn various tissue-engineering techniques and improve my knowledge of overall cardiac physiology and function. My primary research areas as an independent investigator include: exploring sex differences related to regenerative medicine in the heart, particularly in an aging model, developing cell-based therapies designed to improve the function of the microcirculation, and progressing adipose-derived tissue-engineering technology into pre-clinical research phases. My most recent studies highlight the role of the mitochondria in age-related vascular dysfunction and inflammation. I have significant proficiency in multiple modes of (cardio)vascular reactivity assessment, including ex vivo (pressure myography), in situ (intravital microscopy and dorsal skin fold chamber), and in vivo (echocardiography, pressure-volume loops, laser doppler).
Degrees and Certifications
West Virginia University Hospitals
University of Louisville Physicians
Indiana University Bloomington