Dr. Lydia Leavitt graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 2022 after obtaining her Bachelor of Science at the University of Wisconsin where she studied neurobiology, psychology, and global health. Throughout her time in school, Dr. Leavitt volunteered at therapeutic horseback riding centers where she worked with children and adults with disabilities to improve their quality of life through equine-assisted therapy. Dr. Leavitt also worked as a certified nursing assistant for several years, taking her first job in high school and continuing to work throughout her undergraduate training. At the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Leavitt became active in oncology research and studied the interaction between the extracellular domain of cell wall proteins and Synstatin, an anti-cancer peptide therapeutic. After graduation, she worked as an analytical chemist before entering medical school.

During her time at the University of Illinois, Dr. Leavitt served as vice president for the Wilderness in Medicine Interest Group and volunteered as a peer instructor, teaching other students physical exam skills and facilitating study sessions for the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) surgery subject exam. Dr. Leavitt was also active in research, investigating the ability of the vision, aphasia, and neglect (VAN) stroke scale to identify large vessel occlusions in the prehospital setting. As a medical student, she earned the Silver Scalpel Award and was recognized as a Surgical Scholar.

After graduating from medical school, Dr. Leavitt spent a year with the Department of Neurological Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston Massachusetts. She was a member of Dr. Gavin Dunn’s lab and studied the presence of meningioma cells in non-tumor associated dura, as well as the microenvironment and structure of dura. While in Boston, Dr. Leavitt became involved with the Harvard Medical School chapter of mission: brain, a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide patients in need with access to advanced neurosurgical procedures.