Lifetime Achievement Award

member photo

Leona W. Ayers

Title: Academy Professor of the Emeritus Academy, Department of Pathology, College of Medicine
Industry: Education
Type of Organization: University
Major Product/Service: Higher education
Expertise: Dr. Ayers is an academic pathologist certified by the American Board of Pathology in clinical and anatomical pathology with over 40 years experience in infectious diseases pathology with special expertise in infectious diseases pathology and research interest in HIV/AIDS related malignancies. She is a member of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Graduate School faculty and has participated in teaching Pathology to medical students, pathology interns and residents, medical technology students, and directed 26 graduate and professional students. National Cancer Institute (NCI/NIH) grants for 24 years have supported her research and HIV/AIDS related cancer diagnosis capacity building in the U.S., sub-Saharan Africa and India.
Geographic Area of Distribution: Ohio
Affiliations: PI, Cooperative Human Tissue Network, MV Division (CHTN/NCI/NIH); International Society Biological and Environmental Repositories; College of American Pathologists; United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology; American Association of Clinical Pathologists; Duke University School of Medicine Half Century Club
University/Degree: B.S., Zoology, Duke University, 1962; M.D., With Honors, Duke University School of Medicine, 1967; Certificate of Qualification, Clinical and Anatomical Pathology, American Board of Pathology
Work History: Dr. Ayers served on the Faculty at Ohio State University and as attending staff at Wexner Medical Center. She was also an associate attending at The James Cancer Hospital.
Honors & Awards: Outstanding Microbiologist of the Year, 1982; The Earline Kutscher Memorial Lectureship, 1991; Foundation Lecturer, National Foundation for Microbiology Lectures Program, 1998-2000; Elected, OSU Emeritus Academy, 2014; Designated medical staff "Physician Scholar", 2015; Featured, The Reuters Billboard, Times Square, New York City, 2015
Published Works: Co-published 14 book chapters; 114 peer-reviewed journal articles; 239 abstract/posters with colleagues at national and international meetings, Invited speaker for 256 presentations at regional, national and international meetings
Career Accomplishments: As Principle Investigator of the NCI MR AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR/NCI), Dr. Ayers organized and implemented the Sub-Saharan Africa Lymphoma Consortium with pathologist participants from East Africa (Uganda, Kenya), West Africa (Nigeria), South Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town) and Europe. She served as a leader in the first workshop in India on Research Methodologies for the study of HIV/AIDS associated malignancies. Nationally, she has been Principle Investigator for the MW Cooperative Human Tissue Network, Grant (CHTN/NCI). She has been an invited speaker for 256 presentations at regional, national and international meetings and workshops.