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Title
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Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr.
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Alternative Title
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LaSalle Leffall
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Birth Date
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May 22, 1930
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Transition Date
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May 25, 2019
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Category
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Medicine
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Affiliation to FAMU
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Alumni
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Life at FAMU
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Raised in Quincy, Florida, Leffall entered Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College at an exceptionally young age after completing high school at fifteen. Demonstrating remarkable academic ability, he graduated *summa cum laude* from FAMC in 1948 at only eighteen years old.
Leffall’s undergraduate education at FAMC provided the academic foundation for his subsequent medical career. His experience reflects the historic role of Florida A&M and other HBCUs in identifying, educating, and preparing talented African American students for advanced professional study during an era when racial discrimination restricted access to many institutions. From FAMC, Leffall progressed to Howard University College of Medicine, where he graduated first in his class and began the journey toward becoming one of the nation’s distinguished surgeons and medical educators.
His extraordinary professional accomplishments brought distinction not only to himself but also to his alma mater. As Leffall rose to leadership positions within Howard University, the American Cancer Society, the American College of Surgeons, and the President’s Cancer Panel, he represented a tradition of FAMU graduates whose influence extended into nationally significant professional and civic institutions.
Leffall maintained his connection to Florida A&M through philanthropy and a commitment to creating educational opportunities for future generations. Together with his family, he established the Martha J. and LaSalle D. Leffall Sr. Endowed Scholarship, named in honor of his parents. The scholarship supports Florida students, with particular consideration for those from Gadsden County, connecting Leffall’s own educational journey from Quincy to FAMU with the aspirations of students following similar pathways.
His relationship with FAMU is also preserved visually through an oil portrait painted in 1995 by acclaimed actor, entertainer, and visual artist Billy Dee Williams. The portrait represents a distinctive intersection of African American achievement in medicine and the arts and preserves Leffall’s likeness as part of FAMU’s institutional and cultural memory.
Dr. Leffall’s FAMU legacy therefore extends beyond his remarkable academic record as an eighteen-year-old *summa cum laude* graduate. Through professional distinction, philanthropy, and an enduring commitment to educational opportunity, he carried the university’s tradition of excellence into the highest levels of American medicine while continuing to invest in the institution and region that helped shape his early development. His life exemplifies the far-reaching influence of Florida A&M University through graduates whose achievements transformed their professions and created opportunities for generations to follow.
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Life Bio
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Internationally renowned surgeon, surgical oncologist, medical educator, and civic leader whose career advanced medical education, cancer awareness, and health equity in the United States. Born in Tallahassee and raised in Quincy, Florida, Leffall demonstrated exceptional academic ability from an early age, graduating from high school at only fifteen. His intellectual distinction and commitment to scholarship subsequently carried him into the highest levels of medicine and medical leadership.
Following his undergraduate education, Leffall attended Howard University College of Medicine, earning his medical degree in 1952 and graduating first in his class. His achievement was particularly significant during an era when racial segregation and discrimination severely restricted opportunities for African Americans within medical education, specialized training, hospitals, and professional organizations. Leffall nevertheless emerged as an accomplished surgeon and scholar whose professional reputation eventually extended nationally and internationally.
In 1962, Leffall joined the faculty of Howard University College of Medicine, beginning a distinguished career in academic medicine. He later became chairman of the Department of Surgery, serving in that capacity for twenty-five years. Through rigorous instruction and mentorship, Leffall trained hundreds of surgeons and taught thousands of medical students, extending his influence across generations of physicians. His leadership strengthened Howard's historic role in preparing African American medical professionals while establishing standards of clinical excellence, scholarship, and professional responsibility.
Leffall became particularly influential as an advocate for cancer research, prevention, and education within African American communities. Recognizing persistent disparities in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and mortality, he worked to bring national attention to the disproportionate burden of cancer among Black Americans. His advocacy emphasized prevention, early detection, access to quality treatment, public education, and research as essential components of addressing unequal health outcomes.
In 1978, Leffall became the first African American president of the American Cancer Society, marking a historic achievement in American medicine. He later served as president of the American College of Surgeons and chairman of the President’s Cancer Panel. Through these leadership positions, Leffall helped shape national conversations concerning cancer research, medical education, treatment, and health disparities while expanding African American representation within major professional medical institutions.
Leffall's career represents an extraordinary convergence of clinical excellence, scholarship, mentorship, advocacy, and civic responsibility. As a surgeon, he cared for patients; as an educator, he prepared generations of physicians; and as a national leader, he challenged the medical profession to confront disparities affecting African American communities. His legacy remains significant within the histories of surgery, oncology, medical education, and the continuing pursuit of health equity.
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Artifact Dimensions
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L x W: 49.75x 49.75in (126.37 x126.37cm)
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Medium
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Oil Painting on Canvas with blue and green painted wood frame
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Rights
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All rights reserved. The use of any part of these objects and photographs transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written consent of Meek-Eaton Black Archives is an infringement of the copyright law.
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Rights Holder
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Meek - Eaton Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum
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Additional Media
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Portrait of Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr. by Billy Dee Williams
Painted in 1995 by acclaimed actor and visual artist Billy Dee Williams, this oil portrait of Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr. functions as both a work of art and an object of historical memory. Within the Meek-Eaton collection, the portrait preserves the likeness of a distinguished FAMU alumnus whose achievements transformed medicine, medical education, and cancer advocacy. Williams’s portrayal brings together two significant traditions of African American accomplishment—the visual arts and the medical sciences—while demonstrating portraiture’s important role in documenting achievement, identity, and institutional legacy. Exhibited within the museum, the work invites visitors to consider how portraits do more than commemorate individuals: they preserve the people, values, and histories that communities choose to remember and carry forward.
