Alan Leichtner, MD, MSHPEd
Chief Education Officer; Director of the Department of Education, Boston Children’s Hospital; Director Emeritus, Celiac Disease Program
Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
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Alan Leichtner, MD, MSHPEd
Chief Education Officer; Director of the Department of Education, Boston Children’s Hospital; Director Emeritus, Celiac Disease Program
Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Medical Services
Languages
English
Education
Medical School
Harvard Medical School
1977
Boston
MA
Internship
Boston Children's Hospital
1978
Boston
MA
Residency
Boston Children's Hospital
1980
Boston
MA
Fellowship
Gastroenterology
Boston Children's Hospital
1983
Boston
MA
Certifications
American Board of Pediatrics (General)
American Board of Pediatrics (Gastroenterology)
Professional History
Dr. Leichtner has spent all but 4 years of his career practicing pediatric gastroenterology at Boston Children’s Hospital and as director of clinical gastroenterology. During this time, the division has expanded to include multiple centers and subspecialty programs as well as satellite offices. In order to truly provide the best possible care for children with pediatric gastrointestinal disorders, Dr. Leichtner believes that it is necessary to have care provided by acknowledged experts in each disorder and to bring care to the community. Over the last few years, he has personally focused on the care of children with celiac disease. Boston Children’s Hospital has established a Celiac Disease Program and the Celiac Kid’s Connection, a group to support patients and families. The physicians in the Celiac Disease Center are dedicated to providing the highest quality care, in a way that minimizes the trauma of testing to our patients. Dr. Leichtner has also been very interested in patient and family education and has created videos for families and comic books for children to help them understand chronic gastrointestinal disorders.
Approach to Care
My goal has always been to provide the best standard of care for my patients. I never recommend anything that I wouldn’t do for a family member with the same condition. I strongly believe that decision-making in healthcare should be collaboration between the healthcare team and the patient and family. In order to make this collaboration work well, communication is key.
Publications
From Bystander-to-Upstander: A Novel Intervention Framework to Address Microaggressions in a Pediatric Academic Medical Center. View Abstract
'Blood and guts': Interleaving gastroenterology and haematology physiology. View Abstract
The Closing of an Academic Children's Hospital: Ethical Considerations for Graduate Medical Education. View Abstract
How to define yourself as a medical educator along the path to academic promotion. View Abstract
Lost in the pandemic: COVID-19's impact on health professions educators. View Abstract
Lack of standardization and faculty development in pediatric colonoscopy: A qualitative study. View Abstract
Beyond the Workshop: Results From a Longitudinal, Interprofessional Teaching Certificate Program. View Abstract
Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Antigen 4 Haploinsufficiency Presenting As Refractory Celiac-Like Disease: Case Report. View Abstract
Creating a health equity and inclusion office in an academic pediatric medical center: priorities addressed and lessons learned. View Abstract
Non-responsive celiac disease in children on a gluten free diet. View Abstract
North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Position Paper on Entrustable Professional Activities: Development of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Entrustable Professional Activities. View Abstract
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Entrustable Professional Activities: Development of an Assessment Tool and Curricular Resources. View Abstract
Visiting Jack: Mixed Methods Evaluation of a Virtual Home Visit Curriculum With a Child With Medical Complexity. View Abstract
Use of Nazi torture device image in digital scholarship article. View Abstract
Training in Endoscopy: Coaching, Deliberate Practice, and Reflection. View Abstract
Interprofessional provider educational needs and preferences regarding the provision of sexual and reproductive health care in cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Red Spot Lesions in the Duodenal Bulb Are a Highly Specific Endoscopic Sign of Celiac Disease: A Prospective Study. View Abstract
Lack of Follow-up of Pediatric Patients With Celiac Disease. View Abstract
Phenotype, penetrance, and treatment of 133 cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4-insufficient subjects. View Abstract
Objective Assessment of Fellows: Doable and Worth Doing. View Abstract
Value of IgA tTG in Predicting Mucosal Recovery in Children With Celiac Disease on a Gluten-Free Diet. View Abstract
The Boston Children's Hospital Academy: Development and Initial Assessment of a Hospital-Based Teaching Academy. View Abstract
'Constipation Challenge' game improves guideline knowledge and implementation. View Abstract
Shared care: a quality improvement initiative to optimize primary care management of constipation. View Abstract
Early-onset Crohn's disease and autoimmunity associated with a variant in CTLA-4. View Abstract
Assessment tools: the next frontier in competency-based medical education. View Abstract
Graduate medical education in humanism and professionalism: a needs assessment survey of pediatric gastroenterology fellows. View Abstract
NASPGHAN guidelines for training in pediatric gastroenterology. View Abstract
Navigating the gluten-free diet in college. View Abstract
Multicenter study on season of birth and celiac disease: evidence for a new theoretical model of pathogenesis. View Abstract
Pediatric gastroenterology fellowship: is the match working? View Abstract
Variability of histopathological changes in childhood celiac disease. View Abstract
Restorative proctocolectomy and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis in children. View Abstract
First evidence of a possible association between gastric acid suppression during pregnancy and childhood asthma: a population-based register study. View Abstract
Desquamative enteropathy and pyloric atresia without skin disease caused by a novel intracellular beta4 integrin mutation. View Abstract
Clinical significance of colonic intraepithelial lymphocytosis in a pediatric population. View Abstract
Fellowship training in pediatric gastroenterology in the United States: where are we going? Does one size fit all? View Abstract
Clinical effects and safety of rituximab for treatment of refractory pediatric autoimmune diseases. View Abstract
Celiac disease presenting with chilblains in an adolescent girl. View Abstract
Serologic testing with ANCA, ASCA, and anti-OmpC in children and young adults with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis: diagnostic value and correlation with disease phenotype. View Abstract
Depressive symptoms and inflammatory bowel disease in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study. View Abstract
Pediatric patients with untreated ulcerative colitis may present initially with unusual morphologic findings. View Abstract
Retrospective study of hepatic enzyme elevations in children treated with olanzapine, divalproex, and their combination. View Abstract
Complementary medicine use in children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease. View Abstract
Elevated serum hepatocyte growth factor in children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease. View Abstract
Oral tacrolimus treatment of severe colitis in children. View Abstract
Allergic esophagitis in children: a clinicopathological entity. View Abstract
Human intestinal M cells display the sialyl Lewis A antigen. View Abstract
Elevated serum vascular endothelial growth factor in children and young adults with Crohn's disease. View Abstract
Quality-of-life assessment after ileoanal pull-through for ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis. View Abstract
Aluminum in large and small volume parenterals used in total parenteral nutrition: response to the Food and Drug Administration notice of proposed rule by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. View Abstract
Gastrointestinal manifestations of vascular anomalies in childhood: varied etiologies require multiple therapeutic modalities. View Abstract
Serum leptin in children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease. View Abstract
Vitamins A and E serum levels in children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease: effect of disease activity. View Abstract
Clinical outcome of ulcerative proctitis in children. View Abstract
Surgery for Crohn's disease in infants and children. View Abstract
Serum basic fibroblast growth factor in pediatric Crohn's disease. Implications for wound healing. View Abstract
Complications following percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and subsequent catheter replacement in children and young adults. View Abstract
Tacrolimus (FK-506) treatment of fulminant colitis in a child. View Abstract
Elevation of serum interleukin-6 but not serum-soluble interleukin-2 receptor in children with Crohn's disease. View Abstract
Gastric and esophageal intraepithelial lymphocytes in pediatric celiac disease. View Abstract
Treatment of pediatric autoimmune enteropathy with tacrolimus (FK506). View Abstract
Long-term hepatic regeneration and function in infants and children following liver resection. View Abstract
Intraoperative enteroscopy in the diagnosis of partial intestinal obstruction in infancy. View Abstract
Aminosalicylates for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. View Abstract
Endoscopic ligation of esophageal varices in children. View Abstract
Allergic colitis in infants. View Abstract
Medical therapies for pediatric gastrointestinal disease. Subcommittee on Therapeutics of the Patient Care Committee North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. View Abstract
Long-term nutritional and metabolic consequences of pancreaticoduodenectomy in children. View Abstract
Allergic proctocolitis in infants: a prospective clinicopathologic biopsy study. View Abstract
The antegrade colonogram: extending the small bowel follow through for children suspected of having colonic disease. View Abstract
Pancreatitis following scoliosis surgery in children and young adults. View Abstract
Longitudinal assessment of type I procollagen in children with inflammatory bowel disease subjected to surgery. View Abstract
Carbohydrate malabsorption following fruit juice ingestion in young children. View Abstract
Relationship of type I procollagen to corticosteroid therapy in children with inflammatory bowel disease. View Abstract
Clinical and laboratory correlates of esophagitis in young children. View Abstract
Hypertension associated with unilateral hydronephrosis as a complication of Crohn's disease. View Abstract
Cyclosporine treatment of autoimmune chronic active hepatitis. View Abstract
Type 1 procollagen as a biochemical marker of growth in children with inflammatory bowel disease. View Abstract
Effect of metoclopramide on prolonged intraesophageal pH testing in infants with gastroesophageal reflux. View Abstract
Chronic diarrhea associated with hypogammaglobulinemia and enteropathy in infants and children. View Abstract
Cerebral vascular accident during the recovery phase of hemolytic uremic syndrome. View Abstract
Discordance for biliary atresia in two sets of monozygotic twins. View Abstract
Apple juice. An unappreciated cause of chronic diarrhea. View Abstract
Pseudopheochromocytoma and cardiac arrest associated with phenylpropanolamine. View Abstract
Recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in infants and children. View Abstract
Regulation of low density lipoprotein receptor function in a human hepatoma cell line. View Abstract
Addition of a mannose-6-phosphate-containing oligosaccharide alters cellular processing of low density lipoprotein by parental and LDL-receptor-defective Chinese hamster ovary cells. View Abstract
Horizontal nonparenteral spread of hepatitis B among children. View Abstract