About Dr Philip J. Leonard
Dr. Leonard grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. His grandfather came to South Texas after the turn of the century following military service in the Philippine Islands. On the border during the Mexican revolution, his grandfather was respected on both sides of the border and would negotiate for release of American hostages taken in Mexico. In fact, the mayor of Matamoras, Mexico spoke at his funeral and wrote a half page story about him in the the Spanish language newspaper El Bravo, calling him "Un hombre extraordinario." There was an exhibit about him at the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio.
Dr. Leonard rode the school bus to a country school that once had 12 grades. He grew up bilingual, in fact, he spoke Spanish before English. When he was in first grade, the teachers used to use him to translate to the migrant children who did not speak English. He played saxophone in the band and sang in a Boys' Choir. In high school, he participated in Interscholastic League Competitions in Debate, Number Sense, and Ready Writing. He was a photographer for the Annual. He had some poetry published and participated in Drama. Active in his youth group, he was the editor of a monthly newsletter and won 1st Place Trophy for an Extemporaneous Writing competition for Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
After graduating High School, Dr. Leonard went to the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with High Honors from the Department of Oriental and African Languages and Literatures in 1972. In addition, he qualified for a second BS degree in Zoology with Honors.
Other honors included membership in Phi Beta Kappa, academic Honor Society He also participated as a Representative in the Model United Nations. He was Associate Editor and Columnist for the University Jewish Voice. Having been accepted to Medical School, he worked for 6 months, earning enough to back pack across Europe for the summer and visit 18 countries before beginning UTMB Medical School in Galveston in 1973. Before graduating medical school, he was fortunate to have elective opportunities at Cornell Medical School, in NYC, Brackenridge Hospital in Austin, TX and The National Hospital for Nervous Disease at Queen Square in London, England.
He returned to do an internship in Houston,
TX and went on to a Neurology residency at University Hospital in Boston,
Massachusetts. He had an appointment as a Teaching Fellow there. He attended
the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC and spent some
post-graduate time at the Seizure Unit at Harvard Children's Hospital after
which he returned to London, where he had a position as Honorary Assistant
House Physician at the National Hospital for Nervous Disease at Queen Square
in London, England. This is the top Neurology Hospital in the British
Empire. Among his professors there was Sir Roger Bannister, the neurologist
who is also famous for running the 4 minute mile. He has continued regular
Post-graduate Training since that time and attended every Academy of
Neurology Meeting from 1981 through 2002.
Dr. B. J. Wilder, nationally known epileptologist selected him to be an
Epilepsy Mini-fellow at Bowman Gray University in Winston-Salem, NC with Dr.
Kiffen Penry in 1987.
He has avoided politics but has volunteered regularly to work in his professional community.
Starting practice in Austin in 1982, Dr.
Alan Nogen asked him to be the Neurology Representative to the Council on
Socio-Economics. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed the Neurology
Representative to the TMA (Texas Medical Association) Specialty Society Committee. He was also the
Neurology Delegate to the TMA House of Delegates. Interested in the care
made available to the chronically ill and needy, he was appointed to the
Medicaid Working Group. For over 10 years he has been the Texas Neurology
Advisor for the Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee. This committee gives
advise on what is standard of care. He is also the Texas
Representative for the National Neurology Carrier Advisory Committee. When
the New
Workers Compensation Law was enacted, he was appointed to the First Workers
Compensations Fees and Guidelines Committee. Because of his long history of
work for
the Texas Neurological Community, he was elected President and is now a
Past-President of
the Texas Neurology Society. Recently, Dr. William Riley appointed Dr.
Leonard chairman of the Patient Advocacy Committee for the Texas
Neurological Society. Dr. Leonard was a former Neurology Section Coordinator
for the Texas Medical Association Annual Education Meeting and has been in
charge of the Neurology entry at HealthFest locally. Dr. Leonard was the
Texas Delegate to the Neurosociety Congress working for the Patients' Rights
Amendment
in Washington DC.
He was married in 1978 to Patti surrounded by Azaleas in the courtyard of
her family home. After his residency, and living in London, they returned to
Austin to build a life together and open his practice. They have three
children. 2 daughters and one son. He taught religious
school and After their son was born, he was a volunteer doctor at a
children's camp for 11 years. During the Gulf War, he was an observer to the
Second Jewish Congress in the Soviet Union and helped with the emigration.
They participated in a delegation from the United States which were the
first foreign visitors to the New President of Lithuania after they seceded
from the Soviet Union.
Sharing knowledge and ideas has been one of his enjoyments and while in the
USSR, they gave talks to groups in Leningrad, Moscow and Vilna on "Rule of
Law" as opposed to "Rule of Policy." Upon returning to Austin, he mentored
new emigrants. He has also helped in the Brackenridge Family Practice and
Pediatrics Training program. Dr. Leonard has hired students to work in the
office from the Public School Systems for Work Study Programs and have also
given opportunities to UT Students to work in his office as well.
Among those students are Tax Lawyers,
Doctors, Professors, CPA's and other successful people who started working
in Dr. Leonard's office.
Dr. Leonard believes that the most charitable thing one can do for
another is to help that person to help themselves.
Philip J Leonard
711 W 38th St Ste C -6
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 453-1049
philip@philileonard.com