Dr. Lucinda Leung, assistant professor in residence of medicine and psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been named one of 10 emerging leaders in health and medicine by the National Academy of Medicine, or NAM.
Leung focuses on integrating treatment options for primary care patients with mental health needs, such as collaborative care for depression and virtual care, and analyzing their impact on care utilization, cost and quality, especially among veterans and safety-net populations.
The 2023 Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine scholars are early- to mid-career professionals in fields such as internal medicine, psychiatry, radiology, biomedical engineering and journalism. The scholars’ three-year term will allow them to engage in activities throughout the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine designed to tackle persistent challenges in health and medicine. These include meetings with NAM leadership and members in Washington, D.C., and planning an annual Emerging Leaders Forum.
“This honor from the National Academy of Medicine reflects the strong support I have received from family, friends, mentors, and institutions like UCLA and the VA,” Leung said. “As a primary care physician, I recognize that many patients may never reach mental health specialists and my research strives to make mental health care more accessible for the larger population. My goal within the National Academies is to amplify this issue and advocate for timely, patient-preferred, evidence-based mental health treatment for all.”
