2021 Cornelian Award Winner: Leah Carter ’08

Healing people—and the health care system— with a ‘service-driven life’

“Early on, I knew that I wanted to be a doctor,” says Leah Carter ’08, who received her MD from Trinity School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., earlier this year. And with so many female role models growing up, from her pediatrician to her dentist, Leah admits: “I think I was in the third grade before I found out that men could be doctors!”

Leah was nominated for this year’s Cornelian Award by her longtime friend and former classmate, Jessica Mennis Viets ’08, who praised Leah’s advocacy for equitable health care, including lobbying for federal policy and legislation changes. “She has always been a friend and champion of those who are underrepresented,” Jessica says. “And through her professional work, she has been able to leverage her medical degree to new heights in ensuring equity and inclusion for BIPOC communities.”

In 2012, Leah graduated with a B.S. in biophysics from USC—the first woman of color to do so in the school’s history— and this June, she began her family medical residency at Charles Drew University, located in what she calls “one of the most resource-poor regions in Los Angeles.”

Leah talks passionately about “the social determinants of health” and how health care providers can better support their patients and their communities. She downplays the advocacy she has done over the years, saying, “It feels like I fall into these things,” but those around her see much more intentionality. “My mother, as the very Catholic woman that she is, she’s like, ‘No, that’s your calling.’ ”

Family medicine resident and health care equity advocate Dr. Leah Carter ’08 is this year’s Alum of the Year.

Although still in the early days of her residency, Leah is committed to serving the individual needs of her patients. “I value every person as a distinct and unique human, and I think that regardless of what they go through, they should have the resources and the support they need, not just to survive, but also to thrive.”

The call to serve others was a family imperative. “My mom instilled community service in us really early on,” Leah says. “I try to live a servicedriven life.” Driven also by her passion for science, Leah decided that practicing medicine was a great way to be of “service to my community,” a commitment that was bolstered by Mayfield’s “Actions Not Words” motto. She was also shaped by Mayfield figures like Sr. Barbara Mullen, SHCJ. Leah vividly recalls a unique piece of guidance Sr. Barbara offered about self-care: “Young women need to be more selfish sometimes!” Insights like that continue to give Leah both the motivation and the endurance for the many ambitious projects she takes on.

By almost any measure, the accomplishments of the Carter family are impressive. Leah’s sister, Jalen Carter '12, earned her B.S. in neuroscience from Duke and is now pursuing her Master’s of Public Health at UCLA. Like Leah, Jalen is committed to service and community well-being; she was instrumental in organizing Kaiser’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the L.A. area.

With Leah’s residency at Charles Drew in full swing, her schedule is busier than ever, but after so much time on the East Coast, she says she is “thankful that I get to train so close to home.” She also says it was meaningful for her to help in Mayfield’s Health Office during the reopening of the Bellefontaine campus this spring (see page 36). “Being back at Mayfield made me realize what a special place it is,” she says. And, in spite of her many commitments, Leah will serve on the Board of Trustees Admissions Committee for 2021-22. The entire Mayfield community is overjoyed to have her “close to home” again, too!

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Leah will be honored as Mayfield’s Alum of the Year and presented with the Cornelian Award for her commitment to “Actions Not Words” service during a special Mass on campus on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, at 10 a.m. (After Mass, the Classes of 1980 and 1981 will celebrate their 40th Reunion Brunch in Strub Hall.)