Cynthia L. Leibson, D.Phil., Ph.D.

Location

SUMMARY

The research goals of Cynthia L. Leibson, Ph.D., are to help predict how temporal trends in morbidity, mortality and service use will contribute to the future health of the population and future demands for medical and long-term care. Dr. Leibson's research interests involve examining the burden of illness throughout the entire spectrum of disease, from risk factors to consequences, and over the life course, from before birth to death.

Focus areas

• Age-related chronic disease. Dr. Leibson's primary research focus has been on age-related chronic diseases, such as dementia, heart disease, diabetes, vascular disease and hip fracture.
• Early causes of need for care. She is also interested in how problems that occur in childhood and young adulthood, such as traumatic brain injury, obesity, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism, contribute to the lifetime need for care.

Significance to patient care

The research conducted by Dr. Leibson and colleagues will hopefully contribute to improving patient care by helping patients, clinicians and researchers understand how changes over time in prevention and treatment have affected the prevalence, severity and costs of disease.

In order to inform which interventions will be most cost-effective, research such as that conducted by Dr. Leibson and colleagues is needed to identify where and when, along the spectrum of disease and over the life course of an individual, the burden of disease and the costs of care are greatest.