Amy Leatherwood is a nurse practitioner and instructor in the department of surgery, colorectal division. She specializes in high-resolution anoscopy for detection and treatment of anal dysplasia in high-risk patients including HIV+, autoimmune disease, and organ transplant patients. Anal dysplasia can be a precursor to anal cancer, and she enjoys involving herself in preventative care, especially in underserved populations.

Amy completed her training in high-resolution anoscopy through the International Anal Neoplasia Society (IANS) and with the ANCRE center at University of California, San Francisco. ANCRE has been a founding center for the movement toward preventative care in anal cancer.

In addition to her involvement with the anal dysplasia surveillance program, Amy has a background and interest in cancer survivorship and patient outcomes, and has pioneered survivorship care programs, piloted a tool for patient assessment in survivorship care, and presented her findings at national oncology meetings.

Her other main interest includes translational research, in which clinical experience informs research goals and there is a relationship between the patient experience and the goals for quality improvement.  She feels that there is always room to learn and to teach, and to that end, is currently completing a Ph.D. degree as she becomes more involved in research. Her ultimate goal is to disseminate her findings into quality and evidence-based programs with proven benefits to quality of life for patients.