Todd Leff, Ph.D., associate professor of Pathology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been appointed associate dean of Professional Development.

In this new role, Dr. Leff will oversee the Postdoc to Faculty Transition Program as well as professional development activities for graduate and postdoctoral trainees at Wayne State University.

Ambika Mathur, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School and associate provost for Scientific Training, Workforce Development and Diversity, announced the appointment June 27.

Dr. Leff is director of the doctoral program of the Department of Pathology. He also serves on the admissions committees of the medical school's doctoral and M.D./Ph.D. programs. Through these and other experiences, he has developed an extensive knowledge of Graduate School policies and procedures, and has become familiar with the challenges and opportunities facing graduate education at Wayne State University, Dr. Mathur said.

Dr. Leff received his doctoral degree in Biology from Indiana University and performed postdoctoral work at the Université Louis Pasteur and Rockefeller University. He was employed as a senior research fellow at the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company in Ann Arbor before joining the Wayne State University faculty in 2002.

He has mentored numerous doctoral and M.D./Ph.D. graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He has written more than 60 publications.

His research focuses on the regulation of gene expression by metabolic and nutritional signals, particularly understanding the molecular mechanism that underlies the metabolic diseases of diabetes and obesity, and in deciphering the role that gene expression plays in both the etiology and treatment of these diseases.