Leah Witt, MD

Title(s)Assistant Professor, Medicine
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address555 Mission Bay Blvd South, #A-6114
San Francisco CA 94158
Phone415-353-2541
PronounsShe/Her/Hers
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0001-5665-4060 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse Education and Training
    Northwestern University, Evanston, ILBA06/2007Anthropology, Global Health
    University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MNMD05/2011Medicine
    University of Chicago, Chicago, IL06/2014Internal Medicine Residency
    University of Chicago, Chicago, IL06/2017Pulmonary Medicine Fellowship
    University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA06/2018Geriatrics Fellowship
    University of California, San Francisco, CA2018Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training
    Collapse Awards and Honors
    University of Minnesota2010Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse Overview
    My current duties are divided between Geriatrics, Pulmonary Medicine, and my leadership of a partnership with the San Francisco International Airport to promote aging-friendly travel. At the UCSF Center for Geriatric Care, a dedicated ambulatory geriatrics practice located in San Francisco, I am the leader of a new outpatient Geriatric consult service and also see primary care patients. At the UCSF Pulmonary Faculty Practice, I see patients in an Interstitial Lung Disease subspecialty clinic and a General Pulmonary Medicine Clinic. I frequently see patients using telehealth technology.

    I am committed to a career in interprofessional geriatrics and pulmonary clinical education as demonstrated by my teaching efforts. For second-year medical students, I lead small groups on various geriatrics topics during their Life Stages geriatrics block each year. I frequently work with clinical residents and fellows in clinical teaching settings at the UCSF Center for Geriatrics and in the UCSF Pulmonary Faculty Practice. I am also a leader in The Curbsiders, a widely distributed and highly impactful Internal Medicine podcast sponsored by the American College of Physicians (ACP) with episodes downloaded over 3 million times by health professionals across the globe.

    My long-term goal as a Pulmonologist and Geriatrician is to improve wellbeing for patients with chronic lung disease by integrating the physiologic management of chronic lung disease with attention to psychosocial factors, such as mobility, cognition, and social connection, that impact quality of life.

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    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse Publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
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    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Identifying priority challenges of older adults with COPD: A multiphase intervention refinement study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Aug 31. Iyer AS, Wells RD, Bechthold AC, Armstrong M, O'Beirne R, Byun JY, Coffee-Dunning J, Odom JN, Buhr RG, Suen AO, Kotwal AA, Witt LJ, Brown CJ, Dransfield MT, Bakitas MA. PMID: 39215557.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    2. A Research Agenda to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Cardiovascular Disease. An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 Aug 12. Myers LC, Quint JK, Hawkins NM, Putcha N, Hamilton A, Lindenauer P, Wells JM, Witt LJ, Shah SP, Lee T, Nguyen H, Gainer C, Walkey A, Mannino DM, Bhatt SP, Barr RG, Mularski R, Dransfield M, Khan SS, Gershon AS, Divo M, Press VG. PMID: 39133888.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    3. Ambulatory Blocks in Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Reprioritize Outpatient Medicine. ATS Sch. 2024 Jun 01; 5(2):227-230. Witt LJ, Heath JK. PMID: 38957488; PMCID: PMC11216296.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    4. The National Prevalence of Supplemental Oxygen Use in Persons with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Comparison of Claims-based and Self-reported Supplemental Oxygen Use. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2024 May; 21(5):838-840. Suen AO, Cenzer I, Iyer AS, Witt LJ, Smith AK, Kotwal A. PMID: 38330174; PMCID: PMC11109917.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    5. Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Olfactory Dysfunction and Frailty in Community-Dwelling, older US Adults. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Jul; 171(1):261-268. Wang E, Wroblewski KE, McClintock MK, Witt LJ, Pinto JM. PMID: 38660882.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    6. Olfactory decline develops in parallel with frailty in older US adults with obstructive lung diseases. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2024 Apr; 14(4):819-827. Wang E, Wroblewski KE, McClintock MK, Pinto JM, Witt LJ. PMID: 37747949; PMCID: PMC10961252.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    7. ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Lung Cancer Screening: 2022 Update. J Am Coll Radiol. 2023 05; 20(5S):S94-S101. Expert Panel on Thoracic Imaging, Sandler KL, Henry TS, Amini A, Elojeimy S, Kelly AM, Kuzniewski CT, Lee E, Martin MD, Morris MF, Peterson NB, Raptis CA, Silvestri GA, Sirajuddin A, Tong BC, Wiener RS, Witt LJ, Donnelly EF. PMID: 37236754.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    8. Clin-STAR corner: Recent practice-changing studies at the interface of pulmonary and critical care medicine and geriatrics. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2023 03; 71(3):705-710. Jain S, Witt LJ, Ferrante LE. PMID: 36536494; PMCID: PMC10023292.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    9. Jane (or Dr Doe?) Will Reply to Your Patient Portal Message Now. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 10 03; 5(10):e2234883. Santhosh L, Witt L. PMID: 36197669.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    10. Beyond the Lung: Geriatric Conditions Afflict Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Self-Reported Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022; 9:814606. Witt LJ, Wroblewski KE, Pinto JM, Wang E, McClintock MK, Dale W, White SR, Press VG, Huisingh-Scheetz M. PMID: 35237627; PMCID: PMC8884078.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5  
    11. Better Together: A Mixed-Methods Study of Palliative Care Co-Management for Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease. J Palliat Med. 2021 12; 24(12):1823-1832. Bischoff KE, Choi S, Su A, Cohen E, O'Riordan DL, Oettel E, Blachman M, Meister S, Zapata C, Lindenfeld P, Calton B, Witt L, Pantilat SZ, Shah RJ. PMID: 34115958.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    12. Weak Handgrip at Index Admission for Acute Exacerbation of COPD Predicts All-Cause 30-Day Readmission. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021; 8:611989. Witt LJ, Spacht WA, Carey KA, Arora VM, White SR, Huisingh-Scheetz M, Press VG. PMID: 33898475; PMCID: PMC8058414.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6  
    13. TGF-β Promotes Metabolic Reprogramming in Lung Fibroblasts via mTORC1-dependent ATF4 Activation. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2020 11; 63(5):601-612. O'Leary EM, Tian Y, Nigdelioglu R, Witt LJ, Cetin-Atalay R, Meliton AY, Woods PS, Kimmig LM, Sun KA, Gökalp GA, Mutlu GM, Hamanaka RB. PMID: 32668192; PMCID: PMC7605163.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 31     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    14. AGS Position Statement: Resource Allocation Strategies and Age-Related Considerations in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 Jun; 68(6):1136-1142. Farrell TW, Ferrante LE, Brown T, Francis L, Widera E, Rhodes R, Rosen T, Hwang U, Witt LJ, Thothala N, Liu SW, Vitale CA, Braun UK, Stephens C, Saliba D. PMID: 32374440; PMCID: PMC7267615.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 60     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsPHPublic Health
    15. Rationing Limited Healthcare Resources in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond: Ethical Considerations Regarding Older Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 06; 68(6):1143-1149. Farrell TW, Francis L, Brown T, Ferrante LE, Widera E, Rhodes R, Rosen T, Hwang U, Witt LJ, Thothala N, Liu SW, Vitale CA, Braun UK, Stephens C, Saliba D. PMID: 32374466; PMCID: PMC7267288.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 68     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsPHPublic Health
    16. Diaphragmatic Atrophy May Limit Progression of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020 05 01; 201(9):e72-e73. Venado A, Witt LJ, Kallianos K, Wolters PJ. PMID: 31825660.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    17. Respiratory Organ Aging and Cancer. . 2020 Jan 1; 215-244. Witt WL, Presley PC. .
      View in: Publisher Site   Mentions:
    18. Glutamine Metabolism Is Required for Collagen Protein Synthesis in Lung Fibroblasts. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2019 11; 61(5):597-606. Hamanaka RB, O'Leary EM, Witt LJ, Tian Y, Gökalp GA, Meliton AY, Dulin NO, Mutlu GM. PMID: 30973753; PMCID: PMC6827066.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 54     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    19. Inhibition of Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase Attenuates Bleomycin-induced Pulmonary Fibrosis. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2018 05; 58(5):585-593. Hamanaka RB, Nigdelioglu R, Meliton AY, Tian Y, Witt LJ, O'Leary E, Sun KA, Woods PS, Wu D, Ansbro B, Ard S, Rohde JM, Dulin NO, Guzy RD, Mutlu GM. PMID: 29019702; PMCID: PMC5946329.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 31     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    20. N-acetylcysteine exposure is associated with improved survival in anti-nuclear antibody seropositive patients with usual interstitial pneumonia. BMC Pulm Med. 2018 Feb 08; 18(1):30. Oldham JM, Witt LJ, Adegunsoye A, Chung JH, Lee C, Hsu S, Chen LW, Husain A, Montner S, Vij R, Strek ME, Noth I. PMID: 29422061; PMCID: PMC5806226.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    21. Respiratory Organ Aging and Cancer. Geriatric Oncology. 2018 Jan 1; 1-30. Witt WL, Presley PC. .
      View in: Publisher Site   Mentions:
    22. Phenotypic Clusters Predict Outcomes in a Longitudinal Interstitial Lung Disease Cohort. Chest. 2018 02; 153(2):349-360. Adegunsoye A, Oldham JM, Chung JH, Montner SM, Lee C, Witt LJ, Stahlbaum D, Bermea RS, Chen LW, Hsu S, Husain AN, Noth I, Vij R, Strek ME, Churpek M. PMID: 28964798; PMCID: PMC5815877.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 25     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    23. HIF-1α is required for disturbed flow-induced metabolic reprogramming in human and porcine vascular endothelium. Elife. 2017 05 30; 6. Wu D, Huang RT, Hamanaka RB, Krause M, Oh MJ, Kuo CH, Nigdelioglu R, Meliton AY, Witt L, Dai G, Civelek M, Prabhakar NR, Fang Y, Mutlu GM. PMID: 28556776; PMCID: PMC5495571.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 89     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    24. Interstitial Pneumonia With Autoimmune Features: Value of Histopathology. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2017 Jul; 141(7):960-969. Adegunsoye A, Oldham JM, Valenzi E, Lee C, Witt LJ, Chen L, Montner S, Chung JH, Noth I, Vij R, Strek ME, Husain AN. PMID: 28467213; PMCID: PMC5554445.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 13     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    25. Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β Promotes de Novo Serine Synthesis for Collagen Production. J Biol Chem. 2016 12 30; 291(53):27239-27251. Nigdelioglu R, Hamanaka RB, Meliton AY, O'Leary E, Witt LJ, Cho T, Sun K, Bonham C, Wu D, Woods PS, Husain AN, Wolfgeher D, Dulin NO, Chandel NS, Mutlu GM. PMID: 27836973; PMCID: PMC5207151.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 70     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    26. Azathioprine response in patients with fibrotic connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease. Respir Med. 2016 12; 121:117-122. Oldham JM, Lee C, Valenzi E, Witt LJ, Adegunsoye A, Hsu S, Chen L, Montner S, Chung JH, Noth I, Vij R, Strek ME. PMID: 27888985; PMCID: PMC5134419.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 40     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    27. No Exit: Identifying Avoidable Terminal Oncology Intensive Care Unit Hospitalizations. J Oncol Pract. 2016 10; 12(10):e901-e911. Daly B, Hantel A, Wroblewski K, Balachandran JS, Chow S, DeBoer R, Fleming GF, Hahn OM, Kline J, Liu H, Patel BK, Verma A, Witt LJ, Fukui M, Kumar A, Howell MD, Polite BN. PMID: 27601514; PMCID: PMC5063186.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    28. The Diagnosis and Treatment of Antisynthetase Syndrome. Clin Pulm Med. 2016 Sep; 23(5):218-226. Witt LJ, Curran JJ, Strek ME. PMID: 27594777; PMCID: PMC5006392.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 88  
    29. Characterisation of patients with interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features. Eur Respir J. 2016 06; 47(6):1767-75. Oldham JM, Adegunsoye A, Valenzi E, Lee C, Witt L, Chen L, Husain AN, Montner S, Chung JH, Cottin V, Fischer A, Noth I, Vij R, Strek ME. PMID: 27103387; PMCID: PMC5515625.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 90     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    30. Benefit of adjunctive tacrolimus in connective tissue disease-interstitial lung disease. Pulm Pharmacol Ther. 2016 Feb; 36:46-52. Witt LJ, Demchuk C, Curran JJ, Strek ME. PMID: 26762710; PMCID: PMC4760686.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 17     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    31. TOLLIP, MUC5B, and the Response to N-Acetylcysteine among Individuals with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015 Dec 15; 192(12):1475-82. Oldham JM, Ma SF, Martinez FJ, Anstrom KJ, Raghu G, Schwartz DA, Valenzi E, Witt L, Lee C, Vij R, Huang Y, Strek ME, Noth I, IPFnet Investigators. PMID: 26331942; PMCID: PMC4731723.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 131     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    32. Safety and Efficacy of Tacrolimus in Connective Tissue Disease-Related Interstitial Lung Disease. CHEST Journal. 2013 Oct 1; 144(4):470a. Witt WL, Demchuk DC, Curran CJ, Strek SM. .
      View in: Publisher Site   Mentions:
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