Leigh Perreault, MD

Dr. Leigh Perreault is a physician and clinical researcher at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO. Her overarching research interest lies in understanding the different pathways by which people develop type 2 diabetes, and developing tailored strategies for diabetes prevention. Research projects to date have yielded valuable information about sex differences in diabetes risk, which lie, in part, in the key metabolic features in people with different types of pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and IFG/IGT).  Recently, research pursuits have focused on unraveling the pathophysiology underlying isolated IFG – a prominent type of pre-diabetes – affecting roughly 25 million Americans.  Specific environmental pollutants are strongly implicated as causal in IFG, hence proposed projects are aimed at removing these in a research setting to see if normal glucose regulation can be restored. Complimenting her independent research interests, Dr. Perreault works closely with collaborators examining emerging risk factors for diabetes such as sleep restriction, intramuscular lipids and the human microbiome.  Dr. Perreault is part of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and heavily utilizes the Clinical Translational Research Center (CTRC) on campus.

Dr. Perreault graduated from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in 1996. She completed a residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, and is currently board-certified in both. Dr. Perreault has received an Endocrine Fellow's Foundation Award, Patient-oriented Career Development Award (K23) from the National Institutes of Health, as well as a Career Development Award from the American Diabetes Association, for her work unraveling the metabolic complexities of pre-diabetes. She works tirelessly on behalf of people at risk for diabetes, both as a volunteer for the American Diabetes Association, a national and internal educator, and directly through clinical care of people with pre-diabetes and diabetes.?