Leigh A. Frame, PhD, has forged a career that bridges academic medicine, integrative health and wellness leadership. Through her work, she has advanced institutional well-being initiatives while also shaping national conversations about resilience and holistic health in medical education and practice. As chief wellness officer at GW Medicine within The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, she has guided programs designed to support faculty, staff and students. She is also an associate professor at the institution, contributing to its research and teaching missions.
Dr. Frame’s academic training laid the groundwork for these achievements. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in human nutrition from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health after completing a Master of Health Science in molecular microbiology and immunology from the same institution. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Mary Baldwin University in Staunton. To further strengthen her academic and leadership expertise, she completed postdoctoral fellowship training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and later obtained a graduate certificate through the Master Teacher Leadership Development Program at The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development. She also expanded her focus on wellness through yoga teacher certification, which informs her holistic approach to medicine.
Dr. Frame’s achievements have been recognized through honors such as being named among the Top One Hundred Healthcare Leaders by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare. She has also contributed to the academic field as an editorial board member for Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health, associate editor for Global Advances in Health and Medicine and topic board editor for the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
At the heart of Dr. Frame’s career is the Resiliency & Well-being Center, which she co-founded at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. As director and research director, she has shaped the center into a model for advancing resilience, reducing burnout and promoting sustainable well-being. Its impact has extended beyond GW Medicine through national collaborations, including consultation with government entities to develop comparable initiatives. The center reflects her philosophy that resilience must be nurtured not only at the individual level but also through institutional systems and culture.
Dr. Frame’s leadership within the university has taken multiple forms. She directed the Integrative Medicine program, overseeing curriculum design and program development. She was also the executive director of the Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, further embedding wellness and integrative health into the university’s academic landscape. These efforts were complemented by her work as co-founder of Recondite Consulting, which expanded her influence into the consulting space.
In addition to her primary appointments, Dr. Frame has shared her expertise widely. She consulted for several organizations, including Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health with Sage and People Brand Company in Los Angeles. Her earlier career included work with Sapient Consulting | Public Sector and the National Institutes of Health, managing large-scale projects that sharpened her ability to navigate complex systems.
Teaching and research have remained consistent threads throughout Dr. Frame’s journey. At Johns Hopkins, she worked as an instructor, research program coordinator, and teaching assistant across subjects ranging from nutritional epidemiology to infection, immunity and undernutrition. She also contributed to nutrition policy research and participated in the Mary Frances Picciano Dietary Supplement Research Practicum at the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Frame’s professional affiliations highlight her engagement with the broader health community. She is a founding member of the Board of Regents for the Applied Microbiomics Society and has been active in organizations such as Alpha Eta Honor Society for the Allied Health Professions and The Cosmos Club. Her service extends to multiple scientific advisory boards, including AIM Health Institute, Evimero, Kuara Health and ASYSTEM, among others.
Beyond her professional commitments, Dr. Frame enjoys practicing yoga, hiking and cooking. Looking ahead, she aspires to broaden the reach of the Resiliency & Well-being Center so that its resources benefit not only the medical school but the entire George Washington University community.