Our Providers: Dr. Kellie Leitch brings world-class skills as surgical leader
Published on Sunday, December 1, 2019
By: Annie Oeth, aoeth@umc.edu
Children’s of Mississippi welcomes Dr. Kellie Leitch as chief of orthopaedic surgery.
Leitch comes to Children’s from Creemore, Ontario, Canada, a community north of Toronto. She represented the area in the
Canadian House of Commons as its Member of Parliament, serving as a member of the Cabinet for two years.
Although Leitch said she will miss politics, especially serving her constituents, she said coming to Mississippi is an exciting opportunity she could not pass up.
“Children’s of Mississippi is expanding and has ambitious plans for growth,” she said. “This means that the health of children is a priority here. That is important to me.”
Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons correct deformities and aid in healing injuries of the limbs or spine, thereby helping children reach their full potential. The surgeons can provide treatment for congenital deformities, gait abnormalities, scoliosis, broken bones and ACL injuries.
Dr. K. Kellie Leitch is chief of pediatric orthopaedic surgery for Children’s of Mississippi.
An alumna of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Leitch earned her M.D. at the University of Toronto and completed her residency at Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto East General Hospital, St. Michael’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
Prior to completing a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at the University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Leitch earned a Master of Business Administration degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
In 2009, she founded The Sandbox Project, a nonprofit supporting the health, safety and well-being of Canada’s children. Leitch serves on several boards, including the National Research Council of Canada and Genome Canada.
At Children’s of Mississippi, Leitch is involved in clinical research at Children’s of Mississippi’s Biloxi specialty clinic and through telehealth, a tool she used in Canada to make medical care more accessible to patients and their families in remote areas.
The pediatric orthopaedic surgical group includes Dr. John Purvis, Dr. Patrick Wright, Dr. Jaysson Brooks and Dr. Catherine Zimmerman, along with a team of nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
“There is an outstanding team here that I am proud to be a part of,” Leitch said. “Our goal is working together to get kids back on the playground to play.”