ALVIN LOUIS LeBLANC, M.D.
Dr. Al LeBlanc’s relationship with UTMB began with his
acceptance and subsequent graduation from Medical School
in 1955. Dr. LeBlanc then completed his three-year military
service requirement in the United States Navy. On
completion of his military service, he entered residency
training in Ob/Gyn at UTMB in July, 1958. After his
residency, Dr. LeBlanc knew that he wanted to teach Ob/Gyn
at UTMB and decided to give it a try for a year. The firstyear trial turned into a fifty-year career at UTMB. Work was
very busy with a large Obstetrics practice and major
responsibilities for the UTMB medical student and residency
programs.
Dr. LeBlanc said being chosen to deliver his colleagues’
children was the highest praise one could receive. Many of
the children he delivered have subsequently become students
and residents at UTMB.
In 1978, Dr. LeBlanc was chosen to be the Vice President of UTMB Hospitals and Clinics. He
also became the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education that same year.
There were many changes during the tenure that Dr. LeBlanc was responsible for the operations
of the UTMB Hospitals and Clinics and oversight of the Graduate Medical Education Programs.
Medicare Reimbursement was a huge transformation for hospitals and clinics. The UTMB campus
grew with the addition of the TDCJ Hospital. Dr. LeBlanc was the Institutional Liaison with the
Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Dr. LeBlanc was the Disaster Preparedness Officer during those years and experienced hurricanes
and threats, including Hurricane Alicia in 1983. Disaster planning expanded at UTMB during his
administration, including processes for determining essential and non-essential employees.
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) regulations
changed during Dr. LeBlanc’s leadership, and he led successful accreditation site visits during the
1980’s. A new office, Quality Assurance, was established under Dr. LeBlanc’s administration
(which later evolved into the Risk Management Department) to meet the new JCAHO regulations.
In Dr. LeBlanc’s role as Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, he had oversight for
UTMB assuming responsibility for the Austin Medical Education Programs, residency programs
that were home-based at Brackenridge Hospital under the Central Texas Medical Foundation/
Seton Healthcare Network.
At the National level, Dr. LeBlanc was Chair of the AMA Advisory Committee on Graduate
Medical Education which reformed GME in the United States. He subsequently served on the
Governing Board, the Institutional Board, and the Ob/Gyn Specialty Board of the Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education, which he chaired for six years. Dr. LeBlanc received
the John C. Gienapp Award developed by the ACGME for individuals who dedicated themselves
to Graduate Medical Education and made outstanding contributions to the enhancement of
residency education and ACGME accreditation activities.
Dr. LeBlanc resigned in 1990 as the Vice President for UTMB Hospitals and Clinics, but continued
as the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education. Because of his broad experience in UTMB
administration, Dr. LeBlanc was asked to serve in interim positions at UTMB, including Interim
Executive Director and Chief Nursing Officer of UTMB Hospitals from 1996 to 1997, Chair Ad
Interim of Radiation Oncology from 1993 to 1996, and Interim Vice Chair of Neurology from
2001 to 2002.
Dr. LeBlanc received numerous honors during his academic and administrative career at UTMB.
He was inducted in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. His teaching awards included
two James Powers Memorial Awards, and two SAMA Golden Apple Awards for the Clinical
Sciences. His administrative awards included the Leone Award for Administrative Excellence and
the Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award. A Faculty Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology
honoring Drs. Al LeBlanc, Harry Little, and Charles Powell was established in 1999. He received
the John P. McGovern M.D. Lifetime Achievement Award in Oslerian Medicine in 2005.
Dr. LeBlanc passed away at his home with his wife of 60 years and family by his side on July 21,
2014.
Dr. LeBlanc loved his patients and being an educator and administrator, but most of all, he loved
UTMB.