Matt Leavitt

Matt L. Leavitt, DO, FAOCD (born September 1959) is an American dermatologist, hair restoration specialist, writer, speaker, educator, business consultant, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery (ADCS), which is based in Florida and has nearly 150 practices throughout the United States. He founded Ameriderm , which has provided billing and collections services for dermatology practices since 2009. Additionally, he founded Medical Hair Restoration , which grew into a national practice for surgical hair transplantation and merged with Bosley Medical in 2010. Dr. Leavitt now holds the office of Executive Medical Advisor with Bosley. As an entrepreneur, he is the owner of Leavitt Labs , a company that creates and markets natural hair products. He is a co-founder, chairman, and president of the non-profit Hair Foundation . He is also an educator, serving as a clinical assistant professor in dermatology for the University of Central Florida and Nova Southeastern University.

Early life and Education

Leavitt was born September 1959 in Grand Rapids, MI, United States, to Nancy and Al Leavitt. His father, who was both an ophthalmologist and a businessman, insisted that all three of his sons, whatever vocation they chose, were to get both real-world training and formal education in business.

After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1981 and Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1986, Leavitt interned at Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital in Pontiac, MI. He was chief dermatological resident at the Wright State University School of Medicine (now Boonshoft School of Medicine), working at Grandview and Southview Hospitals in  Dayton, Ohio. He has earned certifications with the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (1987), Board-Certified with the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology (1991), is a diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (1998), and became a fellow of the  American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (1999).

Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery

After completing his dermatology residency, Dr. Leavitt, CEO and Medical Director of ADCS, in 1989 established a solo practice in Orlando, FL. Within three months, he had three small part-time offices, which together, became Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery. The ADCS website states that the practice now has more than 77 locations in Florida and more than 150 throughout the U.S.: in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wyoming.

According to the practice's website, Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery specializes in complete care for the skin, hair, and nails. Its general dermatology care includes treatment of rashes, psoriasis, acne, nail conditions and hair loss. In addition to providing skin cancer prevention information, ADCS provides diagnoses for skin cancer and performs related surgeries. The practice also offers cosmetic surgery treatments including spider and varicose vein therapy, Botox, collagen, Restylane, chemical peels, laser hair removal, laser skin resurfacing, and permanent make-up. ADCS also has a research division that has undertaken numerous studies for major pharmaceutical companies.

ADCS was acquired by Audax Group in 2012; Leavitt and management remained significant shareholders in ADCS. In May 2016, ADCS entered into a new relationship with Harvest Partners, with Dr. Leavitt and the current management team remaining as significant shareholders.

Medical Hair Restoration and Bosley Medical

Leavitt founded Medical Hair Restoration in Florida in 1990 and was the CEO and Medical Director for the practice. This national practice for surgical hair transplantation grew to have 77 offices and became the second-largest hair restoration practice in the U.S. MHR was sold to Aderans, a Japanese-based corporation and was merged into international hair restoration group Bosley Medical in 2010 (another of Aderans’ companies). Leavitt now holds the office of Executive Medical Advisor with Bosley.

The Hair Foundation

Leavitt was among the team of medical professionals who founded the Hair Foundation in 2005. The foundation is a charitable, 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization committed to providing expert and scientific information on hair loss and overall hair health to the public through education and outreach. Its board of directors is comprised of dermatologists, cosmetic surgeons, plastic surgeons, general surgeons, and other hair health and hair care professionals.  Leavitt is the organization's chairman and president.

Surgical Innovations

Leavitt is credited with originating 'crosshatching,' and the 'zipper' closure, techniques used in hair transplantation. He is also known for inventing several surgical instruments, such as the Leavitt Minde. He has received three research grants from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and was a recipient of two educational monographs where he collaborated with a group of other physicians to develop teaching and instructive programs for doctors.

Professional Activities

Leavitt Labs

Leavitt Labs is a separate start-up business founded and owned by Leavitt that creates and markets an exclusive line of its own proprietary natural hair cleansing, treatment, and restoration products. The company's stated mission says the firm plans to research, develop and market products for hair, skin, and specialty nutrition.

Pharmaceutical Company Consultant

As the clinical advisor for Merck Pharmaceutical (Merck & Co.), Leavitt studied the effects of the hair-growth drug Propecia (Finasteride) on hair transplantation.  He currently sits on advisory boards Allergan, Inc., a pharmaceutical specializing in dermatology products.  Since 2005, he has served as a special consultant to Lexington International/Hairmax , manufacturers of the Hairmax LaserComb. . He is a former member of the advisory boards of Pfizer (now Johnson & Johnson) Consumer Health and Connetics.

Service in the Medical Community

Committed to giving back to the medical community and educational fields, Leavitt served on the Board of Governors for the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons for 7 years. 

In 1996, Leavitt was a founding member of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgeons, an entity devoted to establishing standards for the hair restoration community to provide quality and ethical patient care.  He was elected VP in 1997, a post he held until 2004.

Dr. Leavitt also established a hair transplant fellowship program in 1997 until 2010 as an educational forum for physicians wishing to train in hair restoration.

He also founded the Live Surgery Workshop (see Educator) in 1995, an educational forum in hair restoration open to physicians worldwide, which ran for 20 years.

The Orlando Dermatology Residency program was founded by Dr. Leavitt (Program Chair) in 2015 under the auspices of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.

Selected Professional Organization Memberships

Leavitt is a member of a host of professional groups and societies, including the

American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Academy of Facial Plastics, the American Academy for Facial, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, the European Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, the Florida Society of Dermatologic Surgeons, the International Society of Dermatologic Surgery, the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, and the Dermatology Foundation – Leadership Society .

Work as Educator

Leavitt is a clinical assistant professor in dermatology for University of Central Florida, University of Florida , and NOVA Southeastern University. Additionally, he is a preceptor for NOVA University's Physician Assistant Training Program. He speaks regularly at Dermatology Grand Rounds at the University of Florida and the Florida Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants.

Dr. Leavitt is currently the founder and Program Director for the Orlando Dermatology Residency Program (see Service in Medical Community).   He has also developed a PA Fellowship program in dermatology designed to train physician assistants and nurse practitioners in the specialty.

He is a founder and the 20-time chairman of the annual Live Surgery Workshop, which trains doctors in hair transplant and cosmetic surgery and showcases new and emerging surgical techniques, procedures and patented instruments.

Finally, as noted in (see Service in the Medical Community) he developed and chared a hair transplant fellowship training program for physicians for 13 years.

Writer

Leavitt has written articles for dermatology, hair, and cosmetic journals and has served three times as editor for special hair loss editions of the International Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. He published a chapter on ‘Corrective Hair Surgery’ in the first edition of the medical textbook Hair Transplantation and a chapter on ‘Follicle Facts’ in the fourth edition of the book. . He is also the author of three chapters in the 5th Edition of Hair Transplantation and published a chapter on low-level laser therapy in the textbook, Lasers, and Non-Surgical Rejuvenation. . In 2004, he authored a consumer-focused book, Women and Hair Loss: A Physician’s Perspective , which featured a foreword by fitness expert Richard Simmons .

Philanthropy

Leavitt is a Chapter President, Central and Northeast Florida and a member of the National Board of Trustees for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (CCFA). He has been involved in many initiatives on behalf of the CCFA including founding the local Take Steps walk to raise awareness and the Crystal Ball. 

He has been co-sponsor for the Celebrity Golf CharityTournament with the David Maus Foundation for more than ten years. This event’s proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House and the CCFA. 

More recently, Leavitt formed the Leavitt Family Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted entirely to raising funds for charitable organizations.

Selected honors

Leavitt was a finalist for the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

He won the 2010 Association for Corporate Grown Smart Awards.

He won the 2003 Physician Business Leadership Award and the 2004 Best Dermatology Practice Award from the journal Florida Medical Business.

Leavitt was awarded the 2002 International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery Golden Follicle Award.

He won the European Society of Hair Restoration Surgery 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award for Live Surgery Workshop.

Personal Life

Leavitt is married and has three children. The family resides in Florida.

References

This article "Matt Leavitt" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Matt Leavitt. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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