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Wayne Frederick: Honored to Have Studied Under Dr. Leffall and to Follow in His Footsteps as the Interim CEO of ACS

Wayne Frederick/LinkedIn

May 24, 2025, 15:26

Wayne Frederick: Honored to Have Studied Under Dr. Leffall and to Follow in His Footsteps as the Interim CEO of ACS

Wayne Frederick, Interim CEO of American Cancer Society and ACS CAN, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Today would have been Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr.’s 95th birthday. He was a pioneering surgeon, educator, and leader who passed away on May 25, 2019.

Dr. Leffall was the first African-American president of the American Cancer Society and an advocate for addressing health disparities. During his tenure as president, he introduced a program to address the cancer burden among Black Americans, focusing on incidence and mortality. He had a remarkable career as a longtime faculty member at Howard University College of Medicine, training generations of physicians and inspiring countless lives through his compassion, intellect, and integrity throughout his 65 years in medicine.

I’m honored to have studied under Dr. Leffall, and be given the great privilege to follow in his footsteps as the interim CEO of the American Cancer Society.”

American Cancer Society shared this post, adding:

“We’re honored to be led by trailblazing mentors and leaders, with Dr. Wayne Frederick the first Black CEO of our organization, and Dr. Leffall as the first Black president in 1978.

Dr. Leffall served as president of the American Cancer Society (ACS) in 1978, after years of dedicated volunteer service that began in the 1960s during the civil rights movement. Throughout his career, Dr. Leffall received numerous honors, including ACS’s Outstanding Young Man of the Year Award (1965), the Distinguished Service Award (1984), and Honorary Life Membership (1987).”

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