In Memoriam: Francis (Frank) LeBlanc, Cumming School of Medicine

The Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) is saddened to share the passing of distinguished neurosurgeon and professor emeritus Dr. Francis (Frank) LeBlanc, MD. He passed away Aug. 27 at the age of 91.

LeBlanc was a neurosurgeon and academic leader who was among the founders of the CSM’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCNS) at the University of Calgary. In the late 1970s, he and a group of colleagues brought Calgary’s neurology and neurosurgery programs together into one academic department, eventually establishing DCNS in 1981.

LeBlanc joined UCalgary in 1971 and spent more than two decades growing and developing neurosurgery and neurosciences in the city. He served as the chief of the Division of Neurosurgery from 1980 to 1993, associate dean of Clinical Services from 1983 to 1988, and a professor of surgery (neurosurgery) and clinical neurosciences. He was later named professor emeritus of clinical neurosciences.

Leblanc was a distinguished leader, serving as president of the Canadian Neurosurgical Society and the Western Neurosurgical Society and as chief examiner in neurosurgery for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He was also an accomplished clinician-scientist whose work spanned cerebrovascular disease, spinal disorders, epilepsy surgery and neurophysiology. 

His profound legacy of contributions to neuroscience research are recognized through the Frank LeBlanc Chair in Spinal Cord Research. Leblanc was a member of the CSM’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute and a member of the board of trustees for the Manning Innovation Awards, which recognizes innovation nationally with awards and prizes.

Later in his career, Leblanc served as a professor and chair of clinical neurosciences at the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain and as a senior consultant in neurosurgery at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Riyadh.