Fast 15: Leigh Anne Robinson

Leigh Anne Robinson makes an impact on the lives of those around her, whether it’s in her job of improving public health for Arkansans or mentoring those early in their careers.

“Leigh Anne is deeply passionate about addressing health disparities and advancing health equity, particularly in underserved populations,” said Julie Joyce with UAMS. “Her career is a testament to improving lives by tackling systemic barriers to health equity and creating meaningful, lasting change.”

Early in her career Robinson launched multisite studies in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Washington and Hawaii. Now as a manager, she’s launched a statewide multisite study for the rural population with Type 2 diabetes to get them diabetes-friendly food. She’s also led a child nutrition study in six rural Arkansas school districts. 

“Getting large-scale studies off the ground is my strength and biggest accomplishment,” she said. 

She’s working on expanding contraceptive care for women across Arkansas, especially in rural areas.

Robinson enjoys the “intersection of science and health and people and research. We rely on systems to keep everything consistent, and I find that I’m strong at building out those systems.”

Robinson has had good mentors. Betsy O’Connor, her first boss at UAMS, taught her the importance of multidisciplinary team collaboration and viewing the bigger picture. Her current boss, Kelsey Bounds, has shaped her leadership and people management style. Robinson tries to pay that forward by “mentoring research coordinators early in their careers and working with student interns. Watching them grow into their confidence and leadership skills is meaningful to me.”

A Fayetteville native, Robinson’s first job at Beauty World at age 14 taught her people skills and a good work ethic. Graduating in 2019 with a degree in public health from the University of Arkansas, she also earned a graduate certificate in health data analytics from the University of Tennessee’s Health Science Center in 2020.

She graduated during the pandemic and struggled to find a job, but was hired as a temporary COVID-19 contract tracer with UAMS. After four months she joined them permanently as a research coordinator. She moved to her existing role in January 2023.

Robinson volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She’s a Razorback fan and enjoys cooking, gardening, hikes with her dogs, and rainy days with her cats.