Dr. Leonard’s medical education and training were at Jefferson Medical College and its hospital: M.D. (1964) rotating internship and psychiatry residency (1965-1968). He then served in the Air Force as a psychiatrist in Florida for two years. He returned to Philadelphia where he practiced at Friends Hospital, in Northeast Philadelphia, until his retirement.
He was certified in Psychiatry in 1970 and in Psychiatry with Added Qualification in Geriatric Psychiatry for 1991-2010.
He was elected President of the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society in 1979 and received its Daniel Blain Award “for dedication and service to the profession” in 1992, its Edward F. X. Lawlor, Jr. Award “for public service and political action” in 1997 and its Lifetime Achievement Award “for a lifetime of career activities that have advanced psychiatry” in 2009. Dr. Leonard was elected President of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society in 1987 and received its Presidential Award “for exemplary service and dedication to the profession of psychiatry” in 2012.
Dr. Leonard was a Representative to the American Psychiatric Association’s Assembly 1985-1995 and then was elected to serve on the APA Board of Trustees representing Area III for six years. He also became a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia in 1982.
He was a member of the founding Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Professional Standards Review Organization and served (1976-1977) as Chairman of its Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. He was elected its President for 1982.
A major avocation is studying the history of psychiatry. Some of his published articles describe 19th-century treatment of addictions in Philadelphia, the role of the media in 19th-century suicides, and possible mechanisms of action of 19th-century treatments thought to cure mental illness.