First-Generation Rocket Becomes Nationally Recognized Physician
A Legacy of Lifting Others
Long before he became a nationally recognized physician, educator and healthcare leader, Leon McDougle ’85 M.D., M.P.H. was simply a first-generation college student from Sandusky, Ohio, looking for an opportunity.
He found it at The University of Toledo, where a strong pre-med program and medical school offered the path he hoped would lead to a career in medicine.
“I was looking for a university where I could pursue medicine,” he said. “The combination of a strong pre-med program and medical school made UToledo the right choice.”
There were other options. McDougle had been recruited to play basketball at the United States Naval Academy, but there was no guarantee he could continue on to medical school. Staying closer to home also meant staying connected to family during a difficult season as his parents navigated a divorce.
The Power of a Mentor
Looking back, McDougle says one conversation helped shape the course of his life.
As the first person in his family to attend college, he met with longtime pre-health advisor James Stebbins to discuss his academic future. After reviewing his transcript and test scores, Stebbins encouraged him to pursue medical school.
“If he had recommended otherwise,” McDougle said, “I may have pursued another health profession.”
That experience reinforced something he has carried throughout his career: the extraordinary impact a mentor can have by believing in someone before they fully believe in themselves.
Character Through Adversity
His years at UToledo also taught lessons that extended well beyond the classroom.
As a member of the Toledo men’s basketball team, McDougle faced challenges that tested his resilience. When his athletic future unexpectedly changed, the late Professor Lancelot C.A. Thompson, associate dean of student affairs, helped ensure he could remain at the University on scholarship, allowing him to continue pursuing his education.
Rather than defining him, those experiences shaped the leader he would become.
“They prepared me to navigate and lead in unfavorable environments,” he said.
Leading Through Service
Today, McDougle serves as associate vice president of community health, mentorship and engagement at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where he works to improve health outcomes, expand mentorship opportunities and strengthen connections with communities. The same lessons he learned as a student, resilience, service and investing in others, continue to shape his leadership today.
Among his proudest accomplishments was serving as the 121st president of the National Medical Association during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing Black physicians while helping address one of the greatest public health crises in modern history.
His work has since been recognized with numerous national honors, including the 2025 Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the 2026 Gold Foundation National Humanism in Medicine Medal and the 2024 Ohio Commission on Minority Health Ray Miller Crystal Stair Award.
Despite those achievements, McDougle says the people who invested in him early in life remain his greatest source of gratitude.
“I’ve been fortunate to have people who provided timely encouragement, mentorship and support exactly when I needed it,” he said.
Passing the Baton
That commitment to mentorship continues to shape both his work and his connection to his alma mater.
He and his wife, Natasha, whom he met as undergraduates at UToledo, are lifetime members of the Alumni Association. Together, they hope their story encourages students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college or who come from challenging circumstances.
When asked what advice he would offer today’s Rockets, McDougle points to the qualities he believes the world needs most.
“Toledo, northwest Ohio, the state of Ohio, the Midwest, the United States and the world need your enthusiasm, cultural intelligence and ability to solve our most challenging problems,” he said. “Cultural humility and empathy will enable you to thrive in service to communities overcoming current and future challenges.”
As he reflects on his own journey, McDougle hopes future generations remember that every success is built on the encouragement of those who came before them. He credits mentors who believed in him, support systems that helped him persevere and a university that opened doors he never imagined.
For McDougle, that legacy is now his to continue. The baton that was once passed to him at The University of Toledo is one he is committed to passing to the next generation of Rockets.