Renée J. LeClair
· Associate ProfessorVerifiedVirginia Tech · Anatomy and Neurobiology
Active 2006–2026
Research topics
- Computer Science
- Medicine
- Medical education
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Political Science
- Biology
- Pedagogy
- Management
- Mathematics
- Nursing
- Anesthesia
- Internal medicine
- Genetics
Selected publications
Genetics in Medicine Open · 2026-01-01
articleOpen accessMedical Science Educator · 2025-10-28
articleOpen accessSenior authorA variety of program evaluation tools are used in medical education, including grade-based, narrative, and quantitative methods. While providing valuable feedback, they may not fully capture the lived experiences of the learner. To enhance understanding and empathy for the medical school experience, we conducted ethnographic interviews of learners across all years of training. Emergent themes were compared with feedback from traditional instruments. Our empathetic methods not only confirmed themes identified through conventional evaluations but also revealed additional factors that heavily impacted learners. This highlights the need for empathic, human-centered approaches to generate a holistic picture that better informs programmatic change. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-025-02547-w.
Microbiology, Pharmacology, and Immunology for Pre-Clinical Students
Virginia Tech Publishing eBooks · 2025-04-15
bookOpen accessSenior author<br><i><b>Microbiology, Pharmacology, and Immunology for Pre-Clinical Students</i></b> is a peer-reviewed open textbook designed to fill a gap in undergraduate medical education (UME) and support medical school pre-clerkship education. It covers the areas of immunology, microbiology, systems-based infections, and global mechanisms of treatment. It is aligned to USMLE® (United States Medical Licensing Examination) and modified from OpenStax Microbiology. The organization of this resource is driven by curricular structure to enhance integrated, multidisciplinary content delivery. This specific resource is intended to be used in various ways, mainly as a student quick-reference guide. The sections are not intended to be all-inclusive, but are primers for applied content delivery. The resource is organized into small chapters that can be used to support student preparation in any arrangement. Similarly, clinical context is only briefly discussed (or purposefully omitted) in order to allow the user to apply the basic content presented here in the clinical context used by their specific curricular structure. As cases and clinical correlates change regularly, it is beneficial to have flexible, short resources that can be applied to many scenarios. <b>Are you reviewing or adopting this book for a course?</b> <br>Please help us understand your use by filling out <b><a href="https://bit.ly/interest-preclinical">this form</a></b>. <b>How to access the book</b> <br>The main landing page for this book is <a href="https://doi.org/10.21061/micropharmimmuno">https://doi.org/10.21061/micropharmimmuno</a>. <br>The PDF and EPUB versions are available to download on the left-hand side of the screen. <br>An online, accessible version of the book is available in <b><a href="https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/micropharmimmuno/">Pressbooks</a></b>. <br>A paperback print version (in color) is <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1962841022">available for order here</a></b>. <b>ISBNs</b> <br>ISBN (PDF): 978-1-962841-04-7 <br>ISBN (<a href="https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/micropharmimmuno/">Pressbooks</a>): 978-1-962841-05-4 <br>ISBN (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1962841022">Print</a>): 978-1-962841-02-3 <br>ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-962841-03-0 <b>Table of contents</b> 1. Host Defenses, Immunodeficiencies, and Autoimmune Disorders 2. Basic Microbiology 3. Systemic Infections of the Skin 4. Systemic Infections of the Oral Cavity and GI 5. Systemic Infections of the Respiratory Tract 6. Systemic Infections of the Circulatory and Lymphatic Systems 7. Systemic Infections of the Urinary System 8. Systemic Infections of the Nervous System 9. Foundations of Disease Management <b>Find, adapt, and share resources</b> <br>If you wish to share resources you build from this book or find those shared by other adopters of this book, please join the <b><a href="https://oercommons.org/groups/pre-clinical-resources/10133/">instructor portal</a></b>. <b>Attribution</b> <br>The base of the book is from OpenStax <a href="https://openstax.org/details/books/microbiology"><i>Microbiology</i></a> by Nina Parker et al, which is licensed with a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license</a>, much of which was reworded and reorganized. <b>About the adapters</b> <br><b>Jennifer L. Cleveland</b> is an assistant professor in the Department of Basic Science at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She received a PharmD and MBA degree from Shenandoah University and has practiced in a variety of settings including hospitals, home healthcare, and independent pharmacy. She began her journey in clinical education at Jefferson College of Health Sciences, where she was instructor of clinical pharmacotherapeutics for physician assistant students for nine years. In 2017, she transitioned to Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine where her role includes teaching pharmacology to first- and second-year medical students, codirecting the problem-based learning curriculum, integrating pharmacology within clinical science, and facilitating small group sessions in the Health Systems Science and Interprofessional Practice program. With her background in clinical pharmacy and board-certification as a pharmacotherapy specialist, she brings a unique blend of expertise in her role as a medical educator. <b>Andrew P. Binks</b> is a cardiopulmonary physiologist who gained his BSc (Hons) in Physiological Sciences at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a MSc in Human and Applied Physiology from King’s College, London. He returned to Newcastle to complete his PhD and study the underlying physiological mechanisms of dyspnea, the cardinal symptom of cardiopulmonary disease. He continued investigating dyspnea at Harvard School of Public Health as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a research scientist. After seven years at Harvard, Andrew took his first faculty position at the University of New England where he taught cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology to health professionals and medical students. He continued to teach heart and lung physiology after moving to the University of South Carolina’s Medical School in Greenville where he also directed the school’s heart and lung pathophysiology courses. Andrew currently teaches heart and lung physiology and pathophysiology at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, directs the heart and lung pathophysiology course, and has previously served as the departmental director of faculty development. <b>Renée J. LeClair</b> is an Associate Professor in the Department of Basic Science Education at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Her role is to engage activities that support the departmental mission of developing an integrated medical experience using evidence-based delivery grounded in the science of learning. She received a PhD at Rice University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in vascular biology. She became involved in medical education, curricular renovation, and implementation of innovative teaching methods during her first faculty appointment, at the University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine. In 2013, she moved to University of South Carolina, School of Medicine, Greenville. The opportunities afforded by joining a new program and serving as the Chair of the Curriculum committee provided a blank slate for creative curricular development and close involvement with the accreditation process. During her tenure she developed and directed a team-taught, student-centered undergraduate medical course that integrated the scientific and clinical sciences to assess the six-core competencies of medical education. <b>Suggested citation</b> <br>Cleveland, Jennifer L., Binks, Andrew P., and LeClair, Renée J. (2025). <i>Microbiology, Pharmacology, and Immunology for Pre-Clinical Students</i>. Roanoke: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. <a href="https://doi.org/10.21061/micropharmimmuno">https://doi.org/10.21061/micropharmimmuno</a>. Licensed with <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>. <b><a href="https://bit.ly/feedback-preclinical">Report an error</a></b> | <b><a href="https://bit.ly/errata_micropharmimmuno">View errata</a></b> <b>Funding and project support</b> <br>This publication was made possible in part through funding and publishing support provided by the <a href="https://guides.lib.vt.edu/oer">Open Education Initiative</a> of the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. <b>Accessibility statement</b> <br>Virginia Tech is committed to making its publications accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The text, images, and links in the PDF version of this text are tagged structurally and include alternative text, which allows for machine readability. We are continuously working to improve accessibility and welcome any feedback from readers. <b>Disclaimer</b> <br>This work may contain components (e.g., illustrations, or quotations) not covered by the license. Every effort has been made to clearly identify these components but ultimately it is your responsibility to independently evaluate the copyright status of any work or component part of a work you use, in light of your intended use. Please check the references at the end of each chapter or consult the source material from OpenStax before redistributing.
A CASE OF HAE-ANGPT1 TREATED WITH BEROTRALSTAT - INSIGHTS INTO PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Annals of Allergy Asthma & Immunology · 2025-11-01
articleGenetics in Medicine Open · 2024
- Computer Science
- Genetics
- Medical education
As integration of genomic medicine continues to evolve across clinical specialties, health professionals will be required to stay abreast of genetic discoveries and technologies. The field of genetics and genomics are expanding at a remarkable pace. Translation of this scientific knowledge into clinical practice is becoming more routine, with genomic information now being applied to preventative, diagnostic, and therapeutic decisions. Therefore, medical and health professional school genetics curriculum must be periodically updated to ensure future clinicians have the knowledge and tools necessary to provide optimal care for their patients.
Frontiers in Physiology · 2023 · 4 citations
1st authorCorresponding- Computer Science
- Computer Science
- Psychology
Both physiology and pathophysiology are essential disciplines in health professional education however, clinicians do not use this knowledge in isolation. Instead, physicians use inter-disciplinary concepts embedded within integrated cognitive schema (illness scripts) established through experience/knowledge that manifest as expert-level thinking. Our goal was to develop a pre-clerkship curriculum devoid of disciplinary boundaries (akin to the physician's illness script) and enhance learners' clerkship and early clinical performance. As well as developing curricular content, the model considered non-content design elements such as learner characteristics and values, faculty and resources and the impact of curricular and pedagogical changes. The goals of the trans-disciplinary integration were to develop deep learning behaviors through, 1) developing of integrated, cognitive schema to support the transition to expert-level thinking, 2) authentic, contextualization to promote knowledge transfer to the clinical realm 3) allowing autonomous, independent learning, and 4) harnessing the benefits of social learning. The final curricular model was a case-based approach with independent learning of basic concepts, differential diagnosis and illness scripting writing, and concept mapping. Small-group classroom sessions were team-taught with basic scientists and physicians facilitating learners' self-reflection and development of clinical reasoning. Specifications grading was used to assess the products (written illness scripts and concept maps) as well as process (group dynamics) while allowing a greater degree of learner autonomy. Although the model we adopted could be transferred to other program settings, we suggest it is critical to consider both content and non-content elements that are specific to the environment and learner.
The Impact of Changing Step 1 to Pass/Fail Reporting on Anxiety, Learning Approaches, and Curiosity
Medical Science Educator · 2023-09-18 · 9 citations
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingElsevier eBooks · 2022-01-01
book-chapterElsevier eBooks · 2022-01-01 · 1 citations
book-chapterLocalizing the expression of Piezo2 in healthy and diseased lung tissue
The FASEB Journal · 2022-05-01
articleSenior authorIntractable air hunger remains one of the most impactful symptoms of chronic cardiopulmonary disease and current pharmacological management remains limited. However, an endogenous mechanism for air hunger relief exists. Pulmonary stretch receptors (PSRs) responding to lung inflation reduce the brainstem drive to breathe and mitigate air hunger. Harnessing this mechanism could form the basis of a novel therapy. Recent animal studies suggest Piezo2, a mechanically‐gated cation channel, causes PSR depolarization when airway smooth muscle is stretched during inflation. We have assessed whether Piezo2 is associated with PSRs in healthy and diseased human airways to determine whether Piezo2 is a potential pharmaceutical target. Methods Human lung biopsies from NIH Lung Tissue Research Consortium were used for identification of Piezo2 receptors in emphysema, fibrosis, bronchiolitis, and normal lung tissue. Localization of Piezo2 was determined with immunofluorescent staining and imaged with confocal microscopy (Zeiss LSM880). As PSR fiber endings are associated with airway smooth muscle, co‐staining for Smooth Muscle Antibody (SMA) and Calcitonin Gene‐Related Peptide (CGRP) was performed to determine whether Piezo2 is associated with PSR. Summary of results Piezo2 is associated with airway smooth muscle (as evidenced by SMA, figure 1) and neuroepithelial bodies in normal human lung tissue (evidenced by cGRP, figure 2) and expression persisted in all disease states tested. Conclusions Piezo2 location is consistent with that of PSR in human lungs, making it a candidate for the mechanoreceptive transducer of human PSRs as has been demonstrated in animal studies. Expression persists in disease, making Piezo2 a potential therapeutic target, but it is still yet to be determined if Piezo2 is more significantly associated with airway or vascular smooth muscle in different disease states.
Recent grants
Understanding the biological activity of Cthrc1 cleavage fragments
NIH · $121k · 2008–2011
Frequent coauthors
- 46 shared
Andrew P. Binks
Carilion Clinic
- 13 shared
Volkhard Lindner
MaineHealth
- 12 shared
Kristin Eden
Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
- 12 shared
Jennifer L. Cleveland
Virginia Tech
- 10 shared
Lara A. Carlson
- 9 shared
Robert W. Kenefick
- 9 shared
Mark D. Schuenke
University of New England
- 8 shared
Jeremy Wright
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