Katherine K. Leon
SCAD Alliance Co-founder and Executive Director

Katherine experienced spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a nonatherosclerotic cause of myocardial infarction, at age 38 in 2003. She underwent emergency open heart surgery to repair two blockages after weeks of misdiagnosis. At the time, SCAD was considered "too rare to research." Today, studies show it causes up to a third of heart attacks in women under 50 and is the number one cause in peripartum women.

In 2013, Katherine co-founded SCAD Alliance to support patients, families, and clinicians, and to expand research of SCAD -- both the physical and psychosocial impacts. As Board Chair, she led SCAD Alliance in raising awareness of SCAD, educating key audiences, and advocating for clinical studies. In 2019, the SCAD Alliance Scientific Advisory Board launched the iSCAD Registry, a multi-center research initiative that now has 29 sites and has enrolled more than 2,300 participants. Katherine serves on the iSCAD Registry Steering and Publications Committees. She transitioned to the role of SCAD Alliance Executive Director in 2023.

In her early career, Katherine worked in communications and employee benefits for Marriott Corporation, Reynolds Metals Company, and Alexander & Alexander Consulting Group. She holds a BA in English from the University of Virginia and an MS in corporate communications from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.