Claim to Fame

Dr. Joel Leininger ('72)
There was a time in Joel Leininger’s life that when asked what his “claim to fame” was, he wasn’t hesitant with his answer. “I would say I was Johnny Carson’s parents’ paper boy back in Columbus, Nebraska,” he said. “They lived two blocks from our house and my mother was friends with Carson’s mom." Leininger's “claim to fame” has been pushed away to make room for a different accomplishment. When Leininger joined the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in North Carolina, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he made his mark in toxicologic pathology and in particular the pathology of the rat. Leininger made substantial contributions to the classic textbook Pathology of the Fischer Rat while also serving as associate editor of the 2^nd edition titled Pathology of the Rat. “My work on these books was the highlight of my professional life,” he said.