Leah McAleer is an occupational therapist at Levine Children’s Hospital at Atrium Health. McAleer does hands-on, rehabilitative health care with children and babies in the newborn intensive care unit. McAleer studied health sciences as an undergraduate student at James Madison University and earned a Master of Occupational Therapy at Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

McAleer works with patients whose ages range from birth to 21 months and have a wide variety of diagnoses, including premature birth, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. As an occupational therapist, her goal is to promote and optimize quality of life and independence following an injury or significant life event. Her team is made up of occupational, physical and speech therapists. McAleer's career requires patience, passion and creativity to help make a lifelong difference for children and their families. 

McAleer will discuss her healthcare career as a part of Career Conversations. The 30- to 45-minute discussions are hosted by the Exploratory Studies program and allow students to connect with people working in a variety of industries to learn about their current occupational and professional experiences.