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Leah Acker

Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology, Neuroanesthesia

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology · 2022 - Present Anesthesiology, Neuroanesthesia, Anesthesiology
Assistant Research Professor in Neurobiology · 2024 - Present Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2026 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Recent News Items


Published December 13, 2023
Blink of an Eye Predicts Post-Surgery Cognitive Issues

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Recent Scholarly Works


Clinical predictors of resilience following total knee arthroplasty: the PRIME-KNEE study.

Journal article J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci · April 7, 2026 BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe recovery trajectories over 6 months in pain intensity, pain interference, lower extremity disability, and physical activity in older adults undergoing elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and to identify clinically feasi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neurocognitive Dynamics Underlying Penalty-induced Boosting of Proactive Metacontrol and Its Influence on Reactive Metacontrol.

Journal article J Cogn Neurosci · March 1, 2026 Metacontrol states involve adapting cognitive control to contextual demands-being more flexible in frequent task-switching environments or more stable in those with infrequent switching. While these metacontrol states can be engaged proactively in anticipa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Translational Methods for Wearable Heart Rate Variability Monitoring in Older Adults: Preoperative Risk Stratification and Postoperative Monitoring.

Journal article J Cardiovasc Transl Res · February 5, 2026 Low preoperative heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and delirium after geriatric surgery, but in-person testing is burdensome and impractical. To evaluate wrist-based wearables for remotely capturing preoperativ ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Integrated Training in Anesthesiology Research

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 1996 - 2031

Neurobiology Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2024 - 2029

Neural Mechanisms Underlying Attentional Resilience in the Aging Brain

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute on Aging · 2024 - 2029

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Education


Duke University, School of Medicine · 2017 M.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · 2014 Ph.D.

External Links


Acker Lab Website