Regional Executive Board

Regional Foundation Member-at-large, Leila Jerome Clay is a devoted servant leader. She has been a proud member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. since 2015, serving in multiple roles including recording secretary, age group chair, junior teen co-chair, foundation co- chair, and regional nominating committee member. Originally initiated in the Augusta Chapter, MAL Leila served on many leadership levels including age group chair, membership committee member, sponsorship committee member and recording secretary. She later joined the four-time Five-Star Greater Tampa Chapter and is the immediate past Vice President. She also has served on most of the committees like programming, budget and finance and sponsorship service as the co-chair for their inaugural fundraiser Tutus and Tennis shoes. MAL Leila has also served nationally as Southeastern Region Sponsorship Chair, National Sponsorship Co-Chair, and Strategic Partnerships Committee Member. She recently served as Regional Protocol Chair on the National Protocol Committee.

Professionally, Dr. Clay is a physician scientist. She is the Medical Director for Hemoglobinopathies in Medical Affairs (Clinical Medical and Regulatory) at Novo Nordisk. She previously held the role of International Medical Director for Rare Diseases and Advanced Therapies in Clinical Drug Development. A dedicated lifespan hematologist, Dr. Clay has led numerous research initiatives in sickle cell disease, with a particular focus on the role of vitamin D deficiency in disease progression and bone health. Her professional mission is to translate research discoveries into improved clinical care, especially for adolescents and young adults living with sickle cell disease and other blood disorders.

Before transitioning to industry, Dr. Clay was the Director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH), where she also served as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She additionally held leadership roles as Associate Director of the Program for Health Equity’s Research and as Division Chief of Hematology at the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute until 2021. She also previously had the role of Assistant professor and Sickle Cell Transition Program Director at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Dr. Clay earned her bachelor’s degree in physical Anthropology from New York University and her Medical Degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. She completed a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she developed a specialized focus on lifespan sickle cell care. She also earned a Master’s degree in Clinical and Translational Science from Augusta University and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications advancing the understanding of sickle cell disease. Her dedication has been recognized with multiple awards including 2010 Humanism Award at Rutgers Medical School (formerly University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey), the 2019 Johns Hopkins All Children’s Award for Excellence in Service and Professionalism and a 2021 nomination for Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Physician of the Year.

Dr. Clay is also an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Tampa Alumnae Chapter, where she formerly served as Third Vice President and now co-chairs the Scholarship Committee. She is a devout christian and is happily married to her loving and supportive husband, Dameon, and is the proud mother of three children: Legacy Kylii, Teen Khloe, and Junior Teen Kristian. She is multilingual, speaking English, French, and Haitian Creole, and is conversational in Spanish.