Leigh Pate is a former public affairs and political consultant, communications specialist, writer and amateur photographer living in Seattle Washington.  She became a patient research advocates after a lobular breast cancer (ILC) diagnosis in 2011, followed by a second cancer diagnosis of advanced fallopian tube cancer in 2016.  As a research advocate she works to advance cancer research for lobular breast cancer and represent the patient voice in research and education for ovarian/fallopian tube cancer. 

Leigh founded the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) in 2017, working with committed volunteer patient advocates and breast cancer researchers and clinicians and led LBCA until 2020.  LBCA raises awareness and educates about lobular breast disease and works to fund and advance needed research into this understudied type of breast cancer diagnosed in over 40,000 patients in the US a year.

Today, Leigh continues her advocacy for both breast and ovarian cancer patients and promotes patient-centered research and education internationally and in the United States.  She serves as a Komen Scholar and a steering committee member for Advocates in Science for the Susan G Komen Foundation.  She is a member of the patient engagement committee for the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine.  She is a consumer grant reviewer for the Dept. of Defense Congressionally Directed Mandated Research Program Breast Cancer Research Program and Ovarian Cancer Research Program and the Conquer Cancer Foundation.   She regularly speaks with medical and nursing students about the early symptoms and difficulty in diagnosing Ovarian Cancer as a volunteer with the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance Survivors Teaching Students program.  She has presented numerous conferences, meetings and online presentations, trained and mentored patient advocates, shared the patient perspective with clinicians, scientists and trainees, authored publications and posters for scientific journals and conferences and partnered with researchers to develop successful research grant applications and initiatives.

Much of the photography and writing on this website reflects Leigh’s life outside cancer, when she would travel the world, often on a bicycle, telling stories and sharing photos from travels around the world.  She occasionally writes about life after cancer that not only changed her physically but altered how she sees the world, and travels through it.

Leigh’s photography has been shown in art venues around Seattle.  She has spoken at events in the US and Canada.  Articles about her travels and her cancer have been published in local newspapers, magazines and online interest sites and blogs.

Leigh was an independent political and public affairs consultant until 2015.  She worked on the Clinton-Gore campaign in 1992 in Little Rock, the Presidential Inaugural Committee in 1992 and later worked at the Democratic National Committee until 1994.  Leigh moved to the west coast and worked on political and issue campaigns for statewide candidates and state and local ballot measures.  As an independent consultant she worked for non-profit, government, labor and political organizations on efforts to pass policies to prohibit smoking in public places, fund health and education initiatives, train local volunteer committees to pass successful school funding ballot measures and other efforts.  

Leigh grew up in rural North Carolina and attended Guilford College, a small liberal arts college founded by the Society of Friends (Quakers) which informed her world view and cultivated an advocacy ethic.   She lives in Seattle, WA.  Contact her on Twitter @LPSeattle or by email LPateSeattle (at) yahoo . com