Leslie G Branch, MD

I am a second-generation podiatrist who has dedicated the last quarter century to healing people with foot and ankle problems and becoming an expert in reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle. \n My grandfather and uncle exposed me to podiatry when I was young, and seeing the fulfillment they received by healing patients inspired me to follow in their footsteps. Over the course of my career, I have used surgery and other therapies to reduce pain, improve function, increase stability, and reconstruct or salvage limbs damaged by injury, poor circulation, deformities and other conditions. My patients have included student athletes to weekend warriors and professional ballet dancers. \n Before moving to North Carolina in 2020, I cared for patients at a west central Florida podiatry clinic with my uncle. Later, I merged with two other physicians forming my own practice. In 2012, I was named chief of foot and ankle surgery at an 800-bed regional hospital. \n My approach - then and now - is to work with a healthcare team striving for excellence in outcomes, kindness and patience. I believe in honesty, setting realistic expectations and a collaborative approach that takes each patient's unique situation into consideration. One of my proudest professional moments came in 2018 when my peers nominated me to receive a hospital award in recognition of my kindness, bedside manner and ability to achieve exceptional outcomes in even the most difficult cases. \n I have written extensively about surgical techniques for podiatry textbooks and peer-reviewed medical journals. I also frequently speak about foot/ankle medicine and surgery topics at national conferences. \n I am originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, but my wife is a native North Carolinian. We met in college at Furman University in 1990 while we were getting our undergraduate education. I knew she was the one when I found out we shared a mutual love of the outdoors and fitness. We married in 1992 after graduation, and we were off to Des Moines, Iowa, for medical school. \n We have two children who love North Carolina so much that they attended universities in the area. As a family, we enjoy traveling, spending time in nature, kayaking and especially hiking in the mountains. The health and mobility of my family are very important to me, so I am committed to helping you and your family stay active and healthy.

It is somewhat rare that the occupation that fascinates someone in their youth translates into a lifelong profession; but, when Dr. Tucker put on a stethoscope at approximately the age of five, he never took it off. When he began his rotation at medical school, he was always fascinated with surgery. But, when it came time for a plastic surgery rotation, the creative aspect of working with each individual patient, whether reconstruction or aesthetic, combined his already artistic nature with the opportunity to practice great medicine. There was no turning back. The little boy with the stethoscope evolved into the gifted surgeon.