Leonard J. Weiner M.D.

A loving husband, father, grandfather, and brother, Leonard J. Weiner, MD passed away peacefully on November 2, 2023, surrounded by his family. He was interred on November 2, 2023, after a private service with immediate family. Dr. Weiner was born on November 25, 1935, to the late Edward and Mary (Rubenstein) Weiner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Weiner was a Renaissance man with many interests and hobbies. He served in the United States Army as a Combat Surgeon in Vietnam. He was also a pitcher for the UCLA baseball team, enjoyed running, his Turf Club membership at Churchill Downs race track, Yankees spring training, France, French cuisine, French wines, and teaching plastic surgery. Dr. Weiner was the first Chief of Plastic Surgery at the University of Louisville, appointed in 1971, and continued in that leadership role until 1996. During that time, he started the plastic surgery residency program (1973) training over 50 plastic surgeons, mentoring many other U of L students and general surgery residents into the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery as well. He exponentially provided safe and effective plastic surgery care to thousands of patients, in his own practice, and additionally through his teaching and mentorship of these plastic surgery trainees.

Dr. Weiner was a pioneer in the field of liposuction, bringing over this technology from France with the American Society of Plastic Surgery task force. He also made many advancements in plastic surgery, burn surgery, reconstruction and contributed to the initiation of the plastic surgery resident match.

Under Dr. Weiner’s leadership, the U of L plastic surgery program achieved many advances and was trend-setting. These advances included the first microsurgical teaching lab, the first microsurgical fellowship, the surgical anatomy lab, early tangential excision, and grafting, making skin grafts with culture, myocutaneous and muscle flaps, and ultimately contributing to the composite tissue allotransplantation and hand transplant program. Dr. Weiner also built a strong plastic research program, one of the largest in the country at that time, that contributed hundreds of peer-reviewed publications to the field of plastic surgery. Dr. Weiner used his unique ability to recruit many strong faculty to develop and direct a first-rate plastic surgery program at the University of Louisville. After retiring, Dr. Weiner continued his involvement and support of the University of Louisville Plastic Surgery program attending journal clubs and visiting professor events for many years. He and his wife, Jane (Dr. Jane Schultz Weiner), established the Leonard J. Weiner, MD Professorship of Plastic Surgery at the University of Louisville, which will continue to promote plastic surgery excellence and support the community and institution forever.

Deepest gratitude to Brad Wilhelmi MD and Gordon Tobin MD for their guidance with the documentation of his professional career. Dr Weiner’s family would also like to express our deepest gratitude for the extraordinary compassionate care of our beloved Leonard, both by the University of Louisville Hospital, especially the staff of 6 South, and Kraft Funeral Service.

Along with his parents, Dr. Weiner is preceded in death by a sister, Gail Weiner.

Dr. Weiner is survived by his loving, devoted wife, Jane Schultz Weiner MD, and loving children, Elizabeth Weiner Dahl (Anders Dahl), Jonathan T. Weiner (Sherry Hopeman Weiner), Jennifer Karmiol; grandchildren, Jakob Dahl, Samual Trewartha, Paul Trewartha, Henry Weiner, and Alexander Weiner. He was also loved and deeply cared for by his in-laws, Ruth and Earl Schultz, sister-in-law, Margaret Brinkworth (Gary), as well as many loving nieces and nephews.

A visitation will take place on Friday, November 10, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with a service to follow at 6:00 p.m. at Kraft Funeral Service, 2776 Charlestown Road, New Albany, Indiana.

In Lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Leonard J. Weiner MD Endowed Fund to (account E0360) at the University of Louisville Foundation, Inc., PO Box 772050, Chicago, ILL. 60677 or to the website at https://give.louisville.edu/weiner

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kraftfs.com for the Weiner family.