Leonard Jan Le Vann

Leonard Jan Le Vann
Picture of Dr. Leonard Jan Le Vann From Heather Pringles's article "Alberta Barren" that was published in 1997 in the magazine Saturday Night
Born	(1915-08-01)1 August 1915
Died	29 September 1987(1987-09-29) (aged 72)
Nationality	American

Dr. Leonard Jan Le Vann (1 August 1915 – 29 September 1987) was the medical superintendent at the Alberta Provincial Training School for Mental Defectives (also known as the Michener Center) from the years 1949–1974. Although he was born and raised in the United States, Le Vann trained as a physician in Scotland. Throughout his career Le Vann wrote many articles, the majority of which were published during his 25-year career at the Provincial Training School. These articles covered a broad range of topics that include alcoholism, schizophrenia and experimental treatments of antipsychotic drugs. In 1974 Le Vann resigned from the training center, which was due to the Conservative Party of Alberta’s repeal against the Sexual Sterilization Act of Alberta. Furthermore, there has been plenty of controversy about how he ran the school. This controversy has been brought to attention mainly because of the Leilani Muir trial that took place in 1995. Although Le Vann was already deceased at the time of the trial, his name was brought to the court’s attention on many separate occasions.

Le Vann was originally an American citizen, and completed his undergraduate degree at the Ethical Culture School in New York. However, he did not attend an American medical school. In 1939 he was accepted into the Junior House Surgeon, Royal Informatory, in Edinburgh, Scotland. His studies were briefly interrupted when he joined the Spanish Civil War as an anesthetist. Once he returned from the war he became a Junior House Surgeon, Royal Infirmary for the department of Neurosurgery in Edinburgh. Then, in 1943 he completed his training and graduated from Lincentiate Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh Scotland. Upon graduating, Le Vann performed one year of general practice in England during WWII at which time he was awarded a medal for bravery. In 1944, Le Vann moved to Essex, England; he began to practice psychiatry as a postgraduate student. Le Vann held the position at Sevealls Mental hospital in Colchester, Essex, UK for four years before moving on to a new endeavor.

In 1948, Le Vann moved to Canada and began to practice psychiatry at the Brandon Mental Hospital in Manitoba. Finally, in 1949 he was hired as the medical superintendent for the Provincial Training School.