Sixto Leal
The Power List 2021 – Front(line) and Center
Sixto is Director of Clinical Microbiology at the Fungal Reference Laboratory and Assistant Professor of Pathology at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Having developed one of the most sensitive PCR tests in the US, his lab identified the first COVID-19 case in Birmingham, Alabama. Sixto’s lab then expanded its services to support the Alabama GuideSafe Testing Initiative, enabling thousands of students to be tested before returning to campuses across the state. What’s more, his lab isn’t primarily a molecular testing lab – but he put his own research interests aside to help his community and state throughout the pandemic.
