Dr. Amber Rachel Leis, MD

I have rated Dr. Leis the highest rating possible because my experience under her care has been simply outstanding. After two years of enduring pain in my right wrist, making it difficult to write or perform any kind of task without severe discomfort, I began a search for a Hand Specialist to diagnose the source of pain and propose a treatment. I met Dr. Leis when I sought her counsel for a second opinion (the first coming from an orthopedist). Multiple professors at UC Irvine urged me to contact Amber because her reputation on that campus is outstanding. Amber pinpointed the source of the pain within 15 min. of examination. She first proposed a non-surgical solution (steroid injection) as both a test of whether her diagnosis was correct, and to test whether the injections would be sufficient to take care of the pain. I very much liked this thorough, methodical approach. The steroid injection helped, but did not eliminate the pain, indicating that Dr. Leis had most definitely… identified the source of the pain (the first doctor had missed this entirely); but the test also established that a surgical option should be considered. Dr. Leis’ bedside manner is not pushy; she is respectful and considerate, and patiently addressed all my questions/opinions/concerns. I chose the surgery. Dr. Leis’ team was efficient and professional in prepping me for the procedure. I am now two weeks out from surgery and it is incredible. There is minimal pain, including the longstanding wrist pain that was giving me so much trouble, and I have full finger, wrist and hand flexibility. Dr. Leis showed me through xray and other images that a small bone in the wrist was degraded and jagged because of osteoarthritis. The degraded bone was causing pain through irritation of surrounding tendons and because almost all the cartilage surrounding the bone was also degraded, there were painful bone-on-bone connections. So, her diagnosis was spot-on correct. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate Dr. Leis’ surgical skill, her expert knowledge of hands, her powers of observation during examinations, and her respectful interactions with me. I recommend her very, very highly. I recommend Dr. Leis very, very highly. Her diagnosis of my wrist pain and her surgical remedy were simply outstanding. I am now pain-free and have full flexibility of my hand. Dr. Leis is an extremely skilled surgeon with a great bedside manner and a wealth of training, experience and expertise.

I have met about 100+ doctors in my entire life and Dr. Leis is by far my favorite, she's empathetic and gives the best care.

Dr. Leis is by far the best surgeon I have ever met! She has a wonderful sweet personality, but don't let that fool you. She is also very professional and fantastic at her job. She comes highly recommended by her staff, faculty and interns. So far last year she performed two surgeries on me for breast cancer, and another one this year. For a person who is normally terrified of surgeries and being put under, she makes the experience a very comfortable one. My surgery was set up so quickly that I didn't really have time to meet her until two days before it. When she walked in and sat down, I immediately became comfortable about what was going to happen. I put my trust in her to do what she felt was best, which is totally out of character for me. Her nurse Lavonne was also very wonderful and helpful. I highly recommend her and always look forward to seeing her for my follow-ups.

Dr. Leis is my breast reconstruction surgeon. I feel like she (literally) put me back together after breast cancer. My case was a little complex in that I'm naturally very thin, and I have very thin skin, too. This means my options for breast implant size and approach is limited. Every other plastic surgeon I saw made me feel hopeless about my situation. One doctor even told me to just accept where I was. Dr. Leis was the only surgeon to offer me hope. She is kind, compassionate, supportive and skilled. She listened to my concerns and answered ALL of my questions. She’s also a pediatric and micro-surgeon. I think you should know that because it speaks volumes about her patience. One of the things I really appreciated was that rather than asking me to fill out important surgery paperwork just before they rolled me into O.R., Dr. Leis scheduled a separate appointment for this so that on the day of surgery I wasn't bombarded with paperwork at the height of my anxiety. And, doing… so allowed me to ask any questions about anything I see on the paperwork. She understands that we need to go into surgery feeling as confident and as calm as possible. She greeted me with the biggest smile just before surgery. Doing so put me at ease. One day she said "I try to do for my patients what I would want done for me." And she does! All it takes is one appointment with her and you'll be glad you found her. Warmest

Dr. Leis operated on me last year twice for breast reconstruction after a bilateral mastectomy. She took all the time with me explaining everything and all options. She listened to my concerns and answered my many questions intellectually and honestly. She knew the level of detail thatI needed to know and she was happy to provide it. I was simply amazed and knew in a very short time that I wanted her to be my doctor. On the day of surgery, she was just as lovely and patient. She put me at ease and I'm grateful for her restoring my body and my self image after dealing with breast cancer. She did a lovely job and I was impressed that I looked better than before my surgery. I can't say enough good things about this amazing woman. She's one of the best you'll ever meet. Every day I pray in thanksgiving for her!

Dr. Leis has performed two operations on my right arm, both to remove tumors growing along the nerve. Dr. Leis has a gentle and relaxing bedside manner that put my wife and I at ease immediately. Her skills as a surgeon are evident in the outcome - she has excised multiple tumors from my forearm with no peripheral damage to my nerves or arm/hand function. Dr. Leis is truly gifted and I am lucky to have met her and to have her as my surgeon. I highly recommend Dr. Leis.

Dr Leis treated my 2 year old son’s severed tendon following a freak scissors accident. My husband & I were immediately put at ease the moment we spoke with Dr Leis (which is not easy when your baby is about to be wheeled off to emergency surgery). She was very knowledgeable, experienced, and comforting. She met with us immediately following the surgery and gave us a full breakdown of the injury, what she did, & what to expect. She answered all of our questions & even shared pictures with me (I gave prior consent & requested her to photograph the injury). It has been less than 3 months since the accident & our sons finger is healed. He can bend it, use it, control it, grab with it, hold objects, etc. We are very lucky & fortunate to have had Dr Leis treat our son. She’s amazing!

I saw Dr. Leis for reconstruction following breast cancer. She is one of the loveliest people I've met, much less one of the loveliest doctors! My breast surgeon said she is one of the only plastic surgeons she is willing to work with. She gave me options, answered my questions and my husband's, made sure I was comfortable, and encouraged a second opinion. I never had a long wait in her office, and her nurse practitioner is just as nice.

Dr. Leis is one of the most empathetic doctors that I have ever encountered. I have an autoimmune disease that was diagnosed several years after my implants. After 9 years of implants, years of feeling uncomfortable and years of regret, I finally decided to look into removal. I am so glad that I found Dr Leis to perform this procedure. She passed zero judgement, was compassionate and understanding, was incredibly empathetic and was patient, thorough and incredibly kind and supportive through the entire process from consultation to the procedure to the post-operative care. I can also say the same for her staff who returned my emails and questions promptly. Dr. Leis was also very open to my preferences for treatment and care. I opted not to take pain medications and not to use any antibiotics as I prefer a more natural approach to care. She was incredibly respectful of my wishes and did not question them. Her staff is friendly and supportive in an environment where it is easy to treat… patients as a number on a chart, Dr. Leis and her staff provided individualized care, attention and support. I am so grateful that I chose her as a surgeon. I would encourage anyone looking for a surgeon to seek her out.

Dr. Leis was by far my best choice for my surgery. I am extremely glad I went with her. She is extremely knowledgeable in the field and definitely answers all your question. My wrist ligament surgery went fantastically well and I have required very well too.