Ley

Allyn Bryson Ley, Cornell professor emeritus, physician and former director of Gannett Health Services, died in Ithaca Sept. 29 from complications following a fall. He was 87.

Trained as a hematologist, Ley worked for Cornell for more than 50 years, first as a professor of medicine at Cornell Medical College, now Weill Cornell Medical College, in New York City and later as director of University Health Services, later named Gannett Health Services, at Cornell. He published over 30 medical papers, including work on the discovery of an immunologic reaction to penicillin causing drug-induced destruction of red blood cells. This work led to a better understanding of many drug reactions.

Ley was born Dec. 5, 1918, in Springfield, Mass., and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1939; he received his medical degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1942. After serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946, Ley trained as a medical house officer at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical College from 1946 to 1949 and then did a two-year research fellowship in hematology at Harvard Medical School, studying nutritional and drug effects on blood cells. He returned to Cornell as a faculty member and researcher at Sloan-Kettering Institute, where he served as director of hematology and Blood-banking Services. Ley focused his later career on developing new methods of health care delivery, and in 1963 he was appointed director of Ambulatory Services at New York Hospital and continued to teach medicine at Cornell.

In 1971 he came to Cornell's Ithaca campus to restructure and modernize the University Health Services. He introduced the use of nurse practitioners as health providers, promoted contraceptive services for Cornell students and helped established the Tompkins County Chapter of Planned Parenthood. He improved health education, expanded sports medicine and physical therapy services and developed on-site comprehensive women's health care. Upon his retirement in 1987, the laboratory at Gannett Health Services was dedicated to him in honor of his many years of service to the Cornell community.

He is survived by his second wife, Barbara Goble Ley, his six children and extended family. His first wife, Sidney Barr Ley, predeceased him.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Ithaca.