Timothy J. Ley, MD

Timothy J. Ley, MD, is the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Medicine, professor of genetics, director of the Stem Cell Biology Section of the Division of Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine, and associate director for basic science at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center.

Ley is regarded as an exceptional mentor. His past trainees — 20 postdoctoral fellows and 14 graduate students — enjoy highly successful careers in medicine and academic and industry research; 19 of his trainees are academic faculty members, including seven at this medical school. Ley has seven current trainees.

His trainees credit him with instilling a rigorous approach to research and the highest standards of integrity, as well as an appreciation for the importance of family and maintaining a well balanced life. They describe him as unfailingly supportive, with an infectious enthusiasm about research and a knack for helping to frame scientific questions in a way that improves study design and fuels productive career development.

Outside of Washington University, Ley has indirectly helped thousands of postdoctoral trainees as a key national advocate of the current loan repayment programs, which ease the financial burden during the transition to junior faculty positions.

In his own research, Ley is renowned for contributing advances in understanding the biology and genetics of acute myeloid leukemia, the function of immune effector and regulatory cells, and the treatment of inherited hemoglobin disorders. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine. He was named Teacher of the Year in the Department of Medicine at Jewish Hospital in 1994 and received the Alumni/Faculty Award from the Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association in 1998.