Ward Darley, Jr., M.D. (1903–1979) was an American

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

who served as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

and dean of its

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

. He received his A.B. degree in 1926 and his

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

in 1929, both from the

. As an undergraduate, he was a

charter member A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the reci ...

of Psi chapter of

Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau (), commonly known as Phi Tau (), is a collegiate fraternity located in the United States. The fraternity was founded in 1906. As of May 2024, the fraternity has 161 chartered chapters, 83 active chapters, 7 associate chapters, a ...

fraternity. Upon completion of his medical degree, he worked for thirteen years in private practice in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. Darley joined the Colorado College of Medicine as professor in 1946 and served in that role until 1956, in addition to his administrative duties. He became dean of the Colorado College of Medicine in 1945 and became vice president for health sciences in 1949. Under his leadership the school made great strides, and a medical clinic established at Denver's General Hospital became a widely recognized educational experiment in comprehensive medical care, a special focus of Darley's career. Darley was appointed President of the

from 1953 to 1956. Darley was active in the

Association of American Medical Colleges Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry * Voluntary associati ...

throughout his career, serving as its president in 1952 and assuming the role as its administrative head in 1956. He was awarded honorary degrees from more than twelve universities. In 1964 he received the

' Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education, its highest honor. In 1971, he became a Master of the

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a Philadelphia-based national organization of internal medicine physicians, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults. With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty or ...

. He donated his papers to the National Library of Medicine in 1968.

References

External links

Biography and photo from CU Archives
* 1903 births 1979 deaths Physicians from Colorado Leaders of the University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado School of Medicine alumni 20th-century American academics {{US-physician-stub