C. Lockard Conley

Carroll Lockard "Lock" Conley (May 14, 1915 – January 30, 2010) was a hematologist and founder of the Division of Hematology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Early life and education

Conley was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His father owned The Leib Packing Co., an oyster packing firm, and his mother was a homemaker. He attended Forest Park High School, graduating in 1931. He then attended Johns Hopkins University, graduating with a degree in biology. He attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine, then transferred to the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, receiving his M.D. degree in 1940. He interned at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, then entered the U.S. Army Medical Corps, serving throughout World War II and leaving the Army with the rank of major.

Career

He joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1946, and the next year he was appointed head of the newly formed Division of Hematology. He was appointed a full professor in 1956 and a Distinguished Professor of Medicine in 1976. He remained at Hopkins until his retirement in 1980. He then was appointed distinguished senior clinician at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Baltimore, where he established a teaching program for medical students. He retired from that position in 1987.

His hematology research included important work on blood coagulation, blood platelets, hemorrhagic diseases, and hemoglobins. He made significant contributions to developing a therapy for vitamin B-12 deficiency. In 1953 he and a research fellow, Ernest W. Smith, described a simple method of separating the components of hemoglobin on filter paper using electrophoresis, which made hemoglobin analysis far more widely available and facilitated the study and treatment of sickle cell anemia. In his studies of sickle cell anemia he followed some patients for 40 years.

Personal

He was married to the former Edith Martina DeYoung, a registered nurse, for 62 years until her death in 2005. They had two daughters.

Recognition

The American College of Physicians honors his skill as a teacher by awarding an annual C. Lockard Conley, M.D. Award for Excellence in Medical Resident Education. His collected papers are housed at the Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.