Distinguished Alumni Award
Alson E. Braley 31MD, 37R
Dr. Braley performed the first corneal transplant in the state and founded the Eye Bank and the Iowa Network, an association of amateur radio operators who help to direct available donor eyes to physicians who need them for transplants.
A native of Lake Mills, Dr. Braley did his internship, a two-year residency in ophthalmology at UI Hospitals.
He was an instructor in ophthalmology from 1937-39, was in private practice in Detroit, and taught at Wayne State University, Columbia University and New York University.
He left the position of professor and head of the Ophthalmology Department at New York University in 1950 to assume the same position at the UI.
During the next 17 years, under his leadership, the UI Ophthalmology Department became an international center for eye treatment and research.
Through his efforts the UI received research and training funds from federal sources for the first time. This funding had previously been available only to a few established centers on the east coast.
Dr. Braley trained more than 100 ophthalmologists, many of whom now chair eye departments throughout the country.
He served as a member of the National Advisory Council of the National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Blindness and as a vice-president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology.
About Distinguished Alumni Awards
Since 1963, the University of Iowa has annually recognized accomplished alumni and friends with Distinguished Alumni Awards. Awards are presented in seven categories: Achievement, Service, Hickerson Recognition, Faculty, Staff, Recent Graduate, and Friend of the University.