Dr. Jay L. Ankeney

Jay Lloyd  Ankeney,  M.D. was born June 7,  1921in Cleveland .  He received  his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University and his M.D. from Western Reserve University in 1945. His internship  at University  Hospitals of Cleveland  was interrupted when he joined   the

U.S. Naval Reserve as lieutenant from 1946 to 1948. He returned to Cleveland  to complete his general  surgery residency  including  a year  as U.S. Public Health Service Research Fellow in physiology with University Hospitals Cardiologist  Carl J. Wiggers. In 1953 he continued his training in Thoracic Surgery at Bellview & Presbyterian Hospitals. During his tour of duty in New York City he did some Cardiac Surgery which in those days was limited to closed heart procedures. He then augmented his training with six months of study in Philadelphia under pioneering open-heart surgeon Jack Gibbons. He returned to Western Reserve and University Hospitals in 1955. In 1974 he was appointed Director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at University Hospitals, a position he held until his retirement  in   1986. He was Professor of Thoracic Surgery from 1969 to 1986 and Professor Emeritus of Surgery after retirement. In 1994 C.W.R.U. honored his achievements by establishing the Jay L. Ankeney Endowed Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery. In addition to his pioneering work in open heart surgery and developing a Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency training program, he developed the Ankeney sternal retractor widely used by  surgeons today. In 1969 he became one of the first surgeons to dispense with the heart lung machine in performing coronary artery bypass leading to reduced operative and recovery time and less risk to the patient. This technique was largely overlooked until being adopted in the mid 1990's. He was President of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons from 1980 to 1981, on the American Board of Thoracic Surgery from 1971 to 1980 and under his leadership the American Board of Thoracic Surgery designed a syllabus for the recertification of thoracic surgeons. . Beloved husband  of Julie Clayman,  M.D. father of Jay  Jr., Chrys  Smiley and Cynthia  Bingham and grandfather of Jordan Smiley, Dana Bingham and Hunter Bingham. Friends may call from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Friday, January 9, at Stroud-Lawrence Funeral Home, 95 South Franklin Street, Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The funeral service will be held at Amasa Stone Chapel, 10940 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio,at 10 a.m. January 10 followed by interment in Lake View Cemetery .  Memorial  contributions  in Dr. Ankeney's  memory  can be made to the Salvation Army, 2507 East 22°d Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 or the Geauga Humane  Society, P.O. Box  116, Novelty,  Ohio 44072 

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