Allen Lein, one of the founding faculty members of the UCSD School of Medicine and the school’s first associate dean of administration, died of heart failure on March 26 at the age of 89.
Lein came to UCSD from Northwestern University in 1968, where he acted as assistant dean of graduate studies. During his tenure at UCSD, Lein served as associate dean for graduate study, beginning the school’s joint M.D./Ph.D. program, which was only the third program of its kind in west coast universities at the time. In addition to his teaching and research as a professor of reproductive medicine, Lein also served as associate dean for academic affairs, and as director of UCSD’s Health Professions Honors Program. He became professor emeritus in 1980.
“”Allen Lein brought a broad knowledge of science and an appreciation for the depth of the interface of science and humanity that was a core part of the medical school when it was begun 30 years ago,”” said Robert Resnik, the associate dean of admissions at the UCSD School of Medicine. “”He functioned as a role model for young scientists, and helped them all the way through their careers.””
Lein graduated from UCLA with undergraduate and doctorate degrees in zoology and a focus on endocrinology. He taught at the Ohio State University and Vanderbilt medical schools before becoming an assistant professor in the physiology department of the Northwestern University Medical School in 1947. There, he later became professor and director of student affairs, and finally was named assistant dean. During this time he spent a year as a Guggenheim Fellow at the Laboratoire de Biochimie, College de France.
Lein was respected for his research in endocrinology, and in 1979 published a book titled “”The Cycling Female: Her Menstrual Rhythm.”” The book was praised by reviewers for being “”written in a warm and comfortable style without sacrificing biological accuracy or detail.””
Lein is survived by his wife Teresa; his daughter Laura Lein of Austin, Tex.; his son David Lein of Berkeley, Calif.; three grandchildren, Anna, Rebecca and David Kuipers; and nephew, Benjamin Lein, of Los Angeles.
