JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dr. Leon Haley was laid to rest back in July in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, leaving behind a legacy that will outlive the scores of people who looked up to him.
On Friday, he was honored virtually with a community memorial service Friday at 10 a.m.
Haley, who died July 25 in a jet ski accident in South Florida, was widely celebrated within the local medical community for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic as the CEO of UF Health Jacksonville.
Dr. Haley previously served as the dean of Emory School of Medicine and deputy senior vice president of medical affairs at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
You can watch Friday's full service here.
In 2017, Haley moved to Jacksonville to serve as dean of the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville. In 2018, he was chosen as the hospital's first Black CEO in its history.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Haley took an active role in the fight against the virus. In December 2020, he became among the first medical professionals in Florida to take a COVID-19 vaccine, inspiring many others to do the same.
"His last day at the hospital, he was giving vaccines here on one of our surgical floors," Chad Nielsen of UF Health remembered. "He walked the walk and he talked that talk."
"His reach was immeasurable," Mia Jones, CEO of Agape Community Health Clinic, told First Coast News. "He might have been small in statures, but his reach was one that covered this community."