Physician, lecturer, and author Ira Solomon Wile was born in Rochester, NY on November 29, 1877. He received A.B. and B.S. degrees from the University of Rochester in 1898. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in medicine in 1902 and earned an M.S. from the University of Rochester in 1908. From 1912 to 1918, Wile served as the New York City commissioner of education during which time he founded the school lunch program and the Manhattanville Nursery. He spent the rest of his career serving as Associate in pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC and pursuing his strong interests in public health and social medicine. In addition to practicing medicine, Wile was an active supporter of the early birth control movement. he also researched the incidence and impact of right- and left-handedness; edited several medical journals; and wrote and lectured on topics such as psychology, social and mental hygiene, birth control, and pediatrics.