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We are saddened that Beverly P. Wood, MD, MSEd, PhD, passed away Sept. 24, 2021, at age 82.

Dr. Wood grew up in Fayetteville, AK, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in biology from Radcliffe College in 1961 and her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1965.

She married the love of her life, Dr. Lawrence W. Wood, in 1963. The two served as captains in the Army Medical Corps and were stationed in Taegu, South Korea, for 2 years. Dr. Wood often shared from her South Korea experiences and would occasionally offer Korean language lessons to radiology trainees in the reading room. After her military service, Dr. Wood completed her diagnostic radiology residency in 1971 and pediatric radiology fellowship in 1972 at the University of Rochester Medical Center Strong Memorial Hospital. She stayed on as an assistant professor of radiology and subsequently as a professor of radiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center from 1972 to 1989.

In 1989, Dr. Wood relocated to Los Angeles, CA, to become the radiologist-in-chief at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and was an inspirational mentor and phenomenal educator to hundreds of trainees from the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine and Loma Linda University School of Medicine over the following 28 years.

Dr. Wood was dedicated to teaching and was a lifetime learner. In 1996, she earned her Master of Science in Education from USC’s Graduate School of Education, and in 2005, her Doctor of Philosophy. She taught multiple courses at the USC Graduate School of Education from 1998 to 2011. She was invited to share her wisdom in clinical radiology and education at numerous national and international meetings and institutions.

Dr. Wood was a passionate advocate for the protection of children. She made significant contributions in field of forensic imaging for child abuse, was an expert witness in many child abuse court cases, and educated the general public on this topic.

With major achievements in the clinical, educational and research arenas, Dr. Wood was a triple threat. She was awarded multiple grants and had more than 100 publications during her career. She was an editor and member of the editorial board for several prominent radiology and pediatric journals. Dr. Wood also received multiple prestigious professional awards, including Gold Medal awards for her lifetime achievements in radiology from the Society for Pediatric Radiology in 1996, the Roentgen Ray Society in 2004 and the Association of University Radiologists in 2012.

Dr. Wood’s colleagues will remember her vibrant personality. She often impressed residents with her ability to identify the diaper brand of a child on an abdominal radiograph and the age of a neonate by viewing a single sagittal image of a head echogram. Also notable was her ability to describe individuals, even from the distant past, with elaborate detail. Dr. Wood was a blessing to so many of us and we are fortunate and grateful to have learned from such an exceptional educator and mentor. She will be truly missed but not forgotten.

She is survived by her husband, sister, four children and seven grandchildren.