A Pioneer in Surgical Oncology
The William C. Wood Visiting Professorship in Breast Surgical Oncology was established by Emory University's School of Medicine Department of Surgery on October 27, 2022 to honor a true leader and mentor in the world of breast oncology.
Dr. Wood began his medical career in Boston, graduating from Harvard Medical School and completing a surgical residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). But it was his surgical oncology fellowship at the National Institute of Health (NIH) during a break in his residency training that set the stage for his accomplishments to come. Dr. Wood remained at MGH after completing his training and eventually served as not only the chief of surgical oncology but also the medical director of the cancer center.
Dr. Wood moved to Emory in 1991 to become the Joseph Brown Whitehead professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery. Over the next 18 years of his leadership (1991-2009), Dr. Wood guided Emory Surgery to new heights of excellence in clinical care, education, and research. Emory Surgery gained prominence not only as a clinical center of excellence, but also a center near the top of NIH research funding.
Through his clinical research, largely centered on the care of breast cancer patients, Dr. Wood grew to prominence nationally and internationally. He is recognized for his outstanding contributions to cancer therapy and for his influence on the design and meta-analysis of conceptually driven clinical trials. His work has paved the way for the modern management of breast cancer today, from the identification and proper management of HER2(+) breast cancer (Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 8541) to the utilization of genomic assays to guide systemic therapy (TAILORx). From a leadership perspective, Dr. Wood chaired the 1990 US National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Md) Consensus Development Conference on Management of Early Breast Cancer, co-chaired the National Institutes of Health Breast Cancer Committee of the CALGB, led the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group breast cancer committee, chaired the Breast Cancer Intergroup Committee, and co-chaired the NCI's Breast Cancer Steering Committee.
Dr. Wood's notable contributions at Emory have been honored previously through the William C. Wood Research Symposium and the William Wood Research Symposium Lectureship.
| Speaker | Affiliation | Topic | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura J. Esserman, MD, MBA | – Alfred A. de Lorimier Endowed Chair in General Surgery – Director, UCSF Breast Care Center, Precision Cancer Medicine Building |
Opportunity to Reimage: Personalization for Breast Cancer Treatment, Screening, and Prevention | 11/14/2024 |
| Monica Morrow, MD, FACS | – Chief, Breast Service, Department of Surgery – Anne Burnett Windfohr Chair of Clinical Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center |
Axillary Management in Breast Cancer: Progress, Problems, Predictions | 10/19/2023 |
| Armando E. Giuliano, MD | – Regional Medical Director, Cancer Breast Oncology Program – Co-Director, Saul and Joyce Brandman Breast Center – A Project of Women's Guild – Director, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery – Director, Breast Oncology and Complex Surgical Oncology fellowship programs – Associate Director, Surgical Oncology in the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute – Professor, Surgery & Linda and Jim Lippman Chair, Surgical Oncology – Director of Cancer Pain, Emory Pain Center |
Evolution of Axillary Surgery for Breast Cancer – A Lesson in Clinical Research | 10/27/2022 |