Susan F. Wood

Susan F. Wood
Born(1958-11-05)November 5, 1958
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
DiedJanuary 17, 2025(2025-01-17) (aged 66)
London, England
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Public health professional
  • academic
SpouseRichard Payne
Children1

Susan Franklin Wood (November 5, 1958 – January 17, 2025) was an American public health professional. She worked for the Food and Drug Administration from 2000 until 2005, when she resigned as a protest against the agency's delays in approving the morning-after pill for use without a prescription. She later served as director of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Background

Wood, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, was born on November 5, 1958.[1] Her father was a surgeon.[1] Wood graduated from Southwestern at Memphis in 1980, where she studied psychobiology, and earned her PhD in biology from Boston University in 1989, through the university's Marine Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory.[2][3] She was a researcher at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.[4]

Career

From 1990 to 1995, Wood was science advisor to the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues.[5] There, she helped draft the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993, a law that required the inclusion of women and minorities in NIH research.[2][6][7]

She then joined the United States Department of Health and Human Services, in the Office on Women's Health, where she served as Deputy Director and worked on the team that created the National Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health.

From 2000 to 2005, Wood was Assistant Commissioner for Women's Health of the Food and Drug Administration.[5][8] She resigned over delays in approving the over-the-counter us of the morning-after pill.[9][10][11][12] While an advisory panel had unanimously endorsed a move to make the pill available without a prescription, the final approval was subject to considerable delay, a decision she attributed to political pressure from social conservative influences.[1] In an email to her colleagues, she said that "scientific and clinical evidence, fully evaluated and recommended for approval by the professional staff here, has been overruled".[1] Wood travelled extensively across the nation afterwards, explaining to the public in media interviews, lectures, and newspaper editorial board meetings the need for transparency and scientific integrity within government as well as advocating that emergency contraception be made available over the counter to women of all ages.[13][14] The FDA finally approved full non-prescription use of the emergency contraception pill in 2013.[1]

After leaving the FDA, Wood became a professor at George Washington University.[15][16][17] She contributed to research across a broad range of areas, including strategies for healthy weight maintenance in lesbian and bisexual women,[18] heart disease,[19] and adolescent behavior.[20] She continued until 2022 to teach a course she developed in Women’s Health.[21]

Personal life and death

Wood and her husband, Richard Payne, had a daughter.[1] In 2017, they moved to Scotland, living in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. After Wood’s diagnosis with brain cancer in January 2023, the family divided their time between residences in London and Tobermory.[1] Professor Wood died from glioblastoma in London on January 17, 2025, at the age of 66.[2][21]

Works

  • Wood, Susan F. (April 1, 2014). "Inappropriate Obstructions to Access: The FDA's Handling of Plan B". AMA Journal of Ethics. 16 (4). American Medical Association: 295–301. doi:10.1001/virtualmentor.2014.16.4.oped1-1404. ISSN 2376-6980. Retrieved October 13, 2023.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Gabriel, Trip (February 6, 2025). "Susan F. Wood, Who Resigned From the F.D.A. Over Plan B, Dies at 66". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Langer, Emily (January 23, 2025). "Susan Wood, FDA official who resigned over Plan B ruling, dies at 66". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  3. ^ "Biography: Susan Wood". The President's Interagency Council on Women. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  4. ^ "Wood, Susan | Global Women's Institute | The George Washington University". Global Women's Institute. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Guest Speaker Bio - Dr. Susan Wood". nimhd.nih.gov.
  6. ^ "S.1 - National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993". congress.gov. Library of Congress. June 10, 1993. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  7. ^ Nichols, Francine (January 2000). "History of the Women's Health Movement in the 20th Century". jognn.org. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  8. ^ "Biography: Susan Wood". 1997-2001.state.gov. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "Is the Plan B battle over? Former FDA official Susan Wood hopes so". Washington Post. November 25, 2021. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Gress, Amy (June 17, 2005). "2005: Dr. Susan Wood". Government Accountability Project. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  11. ^ "Susan Wood". Rewire News Group. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  12. ^ "Abortion Pill Opponents Seize New Chance to Target FDA Approval". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  13. ^ Wood, Susan (February 28, 2006). "When Politics Defeats Science". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  14. ^ Wood, Susan (December 9, 2011). "With the Plan B decision, the Obama administration broke its promise". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  15. ^ O'Kelley, Connor. "Public health school launches open online courses on opioids". The GW Hatchet. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  16. ^ "Plan B gets new label by FDA to clarify it doesn't cause abortion". ABC News. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  17. ^ Varney, Sarah (June 7, 2022). "Misinformation Clouds America's Most Popular Emergency Contraception". KFF Health News. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  18. ^ McElroy, Jane; Haynes, Suzanne; Eliason, Michele; Wood, Susan; Gilbert, Tess; Barker, Linda; Minnis, Alexandra (July 7, 2016). "Healthy Weight in Lesbian and Bisexual Women Aged 40 and Older: An Effective Intervention in 10 Cities Using Tailored Approaches". Women's Health Issues. Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  19. ^ Hayes, Sharonne; Wood, Susan; Mieres, Jennifer; Campbell, Susan; Wenger, Nanette (September–October 2015). "Taking a Giant Step Toward Women's Heart Health: Finding Policy Solutions to Unanswered Research Questions". Women's Health Issues. Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  20. ^ Landry, Megan; Vyas, Amita; Turner, Monique; Glick, Sara; Wood, Susan (July–September 2015). "Evaluation of Social Media Utilization by Latino Adolescents: Implications for Mobile Health Interventions". JMIR mHealth and uHealth. JMIR Publications. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  21. ^ a b "Milken Institute School of Public Health Community Mourns the Passing of Dr. Susan F. Wood". Milken Institute School of Public Health. George Washington University. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
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