SIR Today

The recipient of the 2026 SIR Foundation Leader in Innovation Award is Bradford J. Wood, MD, FSIR. The Leader in Innovation Award acknowledges individuals who have conceptualized and implemented an idea that has had an advantageous impact on the practice of interventional radiology.

From multiple “first in human” applications to being the founding director of the NIH Center for Interventional Oncology, Dr. Wood has defined innovation in the field of interventional radiology.

What first attracted you to IR?

Bradford Johns Wood, MD, FSIR: Laughter and mentorship drove me to IR. Charlie “Tunk” Tegtmeyer, MD, one of the founding members of SIR, gave a lecture while I was in med school at the University of Virginia. He was hilarious and irreverent, and we vibed.

When I first was introduced to IR, I didn’t entirely understand it—and I still don’t, which is what makes it so cool. IR evolves so fast that it is impossible to fully understand the breadth of procedures, which keeps it interesting for a whole career. IR fuels curiosity and innovation and the field has a rich history of thinking outside the box, developing tools that are faster, safer, less invasive and increasingly image-guided and data-driven. IR makes the waves upon which other disciplines surf. I was always fascinated by the ability to use our hands and help patients with video game medicine. What an incredible field where you can connect with each other and develop impactful relationships with patients while using amazing technology.

No other field has the rich combination of digital data, computer science, biomedical engineering, hand-eye coordination, longitudinal patient care and minimal invasion. Other physicians seek us out to solve all kinds of clinical problems. It is easy to be passionate about the “cool factor” of IR.

I’ve always been a product of the people around me. When I was little, my grandmother told me you are with whom you hang out, and I think that’s very true. It’s one of the things I love about IR: our field is such a cool discipline filled with like-minded characters. We have so many interesting personalities, and we tend to feed off each other’s positivity and enthusiasm. Within our field, innovation is infectious. We laugh a lot.

Is there anyone that has been a key source of inspiration for you?

Dr. Wood: Other than my immediate team, my family is truly responsible for any of my success. They instilled my values and are still my best friends. I was lucky enough to have a special needs sister, and she was why I went into medicine. She passed away several years ago, but she gave us all so many gifts: being appreciative of what you have, the obligation to use your God-given talents to their fullest, and to go out and enjoying your life while you’re able to.

You mentioned Dr. Tegtmeyer as an early mentor. What role do you feel mentors play in innovation?

Dr. Wood: I've been blessed with amazing mentors at many levels. They’ve believed in me and opened doors, and I’ve tried to emulate that on my end. Every time one of our PhDs or trainees succeeds, it feels like a full circle moment. It’s a chance to give something back, to repay the benefits you once received. That’s the epitome of scientific development; building slowly on the shoulders of those who came before you and creating a broader foundation for those to come. Walk it forward.

I have had too many mentors to name, because I consider most people a mentor—my trainees, my peers, my own teachers, even those with whom I even have a brief interaction. If you redefine how you think about the people around you, everyone becomes a mentor, and it becomes up to you to understand the lessons they can teach you. There’s always something to be learned, if you look hard enough and lose the incestuous tunnel vision of adulthood.

You have gone on to pioneer and run multiple research trials. But what was your first research grant?

Dr. Wood: My first grant was a pilot grant from the SIR Foundation. It was extremely validating to know that someone was listening to my ideas and empowering me to be creative and try a new approach. For that, I’m eternally grateful. SIR Foundation has played a tremendous role in jumpstarting research careers and providing opportunities for early career researchers, which keeps IR healthy.

Can you tell us about your work with the NIH Center for Interventional Oncology?

Dr. Wood: It was the brainchild of Elias A. Zerhouni, MD, a radiologist who was the former director of the NIH. The Center for Interventional Oncology redefined how to use imaging during procedures in cancer via multidisciplinary engineered approaches to grow imaging and interventions into areas that don’t often cross, such as pulmonology, endoscopy, minimally invasive robotic surgery or even basic cancer therapies. It was founded on the premise that we’re better off thinking about different ways to do things together, rather than sticking to our own silos and biases.

I think for cancer specifically the multidisciplinary approach has huge advantages, because we can't all do it alone. Cancer requires a multimodal approach to both diagnosis and treatment. Cancer is the great equalizer, and it requires an acknowledgement that you don’t have all the answers, and you won’t always be right. Image guided immunomodulation required medical oncologists like Tim Greten, MD. Fusion biopsy and ablation in the prostate required molecular imager Baris Turkbey, MD, and urologist Peter Pinto, MD. AI in IR requires NVIDIA. Partnerships create new opportunities.

Why is it important for IR to be at the heart of multidisciplinary research?

Dr. Wood: There are so many IR therapies that have essentially replaced open surgical procedures. Much of the technology we’ve developed has been adopted by other specialties and woven into the fabric of their identities, to great success.

However, in the case of IR—and interventional oncology—the levels of evidence for what we’re doing aren’t always fully standardized. For example, we have been managing tumors with ablation for decades, but high level of evidence comparing it to surgical resection just came out last year in Lancet Oncology. It took us 30 years.

IR is fast and agile and adept, but we do need to work harder toward becoming part of the organized medical cooperative, driven by standardized, evidence-based data. Standardization is both a benefit and a challenge. But to take IR to the next phase of our evolution, we need to make sure that we’re not just the Wild West of innovation. We need to make sure we are innovating in a uniform fashion so that we can better deliver our therapies, prove that they create value and impact care, and get reimbursed accordingly.

Any advice for those who want to be part of research and innovation?

Dr. Wood: That’s a huge question. We hold day-long seminars on this topic. But in general, open up to the possibility that you could be wrong. Open up to the possibility you could be right. Don't get married to ideas. Look for local expertise and try to take advantage of it, and view everything as a lesson, including failures.

Always look for opportunities to change the model. Find new roles you can play—even if it’s not a conventional way to contribute. Have fun with your work; find out what makes you passionate. You may not know what that is yet, but that’s okay. Surround yourself with good smart people. The model of how innovation happens is constantly changing and is non-linear; Opportunities for impact and innovation are all around us, if you just look around.

Sometimes it may be uncomfortable or frustrating. Sometimes you’re going to hit walls and disbelievers. But if you’re passionate about contributing, the universe will eventually conspire to help you.

Just have an open mind. I like to quote Ted Lasso, who quoted Walt Whitman: “It’s better to be curious than judgmental”. We are all full of biases, but you’ve got to bring an open-minded curiosity to people, ideas and interactions. Forget about ego. No idea is original. Ideas aren’t owned. So don’t shy away from an idea because you think it’s already been done—but also don’t protect your ideas and refuse to share out of fear. You have to brainstorm and be willing to give your ideas away. If someone develops something as a result of your stimulating them, and you don’t get credit—who cares? We all win, we all walk it forward. When you call everyone a mentor and everyone a partner, you will always win, and you will have more fun doing it.