Scott Goodwin, MD, who was the first in the United States to introduce a novel technique to treat fibroid tumors without hysterectomy, recently was named chair of the Wayne State University School of Medicine's Department of Radiology. Dr. Goodwin also will serve as the Detroit Medical Center's specialist in chief for radiology.

Dr. Goodwin, a Harvard Medical School graduate, previously served as chief of cardiovascular and interventional radiology at the University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center.

"Dr. Goodwin will be a dynamic addition to the School of Medicine's faculty," said Dean John Crissman, MD. "His exemplary research and his dedication to finding new and better ways to treat disease make him a valuable asset in two of our areas of excellence, women's health and cancer research and treatment."

In 1996, Dr. Goodwin was the first in the United States to introduce uterine artery embolization, a treatment that involves blocking the blood flow to fibroid tumors by inserting particles into the arteries leading to the tumors. Without blood flow, the tumors shrink and die.

This technique, which is about 85 percent successful, may eliminate the need for hysterectomies, the traditional approach to removing fibroid tumors. It's estimated that of the 600,000 women who have hysterectomies annually, 200,000 of them have the procedure to remove fibroid tumors.

Dr. Goodwin also is studying new drugs that may be useful in treating liver tumors. Because chemotherapy drugs are toxic to both the body and cancerous tumors, researchers are working to find new ways of delivering drugs specifically to tumors, rather than the entire body. Dr. Goodwin is working on a class of drugs that use magnetically targeted carriers.

In addition to these research initiatives, Dr. Goodwin is looking forward to updating computer systems that will improve and expedite patient care. He also working to increase the required radiology training WSU medical students must have to graduate, so they can be better prepared to make competent decisions as doctors about what tests a patient needs. Such training could lead to better diagnosis as well as lower health-care costs and shorter hospital stays.

Dr. Goodwin also is co-authoring a book on fibroid tumors for the Warner Books series, "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About." The book is due out sometime next year.

With more than 1,000 medical students, WSU is among the nation's largest medical schools. Together with the Detroit Medical Center, the school is a leader in patient care and medical research in a number of areas including cancer, genetics, women's and children's health, and the neurosciences.