After almost two decades as an ABR volunteer, Trustee Chrisopher Wood, MD, said that one of the more satisfying aspects of his role is the positive feedback he receives from other ABR volunteers.

It happened most recently at the American Society for Neuroradiology annual meeting in Philadelphia this past May. A current volunteer approached him to say how much he enjoyed serving on a question-writing committee thanks to Dr. Wood’s involvement and leadership.

“He said, ‘You’ve done such a fantastic job, and I really enjoyed working with you. We have a wonderful team, and you really helped engage us,’” said Dr. Wood, a professor of radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “It was truly kind. I will miss that feeling of helping make things better for people at the ABR.”

Dr. Wood’s term on the Board of Trustees as the neuroradiology Trustee ends in October, reducing his activities as an ABR volunteer; he hopes to be an examiner for the New Diagnostic Radiology Oral Exam in 2028. He started volunteering in 2006 at the urging of luminaries from the diagnostic neuroradiology world, including Hugh Curtin, MD; Glenn Forbes, MD; Vince Mathews, MD; and Robert Zimmerman, MD. On the recommendation of Dr. Forbes, who had trained him as a neuroradiology fellow, Dr. Wood’s first ABR volunteer experience was the privilege of working with Dr. Curtin as part of a neuroradiology committee involved in validating questions using the nationally recognized Angoff process. He remembers Dr. Curtin as humble, even-keeled, inclusive, and very knowledgeable.

Dr. Wood started as an exam question writer for Dr. Zimmerman’s Maintenance of Certification committee in early 2010. Later that year, Dr. Zimmerman, who cared deeply about the ABR’s mission but was not quick to hand out compliments, took the time to acknowledge his younger colleague as an excellent volunteer.

“He said, ‘Yeah, Forbes was right about you. You are a good addition to the team. You’re conscientious, write good questions, deliver ahead of schedule, and you’re pleasant to work with,’” Dr. Wood said.

After a few years, Dr. Wood became chair of the Neuroradiology Certifying and Subspecialty Exam Development Committee when Dr. Zimmerman rotated off. He still recalls the challenge of assembling the annual certifying exams and separate subspecialty exams during in-person meetings with many national leaders, including Eric Russell, MD, and Jeff Ross, MD. Dr. Wood remembers tactfully balancing the group’s various opinions and discussions during question reviews to determine whether to accept a question, make minor revisions, or work on a question offline later while staying on schedule.

“I was a high school and small college competitive long-distance runner, which required staying on pace during training,” he said. “So, I would mention this analogy of staying on pace to help the committee finish on time, which we always achieved.”

Dr. Wood later became a diagnostic radiology oral board examiner and had both Drs. Mathews and Zimmerman as mentors.

Proving that he was a valuable volunteer and leader, Dr. Wood was chosen as a Trustee in 2017. Finding time for his increased responsibilities was challenging as his administrative workload at Mayo also increased during this same period. He said that Stephen Covey’s book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” was extremely helpful in finding the right balance in life.

“If you don’t manage your schedule, your schedule will manage you,” he said. “But I did have to work a lot of evenings and weekends.”

Mimi Newell, MD, the ABR’s associate executive director for diagnostic radiology, worked with Dr. Wood for many years, including as a fellow Trustee. She said she was always impressed by Dr. Wood’s willingness to listen to others’ perspectives.

“Chris has been an excellent Trustee,” Dr. Newell said. “He is thorough, diligent, engaged, and so respectful of everyone’s input and feelings. In every exchange about exam content and processes, he always considers things from the viewpoint of the candidate or diplomate but is also consistently mindful of the need for rigor in our ABR assessments, in our service to patients. It is a balancing act that he approaches with intent and fairness.”

Even as a Trustee, Dr. Wood can only recall needing to pull rank a couple of times in committee meetings over the past eight years. He never wanted to dampen others’ contributions, enthusiasm, insights, or leadership development.

“Any team or organizations works best when you hear from all points of view,” he said. “Occasionally, you need to make the command decision. But usually with a high-functioning team based upon respect, trust, and shared values, the team will come to the correct decision, sometimes after letting it percolate, or when appropriate empowering a team member to make the decision.”

Dr. Wood said leaving his position was “bittersweet” for more than the many friends and professional relationships formed over the years. He credits his ABR experience for his improvement as a leader, including managing remote meetings. Just as important, the honor and opportunity to develop exam content over the years has been an incredible learning experience.

“I’ve become a much better neuroradiologist and physician in providing care for our patients,” he said.