News & Events
Farewell to Dr. Larry Wood
By Kimberly Dorris, Executive Director
We were heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dr. Larry Wood, who died on January 30, 2026 at the age of 90. Dr. Wood served for six years on the GDATF’s Board of Directors, and was a fan favorite at our patient conferences going back to 1993.
Dr. Wood was a highly respected thyroidologist, co-authoring “Your Thyroid: A Home Reference” with Dr. David Cooper and Dr. E. Chester Ridgway. The book was one of the very early books, perhaps the first book, written with thyroid patients and family members in mind. In 1985, he founded the Thyroid Foundation of America (TFA), a nonprofit organization that provided patient-focused education until it closed in 2008.
The GDATF’s Founder, Nancy Hord Patterson, Ph.D., recalls meeting Dr. Wood shortly after she started the organization in 1990. (Back then, our organization was called the National Graves’ Disease Foundation.) “He treated me much like a mentor. In fact, that’s what I considered him. He taught me how to connect with patients in need of support, and he introduced me to a multitude of thyroid physician experts. He was willing to take part in our patient conferences, and he was always a very well-received speaker.”
Nancy recalls that Dr. Wood went out of his way to ensure that she was included in major meetings, especially a 1992 event where First Lady Barbara Bush (who was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 1989) spoke to TFA members and supporters in Boston, MA.
In 1995, Dr. Wood was instrumental in helping Dr. Robert Volpe of Canada create the Thyroid Federation International (TFI) to offer worldwide thyroid patient education programs. (The NGDF was a co-founding organization). Dr. Wood served as the first President of the TFI until 2003, and in 2011 was asked to rejoin its Board of Directors.
Current TFI President and GDATF Board member Ashok Bhaseen noted, “Dr. Wood was more than a leader; he was a visionary whose dedication, integrity, and compassion laid the foundation for everything our organization stands for today. As one of the founding forces behind Thyroid Federation International, he believed deeply in our mission and worked tirelessly to serve our community with purpose and dignity.”
Dr. Wood retired from private practice in 2006, but remained active for many years in patient education and support efforts, including with GDATF and TFI, as well as patient support group meetings hosted by Massachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston.
Dr. Wood was always thinking outside the box, particularly with regards to thyroid autoimmunity. He was interested in a potential connection between left-handedness and autoimmunity, as well as premature gray hair and autoimmunity. He even started a project – that never got fully off the ground – to see if hairdressers could identify early signs of thyroid dysfunction. (The American Academy of Dermatology provides this checklist for hair-related signs to watch out for.)
GDATF Board Co-Chair Kathleen Bell Flynn sums up Larry’s contribution to the thyroid patient community in one word: Wonderful. “That word describes Dr. Larry Wood to a T. It’s the word that he would respond frequently with when having a conversation with you. He was not just being nice but full of wonder and truly curious, kind and caring. He had a gift of connecting with all kinds of people and bringing them together for an important cause, which is one of the greatest gifts of all. Safe to say that Dr. Larry Wood, like a ray of sunshine, touched many lives in a wonderful way!”
One of my favorite memories with Larry was attending the American Thyroid Association’s Spring Symposium in Washington, D.C. in 2013. After a full day of presentations on hypothyroidism, we set out to cram in as much sightseeing as we could. We walked from our hotel to Lafayette Square and stopped in front of the White House (which was far less fortified than it is today). Larry walked right up to a gate guard, pointed to a low concrete barrier, and asked the guard if we could climb over the barrier to get a closer look. I thought for a moment that we might end up in jail, but the guard smiled and politely said no, and we moved on. We walked to the Willard Hotel, and then on to the Washington Monument, the Reflecting Pool, and the Lincoln Memorial. We decided to take a taxi back to the hotel. I don’t recall where our driver was originally from, but I do remember that in less than 10 minutes, Larry had drawn out half of his life story, and the two of them chatted like best friends. (And, of course, at the end of the ride, we left with a list of the best local restaurant recommendations.)
Larry’s unique ability to instantly connect with people made him an exceptional physician, and as I read all the remembrances of him, this is what often stands out. GDATF Board member Dr. Nicole McDonald recalls, “his enthusiasm for thyroid patients was unlike any that I have seen. He treated all the conference attendees with such care and respect.”
At one GDATF conference, I was on the periphery of a conversation between Larry and one of our attendees, who had a lot of challenges and was obviously in a great deal of distress. Over the course of just a couple of minutes, I could see her whole demeanor change, as Larry shared with her not just his knowledge, but also his undivided attention and compassion.
Larry was a great seeker of knowledge, as well as an advisor, an advocate, and a friend. This is a tremendous loss for the thyroid patient community, and Nancy speaks for all of us when she notes, “To say he will be missed is clearly an understatement.”