Benzinger Named Wilson Professor of Radiology

Tammie L.S. Benzinger, MD, PhD, a neuroradiologist at WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR), was installed as the Hugh Monroe Wilson Professor of Radiology.

A renowned physician-scientist, Benzinger serves as a principal investigator in the Neuroimaging Labs Research Center. She and her research group primarily study Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease (ADAD) and related disorders. Benzinger uses PET and MRI to investigate biomarkers she believes will become significant tools in detecting and diagnosing degenerative brain diseases before symptoms occur. Her group serves as the imaging core for the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, international studies of ADAD, the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) and the DIAN-Therapeutic Unit. She also serves as chief of the department’s MRI service.

Benzinger has received several honors, including fellowships with the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the American Association for Women in Radiology, as well as membership to the American Society of Clinical Investigation. In 2018, she received the Women in Neuroradiology Leadership Award from the American Society of Neuroradiology and the Distinguished Investigator Award from the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research. She is an alumna, having completed both her diagnostic residency and a fellowship in neuroradiology at MIR. Benzinger earned both her medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago and her bachelor’s degree from Williams College.

“The impact Dr. Benzinger has had on the lives of Alzheimer’s patients is tremendous,” said Pamela K. Woodard, MD, the Elizabeth E. Mallinckrodt Professor of Radiology and director of MIR. ” I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this honor than her.” Woodard served as the inaugural Hugh Monroe Wilson Professor of Radiology.

Hugh Monroe Wilson, MD, led MIR for 14 years. He earned his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in 1927. After training at MIR, Wilson moved to Yale in 1934 but returned to WashU to head the radiology department in 1949. He stepped down as chair in 1963 but continued teaching until 1967.

Wilson is remembered as a dedicated teacher who prioritized the education of students in academic radiology, a co-founder of the Association of University Radiologists (now Association of Academic Radiology) to create a space for young clinicians and scientists to share and critique research and a committed clinician who felt that a missed diagnosis was a personal loss to both the patient and the radiologist. A modest man, he refused almost all public recognition, acceding only to the establishment of an award in his name for medical students who demonstrated excellence in radiology.

Benzinger was formally installed on December 8, 2025, in a ceremony held at WashU Medicine. To cap off the night, she delivered a lecture, “Advancing Frontiers in Brain Imaging: Translating Alzheimer’s Research into Clinical Medicine.”