Gregory J. Woodhead, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Medical Imaging - (Tenure Track)
Program Director, Interventional Radiology - Integrated & Independent Residencies
Member of the Graduate Faculty

Gregory Woodhead, MD, PhD received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Biology with Honors and Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University. He went on to graduate from the combined MD and PhD program at Northwestern University in 2010. Dr. Woodhead completed Diagnostic Radiology Residency, as well as Nuclear Medicine and Interventional Radiology Fellowships at the University of Arizona in 2016. After completing his training, he joined the Interventional Radiology faculty at University of Arizona, with the majority of his practice focusing on Interventional Oncology at the Cancer Center.

Dr. Woodhead’s career objective is to translate devices and therapies from the development stage into clinical practice. His interest in cancer cell biology draws from his PhD research on the role of the β-Catenin-signaling pathway in cell fate decisions for progenitor and cancer cells. As a resident and fellow at the University of Arizona, he embarked on an analysis of catheter-directed mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), which is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. He is the PI on multiple trials and registries that seek to identify long-term differences in patients who received mechanical thrombectomy for PE in comparison to those who received only anticoagulation alone.

Dr. Woodhead has published over thirty papers and frequently presents at national and international meetings. He is an integral member of multiple institutional programs and a committee member for many professional societies. He is passionate about educating and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows. He previously served as the Chair of the MD/PhD admission committee, and is the Program Director for the Integrated and Independent IR Residency programs at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Degrees
  • MD: Northwestern University School of Medicine
  • PhD: Northwestern University School of Medicine
Internship
  • Rush University Medical Center, Department of Surgery
Residency
  • The University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ
Fellowship
  • The University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Nuclear Imaging
  • The University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Vascular & Interventional Radiology
Board Certifications
  • American Board of Radiology: Interventional Radiology / Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

Select Publications

In Press

Woodhead, GJ., RA. Avery, and PH. Kuo, Extraosseous Findings and Mechanisms of Uptake in NaF-18 PET/CT, In Press.

2022

Babiker, H., E. Borazanci, V. Subbiah, S. Agarwala, A. Algazi, J. Schachter, M. Lotem, C. Maurice-Dror, D. Hendler, S. Rahimian, et al., "Tilsotolimod exploits the TLR9 pathway to promote antigen presentation and Type 1 IFN signaling in solid tumors: A Multicenter International Phase I/II trial (ILLUMINATE-101).", Clin Cancer Res, 2022 Aug 02.

2021

Struycken, L., H. McGregor, M. Patel, P. Kuo, C. Hennemeyer, and G. Woodhead, "Abstract No. 34 Planar scintigraphy overestimates hepatopulmonary shunt fractions compared with quantitative SPECT/C", JVIR, vol. 32, issue 5, 2021.
McNiel, D., C. Hennemeyer, G. Woodhead, and H. McGregor, "Gallbladder Cryoablation: A Novel Option for High-Risk Patients with Gallbladder Disease.", Am J Med, vol. 134, issue 3, pp. 326-331, 2021 03.

2020

Caskey, J. S., M. D. Kay, N. A. McMillan, P. H. Kuo, and G. J. Woodhead, "Miscalculated Lung Shunt Fraction for Planning of Hepatic Radioembolization.", J Nucl Med Technol, vol. 48, issue 2, pp. 184-186, 2020 Jun.
McGregor, H., G. Woodhead, C. Hennemeyer, and M. Patel, "Percutaneous Translumbar Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval", Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology , vol. 31(4), 02/2020.
McGregor, H., C. Brunson, G. Woodhead, M. Patel, and C. Hennemeyer, "Caudal Migration and Endovascular Retrieval of Two VIATORR CX Stent Grafts during Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Placement", Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology , vol. 31(3), 03/2020.
McGregor, H., G. Woodhead, M. Patel, A. Khan, J. Hannallah, D. Ruiz, M. Conrad, A. Tang, and C. Hennemeyer, "Gallbladder Cryoablation for Chronic Cholecystitis in High-Risk Surgical Patients: 1-Year Clinical Experience with Imaging Follow-up.", J Vasc Interv Radiol, vol. 31, issue 5, pp. 801-807, 2020 May.
McGregor, H., G. Woodhead, M. Patel, A. Khan, and C. Hennemeyer, "Gallbladder Cryoablation for Chronic Cholecystitis in High-Risk Surgical Patients: 1-Year Clinical Experience with Imaging Follow-up", Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, issue 31(5), 04/2020.

2019

McGregor, H., G. Woodhead, M. Conrad, A. Tang, D. Ruiz, A. Khan, and C. Hennemeyer, "First in-Human Gallbladder Cryoablation in a Patient with Acute Calculous Cholecystitis Initially Treated with a Cholecystostomy Tube.", J Vasc Interv Radiol, vol. 30, issue 8, pp. 1229-1232, 2019 Aug.
"Chapter 4: Lines, tubes, and drains", Pocketbook of Clinical IR A Concise Guide to Interventional Radiology, New York, Thieme Medical Publishers, 2019.
Hennemeyer, C., A. Khan, H. McGregor, C. Moffett, and G. Woodhead, "Outcomes of Catheter-Directed Therapy Plus Anticoagulation Versus Anticoagulation Alone for Submassive and Massive Pulmonary Embolism.", Am J Med, vol. 132, issue 2, pp. 240-246, 2019 02.

2018

C, H., G. Woodhead, and C. Moffet, "Catheter-directed management for pulmonary embolism versus medical management: the new interventional radiology STEMI", J Vasc Interv Radiol, vol. ;29(4):S98-S99, 2018.
Woodhead, G., H. Babiker, C. Miller, and A. Shah, "Right tumor, right time: Systematic methodology for fiducial marker placement to achieve reliable and reproducible image guided (IG) delivery of intratumoral immunotherapy into deep/visceral (D/V) lesions and target-lesion imaging follow-up", Journal of Clinical Oncology, vol. 36, 05/2018.

2017

Woodhead, G. J., R. J. Avery, and P. H. Kuo, "Atlas of Extraosseous Findings Detected by 18F-NaF PET/CT Bone Scan.", Clin Nucl Med, vol. 42, issue 12, pp. 930-938, 2017 Dec.

2014

Emerson, M., G. Woodhead, S. Desoky, and D. Gilbertson-Dahdal, An Introduction to PPB: A Case Report of Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, 05/2014.
Woodhead, G., P. Devis, S. Black, E. Krupinski, R. Jinday, B. Kalb, D. Martin, and CT. Hennemeyer, Oral Presentation - Society of Interventional Radiology 2014 San Diego, CA - Systematic MRI Characterization of Tissue Outcomes Following Irreversible Electroporation of Hepatic Tumors., 2014.

2010

Zhang, J., G. J. Woodhead, S. K. Swaminathan, S. R. Noles, E. R. McQuinn, A. J. Pisarek, A. M. Stocker, C. A. Mutch, N. Funatsu, and A. Chenn, "Cortical neural precursors inhibit their own differentiation via N-cadherin maintenance of beta-catenin signaling.", Dev Cell, vol. 18, issue 3, pp. 472-9, 2010 Mar 16. PMCID: PMC2865854  PMID: 20230753

2006

Woodhead, G. J., C. A. Mutch, E. C. Olson, and A. Chenn, "Cell-autonomous beta-catenin signaling regulates cortical precursor proliferation.", J Neurosci, vol. 26, issue 48, pp. 12620-30, 2006 Nov 29. PMCID: PMC2867669  PMID: 17135424