Radiology clinician, educator, and mentor Lawrence Ross Muroff, MD, died on March 27. He was 82.
He was thoughtful, caring, and charming, according to an obituary posted by Segal Funeral Home, and throughout his life, he combined "entrepreneurial, academic/technical, and interpersonal skills to inspire others."
Lawrence Muroff, MD.Segal Funeral Home
Muroff earned an undergraduate degree in sociology at Dartmouth College (1964) and his medical degree at Harvard Medical School (1967). A year after securing his MD, he served for two years with the Bureau of Radiological Health, a public health service, in Rockville, MD. He was selected for radiology residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York, eventually acting as chief resident.
His many awards and leadership positions included diplomates in 1973 from the American Board of Radiology (ABR) and the American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM), gold medal recognition awards from the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Florida Radiological Society, a distinguished career achievement award from Dartmouth Medical School, and a Leadership Luminary award from the ACR's Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI).
Muroff served as director of MR, CT, and nuclear medicine at University Community Hospital in Tampa between 1974 and 1994 and as president of the 45-member radiology practice Drs. Sheer, Ahearn, & Associates in Tampa. He also founded and led radiology educational organizations such as Educational Symposia and Imaging Consultants. He was clinical professor of radiology at both the University of Florida and the University of South Florida colleges of medicine, and won AuntMinnie.com's Minnies award in 2010 for the category of Most Effective Educator. He wrote more than 80 articles and presented more than 1,150 lectures during his career, and "especially enjoyed leading sessions with residents and other early-career radiologists," according to the obituary.
He was a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Clinical Magnetic Resonance Society, the American College of Nuclear Physicians (ACNP), the Florida Radiological Society, the Florida Association of Nuclear Physicians, and the Southeastern chapter of what is now known as the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). In addition, he was a past member of the council steering committee of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and a board trustee for the SNM and the International Society of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (ISMRM). He also helped found the ACR's Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI) and the Neiman Health Policy Institute (HPI).
Muroff was "a role model and a gentleman with true integrity who magically balanced gravitas with magnetism, projecting the thoughtfulness, care, and charm of his childhood, including the same sense of humor and comedic timing," the obituary noted. "He used every moment of his 82 years to make his field, his patients, his community, and his colleagues, friends, and family better in endless ways that will never be forgotten."
"Calling him a giant is an understatement," wrote Richard Duszak, MD, in a post on the social media platform X about Muroff's passing. Duszak is chair of radiology at University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson.
Muroff is survived by his wife of more than 55 years, Carol Savoy Muroff, as well as his two children, Michael and Julie Muroff. A celebration of his life will be held June 1 at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club.
