By Janie Lozovski, DO
The 2025 Career Award for Outstanding Dedication to the Psychiatry Society of Virginia was presented to Dr. Brian E. Wood, DFAPA. Dr. Wood was selected to receive this award due to his long career of providing mental health care to patients in Virginia, participating in policy making task forces, and helping educate the next generations of psychiatrists in Virginia. It is this last point, his dedication to medical education, that has made him truly stand out amongst his peers. He has served as an associate professor of psychiatry at EVMS and UVA. He was a founding faculty member for the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. He served as the program director for the UVA Roanoke/Salem Psychiatry Residency. He is currently the program director of the LewisGale Psychiatry Residency, and the Distinguished Institutional Official for LewisGale Medical Center.
The impact of these professorships, and program leadership positions is far reaching. There are currently seven psychiatry residencies in the state of Virginia. All seven of these residencies have faculty who were taught by Dr. Wood. The training directors in three of those residencies are former and current mentees of Dr. Wood. Even if you have never met him, if you have trained in a psychiatry residency in the state of Virginia in the last 25 years, it is likely that you have been impacted by the mentorship and guidance that he has given out so freely to anyone who asks.
We are so grateful that we had the opportunity to recognize Dr. Wood’s dedication and hardwork with the Career Award this spring.
Thank You From Dr. Wood
Dear Colleagues and Society Members,
I wanted to take a few brief minutes to express my gratitude for your recent recognition of my work through the Psychiatric Society of Virginia Career Achievement Award for this past year. It was an unexpected pleasure not only to receive the award but do so among so many old friends and new ones as well. One of the joys of our conferences is meeting new colleagues; I don’t believe I have ever been to one of our meetings when I didn’t either meet someone new or get to know someone better – usually both.
Additionally, it was a great pleasure to receive the award from Dr. Lozovski, President Elect for PSV. I have known Dr. Lozovski since she was a medical student and I can’t think of anyone who I am more confident can lead PSV in the right direction. There will undoubtedly be turbulent waters ahead and the qualities of our leaders will significantly influence many outcomes over the next few years for psychiatrists in the Commonwealth as well as our patients. It is incredibly important that we entrust our values and medical practices to leaders who are not only talented psychiatrists, but those who are passionate about our profession, our ethics, and our sacred oaths as physicians. As I reflect on my career, this is perhaps the thing that I am most proud of. Although, I have dedicated my career to teaching others, their knowledge is only a small part of their success. It is more that I have played a role in inspiring Dr. Lozovski and others like her to be leaders – to advocate for the important things, and to carry our profession into the years to come.
So, please accept my sincere thanks not only for this award but for the immense honor of being a part of this society and having the opportunity to make a difference in our and our patients’ future. Again, thank you and I look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting!
Brian E. Wood, DO, DFAPA
