The Department of Psychology has lost an incredible colleague, professor, researcher, mentor and leader with the death of Dr. Mark Wood at the end of the Spring 2015 semester. We are all very fortunate to have had him with us for the 17 years that he was here at the University of Rhode Island. Mark had a “go-to-it” approach to his work and always gave a great deal of himself to everything he did. He was admired and respected among students and colleagues as someone who was integrally involved and willing to take the lead to make a difference. We are forever grateful for his innumerable contributions and for the many fond memories he left with all of us who were lucky enough to know and work with this treasured individual.
In honor of him, the family and friends of Mark Wood, along with the Department of Psychology and the University of Rhode Island and others are helping to sponsor two events. All are welcome to attend either/both of the event(s) in memory of Professor Mark Wood:
A Mark Wood 5K Walk/Run
Saturday, September 26, 2015, at 10am
beginning at the URI Quadrangle
See: http://www.markwood5k.com
A Mark Wood Celebration of Life Memorial
Saturday, September 26, 2015, 2 to 4pm
at the Multicultural Center Hardge Forum
at the University of Rhode Island
A Memorial Endowment fund is established based on Mark Wood’s efforts before he died to support research conference participation by psychology graduate students. Donations can be sent to:
Professor Mark Wood Memorial Endowment
URI Foundation
Attention: Owen Devine
79 Upper College Road
Kingston, RI 02881
A Brief Bio and Memoriam of Mark’s life is presented, below:
Mark Wood (1960-2015)
We are deeply saddened to report that Mark Wood passed away on April 26, 2015 from a heart attack. He was born on May 5, 1960 and graduated from Owasso High School in Oklahoma in 1978. Subsequently, he served in the United States Navy and obtained a BA from Arizona State University in 1990, and an MA (1993) and PhD in Social Psychology (1996) from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He was a postdoctoral fellow in Community Health at Brown University from 1996-1998. Since 1998, he has served on the faculty in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island where he was promoted to Full Professor in 2006. Dr. Wood was an applied social psychologist and his professional activities involved research, teaching, and service in the areas of alcohol use and misuse, social psychology, and research methods. In his main interest area, alcohol research, his focus was on examining psychosocial factors influencing alcohol misuse, especially among college students, and on investigating both individual- and environmental-level preventive interventions aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with alcohol misuse.
Professionally, Dr. Wood was integrally involved with several major organizations and scholarly efforts. He served on the Boards of Directors of the Research Society on Alcoholism from 2009 to 2013, and Rhode Island’s Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) from 2008 – 2013. He was an Associate Editor for Psychology of Addictive Behaviors and the journal, Substance Use, and served on Editorial Boards for the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs and the Psychology of Addictive Behavior. He is the author or co-author of 9 book chapters and over 50 journal articles. He was also a regular reviewer for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institutes of Health, as well as an ad hoc reviewer for more than two dozen major journals. Dr. Wood secured grant awards to support numerous research projects, with more than $11 million in funding from major agencies such as the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism, the Department of Education, and the National Institute of Mental Health. He has also been distinguished with a 1998 Sharon Chauncey Fellowship Award from Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, and a 2006 Outstanding Contributions to Research Award from the University of Rhode Island. Moreover, he was a long-term member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Research Society on Alcoholism.
At the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Wood served as Director of the Behavioral Science doctoral program in the Department of Psychology since 2013. He also served as Co-Director of the Alcohol Health Promotion Partnership Team, working closely with individuals at all levels including students, staff, faculty and the President of the University. Further, he was a much sought after major professor for more than 15 graduate students in Psychology and was a beloved professor teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses in social psychology, basic and applied research methods, alcohol use and misuse, addictive behaviors, and statistics.
He is survived by his wife, Noelle Wood, daughter Olivia Grace, and son Chance, as well as dozens of friends, colleagues and others around the world, all of whom are incredibly grateful for the time he shared with each of us, although much too short. He is remembered for his intelligence and wit, as well as a strong focus and dedication to his work and his students. He was an incredible athlete, running regularly and in major marathons, and even competing in several triathlons. Above all, he was noted for his enormous devotion and love for his family and was very proud of being the first faculty member to take a newly established Family Leave at the University of Rhode Island when his daughter, Olivia Grace, was born. He will be deeply missed.