History

The pioneering leadership Washington Radiology Associates has provided the DC metropolitan area for over 60 years has also advanced the practice of radiology and diagnostic medicine throughout the nation and world.

WRA traces its history to 1948 when Dr. Eugene J. McDonald became the chief radiologist at Columbia Hospital for Women Medical Center in Washington, DC The late Dr. McDonald was widely known as an authority in the areas of abnormalities of the birth canal and the placenta.

Dr. Martin A. Thomas joined Dr. McDonald in 1961 and began work in using x-rays to diagnose breast diseases. Their original practice became the first group in the Washington area to offer the now widely employed technique called mammography, and in the early 1960s was the only provider of mammography in the entire Baltimore/Washington area.

Dr. Wolfram R. Forster, an expert in area of diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases, affiliated with the practice in 1970. The three physicians incorporated in the District of Columbia forming McDonald, Thomas and Forster, PC, which later became Washington Radiology Associates, PC. Initially, the practice performed only routine radiographic studies, such as chest x-rays, intravenous pyleograms, gastrointestinal series, and bone x-rays.

In 1971, WRA established the metro area’s first OB/GYN and abdominal sonography program. A collaborative effort of WRA, Columbia Hospital for Women and a research foundation, it was another example of the group’s leadership in diagnostic medicine. Dr. William J. Cochrane, a practicing obstetrician and national authority in the use of ultrasound for obstetrics and gynecologic examinations, joined the group as a research fellow.

Results of the physicians’ ultrasound research were published in leading medical journals, and presented to the local medical community. Subsequently, sonography became much more widely used in OB/GYN and abdominal examinations. In 1979, Dr. Cochrane and WRA formed Washington Ultrasound Associates, an affiliated but separate corporation owned and operated by Dr. Cochrane and the WRA radiologists. A decade later, WUA was merged into WRA.

Dr. Leonard M. Glassman joined WRA in 1979 after completing his tenure as attending radiologist at George Washington University Hospital. He succeeded Dr. Thomas as chief of the radiology department at Columbia Hospital for Women Medical Center in 1985. While there, he developed important new methods for using ultrasound guidance to obtain eggs for in vitro fertilization and for aspirating breast cysts. Dr. Glassman was among the first to use the stereotactic needle biopsy of the breast to sample, without invasive surgery, suspicious areas seen on breast x-ray images.

Dr. Edward R. Lipsit and Dr. Peter S. Dunner joined the group in 1981 and 1982, respectively, bringing additional technical expertise as the group expanded and opened new clinical offices. Dr. Judith A. Maslar, now retired, came next and was the first woman on the team. Dr. Mark Klein joined WRA in 1985 and has become a nationally recognized pioneer in the use of ultrasound for early detection of prostate cancer. He also is a leader in the use of the 3D CT Virtual Colonoscopy scanning for noninvasive examination of the colon.

The continued expansion of WRA and the opening of additional offices brought the need for new physicians to provide additional expertise in all areas of diagnostic imaging. Dr. T. Todd Johns, Dr. Gary L. Rose, Dr. Ian M. Lande and Dr. Kirsten A. Hanson have all been with the group for over 20 years. Ten new physicians joined WRA between 1995 and 2002: Dr. Daniel Marder, Dr. Ingrid Ott, Dr. Lisa Johnson, Dr. Ramin Abrahim, Dr. Ian Peterkin, Dr. Julianne Greenberg, Dr. Anthony Barone, Dr. Alexis Kladakis, Dr. Morton Moss, and Dr. Rajiv Chopra. WRA’s most recent expansion in 2007-2008 included the addition of Dr. Sussan Sadeghi, Dr. Ahalya Premkumar, Dr. Carole Rubin, Dr. Catherine Chow, Dr. Thomas Pulaski, Dr. Sherry Pulaski, and Dr. Agnes Holland.