Ward Arthur Riley, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
1942 - 2007
Ward Arthur Riley, Jr., Ph.D., 64 of Winston-Salem, died Friday, April 27, 2007 at his home. He was born November 28, 1942 in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Ward Arthur and Agnes Clara Clauss Riley. Dr. Riley was Professor Emeritus of the Department of Neurology and Director of the B-mode Ultrasound Center. Dr. Riley retired from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Faculty following thirty years of service. Through his personal behavior, demeanor, and character, he was the embodiment of a gentleman, and was a friend and inspiration to many.
Dr. Riley was an ultrasonic physicist, and a pioneer in this field, with three decades of experience in the research, development and application of ultrasound instruments for the noninvasive assessment of the structure and function of arteries. He played a major role in the use of ultrasound measurements of the arteries (carotid artery intima-medial thickness) to study atherosclerosis. He participated in, and directed, many multi-center epidemiological studies, and international clinical trials regarding the use of these measurements to identify risk for heart disease and stroke, and to study the effects of a variety of treatments to try to reduce this risk. This work changed the way physicians can evaluate risk in their patients, and the way they treat them to reduce this risk, and thus has benefited untold numbers of people, both here and abroad. Dr. Riley contributed almost 150 publications to the literature including book chapters, abstracts and full length journal articles in refereed scientific journals. He taught these methods to hundreds of physicians and technologists, and served as a mentor for many others who are now leaders in this field.
He is survived by his wife, Susan Montgomery Riley, of the home; a son, Nathaniel Brann Riley and wife Nursel, of Ankara, Turkey; a daughter, Sarah Furman Riley, of Chapel Hill, NC; a granddaughter, Eileen Bengisu Riley; a sister, Sandra Riley Savage, of Pueblo, Colorado; a brother, John Dale Riley, of Alexandra, Virginia; two nephews, two aunts; two uncles; and countless cousins.