1. Carl Wood gained considerable international and national attention for his wide-ranging contributions in the field of women's health over a period of almost 50 years, although not all of it was positive given the controversial nature of many of his endeavours.
Carl Wood then held positions as Research Associate at the Rockefeller Institute in New York, and Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital for Women in London before becoming the Foundation Professor and Chairman of the Monash University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Queen Victoria Hospital and Monash Medical Centre in 1964.
Carl Wood received international acclaim in the 1970s for his pioneering work in the fields of obstetric physiology and foetal monitoring as well as in psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology, birth control and finally in in-vitro fertilisation.
Carl Wood led the Monash University IVF team in the development of the IVF technique during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Carl Wood's team were responsible for a number of innovations including the world's first IVF pregnancy 1973, world's first IVF baby developed using a frozen embryo 1983, world's first donor egg baby 1983, world's first IVF baby using sperm retrieval surgery 1986 and world's first Microinjection Intra Fallopian Transfer IVF baby 1992.
Carl Wood held many wide-ranging positions while Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University.
Carl Wood jointly established the Endometriosis Care Clinic of Australia in 1998, a charitable foundation to assist Australian women suffering from this disease.
Carl Wood was an invited speaker at over 90 national and international meetings, and wrote 23 books, 59 chapters and 400 papers in refereed medical and scientific journals.
The Carl Wood Endowment was established by the Monash University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology to provide funds for the research development of young clinicians.
Carl Wood has been called variously the father, grandfather and godfather of IVF.
Carl Wood died on 23 September 2011 after suffering from an Alzheimer's-type dementia.