Teresa K. Woodruff

MSU Foundation Professors College of Human Medicine

• MSU Foundation Professor

• Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
• Biomedical Engineering

Bio

Teresa K. Woodruff is a MSU Foundation Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, and in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She joined MSU as Provost in 2020, and was named Interim President in November of 2022--a position in which she served through February of 2024.

She is an expert in ovarian biology and reproductive science. In 2006, she coined the term “oncofertility” to describe the merging of two fields – oncology and fertility – which is now globally recognized as a medical discipline.   

Dr. Woodruff has a Ph.D. in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology from Northwestern University and holds Bachelor of Science degrees in zoology and chemistry from Olivet Nazarene University. She also received honorary degrees from Bates College and the University of Birmingham College of Medical and Dental Sciences in the United Kingdom. Before joining MSU, she was dean and associate provost for graduate education at Northwestern University.

Widely recognized for her commitment to teaching and mentoring, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring in 2011. Dr. Woodruff is an advocate for women in science and led efforts to change federal policy to mandate the use of females in fundamental National Institutes of Health research. She holds 14 U.S. patents and is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors, the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship. She is past president of the Endocrine Society and current editor-in-chief of Endocrinology.