Skip to main content

UR Medicine

menu

Lionel W. Young, M.D., F.A.C.R. ('61)

1932-2019

Dr. Lionel W. Young first joined the University of Rochester, in 1958, as a radiology resident. His faculty mentors included Drs. Ramsey, Rogoff and Rubin. During his residency, he gained a keen interest in the application of diagnostic and therapeutic radiology to diseases of children and pursued additional training in pediatric radiology. He was the first African-American radiology resident in the Department of Radiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. His residency experience provided him with inspiration to follow his career goals after graduation in 1961. 

After a mandatory two year service in the U.S. Navy (Berry Plan 1961-1963) as Chief of Radiology and Lieutenant Commander at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in New Hampshire, Dr. Young was invited by the renowned Dr. Frederic Silverman at Children's Hospital Cincinnati for a two year fellowship in Pediatric Radiology (1963-1965). In 1965, Dr. Young was invited to return to the University of Rochester Medical Center to establish the first pediatric radiology section and to begin a fellowship training program, obtaining yearly grants for the trainees. He also served on the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee whose mission was to recruit qualified minority African-Americans students for admission to the University of Rochester Medical School.

Dr. Young’s success at Rochester from 1965 to 1975 led to his appointment as a full Professor and Director of Pediatric Radiology at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The radiology staff at Pittsburgh included the eminence "Father of Pediatric Radiology" Dr. John Caffey, the pioneer pediatric radiologist. A highlight while at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital was a visit from Fred Rogers of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. Dr. Young participated in a segment of "Let’s Talk about the Hospital" that included an x-ray of a boy’s arm. Dr. Young pointed out the findings of a fractured radius and discussed the imaging technique. That video of Episode 1502 remains accessible on PBS replays of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.

In 1985, Dr. Young left Pittsburgh to lead the Radiology department at Akron Children’s Hospital and to be the Professor and Chairman of Radiology at the Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine. In 1991, he took on the challenge of developing a new Pediatric Radiology Department at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. It was here that he spent the last 30 years of his career and where he served as Professor of Radiology and Head of Pediatric Radiology. He also served on the Loma Linda University Graduate Medical Education committee and as Chairman of the Radiology Academic Advisory Panel. 

Throughout his career, he became a nationally and internationally recognized leader in pediatric radiology. Highlights of Dr. Young’s academic record include more than 200 publications (journal articles and book chapters), as well as more than 40 visiting professorships in the US and abroad including several in American universities (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Howard, Johns Hopkins, University of California-Los Angeles, and the University of Rochester). He served as President of the Society of Pediatric Radiology from 1984-1985. He received the Distinguished Service Award for 25 years as Examiner for the American Board of Radiology (2000). He was a fellow of the American College of Radiology and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Young was a devoted member of the John P. Caffey Pediatric Radiology Society and was also an active member of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, the first successful and oldest African-American fraternity known as the Boule. He retired in 2018, after a career that was committed to providing best patient care practices and the expansion of pediatric radiology. 

Dr. Lionel W. Young was a brilliant pediatric radiologist who was a champion for the health of all children.