Ultrasound world mourns death of Beryl Benacerraf

Dr. Beryl Benacerraf, a pioneer on the use of prenatal ultrasound to diagnose fetal abnormalities, died of cancer on October 1, according to an article by the New York Times. She was 73 years old.

Benacerraf earned an undergraduate degree from Barnard College in New York City, then attended medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons before completing a radiology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. After residency, she completed a fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in ultrasound, according to the New York Times. She eventually became a professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology and radiology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's. She also ran a private practice.

In 1980s, Benacerraf led research that showed ultrasound's potential as a noninvasive, more accessible form of fetal screening. One such discovery she is known for is the finding that abnormalities on the back of the fetal neck are tied to Down syndrome. She was also the first female editor in chief of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, serving from 2000 to 2010.

"Pictures just speak to me," she said in an interview for an oral history project for Barnard College that the New York Times quoted. "I can look at a picture and I can see the pattern. I can see things that nobody else can see."

In later years, she was involved in creating and updating guidelines that aimed to improve the use of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology, such as for the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM). Along with that, Benacerraf served on various AIUM committees. She served two terms on AIUM's Ultrasound Practice Accreditation Council, including one as chair, as well as being treasurer and president-elect of the AIUM. She additionally served as AIUM president from 2015 to 2017, the institute's second-ever female president.

Benacerraf in 1975 married Peter Libby, who later became a cardiovascular medicine specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is survived by two children and three grandchildren.