Lawrence Ross Muroff

Lawrence Ross Muroff, MD, FACR, 82, of Tampa, Florida, passed away on March 27, 2025, after living and sharing a life full of extraordinary meaning and impact.

Dr. Muroff leveraged a unique combination of entrepreneurial, academic/technical, and interpersonal skills to inspire others and make a difference in their lives. That pattern began at age 12, when he created his first business cards to market his services in babysitting and mowing grass. Meanwhile, he was a standout in the classroom, on the basketball court, and on the baseball field. His thoughtful, caring, and charming personality- and his sense of humor and comedic timing- easily attracted friendships, many of which proved to be lifelong, especially those from his beloved Marple Newtown High School. After graduating there, he earned a sociology degree with honors, and membership in Phi Beta Kappa, at Dartmouth College (’64), followed immediately by a medical degree with honors, and membership in Alpha Omega Alpha, at Harvard Medical School (’67).

 In 1968, he started his two-year service to his country at the Bureau of Radiological Health (Public Health Service) in Rockville, MD. In 1969, he achieved his greatest accomplishment: meeting and marrying his beloved wife of 55+ years, Carol Savoy Muroff. He later was selected to be a resident in radiology, and ultimately the chief resident, at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York.

 Dr. Muroff’s personal and professional life continued to flourish, as he consistently earned and demonstrated the respect that became the hallmark of his reputation, in both facets of his life. In 1973, he achieved the status of Diplomate from both the American Board of Radiology and the American Board of Nuclear Medicine, later serving for 23 years as a guest examiner for the former. From 1974 to 1994, he was the Director of MR, CT and Nuclear Medicine at University Community Hospital in Tampa, Florida. He held additional leadership positions there, including his role as president of the 45-member radiology practice, Drs. Sheer, Ahearn, & Associates, P.A. During that time, he also fathered his two children, Michael and Julie Muroff.

 One of Dr. Muroff’s greatest gifts was his commitment to sharing his expertise with others, to facilitate their professional development and to advance the field of radiology through continuing medical education. To that end, he founded and led several independent business initiatives. Those entrepreneurial feats included Educational Symposia, Inc., which became one of the largest educators of diagnostic imaging in the country, and Imaging Consultants, Inc., which provided consulting services to radiologists, hospitals, and corporations. He also proudly served as a Clinical Professor of Radiology at both the University of Florida and the University of South Florida Colleges of Medicine, and he was designated by Aunt Minnie as Radiology’s Most Effective Educator: 2010. Additionally, he authored more than 80 articles and presented over 1150 invited lectures throughout the United States and Europe. He especially enjoyed leading sessions with residents and other early-career radiologists; many of those sessions sparked long-lasting mentorships and friendships.

Throughout Dr. Muroff’s career, he was an active member, and ultimately an influential leader and mentor, in numerous professional associations. Among other examples, he served as president of national and regional imaging organizations, including the Clinical Magnetic Resonance Society, the American College of Nuclear Physicians, the Florida Radiological Society, the Florida Association of Nuclear Physicians, and the Southeastern Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine. Additionally, he was a past member of the Board of Chancellors, a Councilor, and a member of the Council Steering Committee of the American College of Radiology, and he served on the Board of Trustees of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and the Society of Magnetic Resonance Imaging. He also was an inaugural member of the Board of the American College of Radiology’s Radiology Leadership Institute and the Neiman Health Policy Institute. 

Dr. Muroff’s dedication, experience, and expertise garnered countless honors and accolades, including the highest recognition of Gold Medal from both the American College of Radiology and the Florida Radiological Society. He also received the 2016-2017 Distinguished Career Achievement Award from Dartmouth Medical School, and the Radiology Leadership Institute honored him with the Leadership Luminary Award in 2023 for “exceptional lifetime achievements, innovation, leadership and service to the medical specialties of radiology.” He was featured in numerous interviews and cover stories, including in Diagnostic Imaging and Imaging Economics, and he is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, and The Best Doctors in America 2000. He tremendously valued and appreciated that recognition and the support from, and camaraderie with, his colleagues, so many of whom became cherished friends. 

While all that Dr. Muroff did as a professional was a testament to his tireless pursuit of excellence, he demonstrated that standard best in who he was as a person: a role model and a gentleman with true integrity who magically balanced gravitas with magnetism, projecting the thoughtfulness, care, and charm of his childhood, including the same sense of humor and comedic timing. Beyond his enduring impact as a leader, advocate, colleague, moderator, educator, and mentor in the radiology community and field, he made innumerable and indelible contributions- and left his legacy- as a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, and son. Those who knew him best will always remember that his sincere, spontaneous smile and genuinely warm greeting were as inspiring as his prepared remarks on stage. They will remember the pride and joy that he took and shared not only in having served his country as a veteran but also in the mundane elements of his favorite sports teams, newspaper games, restaurants, and TV shows. They will remember that he was as smooth on the dancefloor as he was at navigating highly-charged interactions with patients and politics. They will remember that he lit up his four granddaughters’ faces with silly stories and whistles just as he ignited the minds and careers of top professionals around the country. Overall, even by the very highest A+ standards that Dr. Muroff held himself to, his life was remarkably and beautifully well-lived. He used every moment of his 82 years to make his field, his patients, his community, and his colleagues, friends, and family better in endless ways that will never be forgotten. 

Dr. Muroff's family will host a Memorial/Celebration of Life in his honor on June 1, 2025 at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club (5320 Interbay Blvd., Tampa, FL). We welcome guests to stop by any time from 11:00AM until 1:00PM. While offers of gifts and donations have been very much appreciated, his family asks instead that you please continue to think and talk about him, and that you keep his legacy alive through your memories and your support of the causes and the people he cared about most.