Over nearly four decades at UT Southwestern, Diane Twickler, M.D., Professor of Radiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, has tracked the growth of countless babies yet to be born. She’s also pinpointed and diagnosed hundreds of fetal abnormalities. The technology that has allowed her to see such inner workings has progressed by leaps and bounds. Yet, the wonder of each life she studies continues to hold her in awe.

“Just think of the miracle of a baby,” said Dr. Twickler, renowned among colleagues and patients for her compassion, counsel, and expertise. “It starts with 16 cells and makes millions. I’m always amazed at how incredible birth is and the creation of the fetus is.”

Because things can go wrong during pregnancy, she’s devoted her career to discovering those complications. “Knock on wood,” she said, “it usually doesn’t. But medicine has come a really long way in helping those situations.”

Dr. Twickler, a Distinguished Teaching Professor who recently retired, has been named Professor Emeritus of Radiology in honor of her outstanding longtime service at UT Southwestern and her unwavering dedication to patients, especially the tiniest ones. Receiving that honor is not a given, said Martin Pomper, M.D., Ph.D., Chair and Professor of the Department of Radiology, who has sought Dr. Twickler’s counsel from the time he joined UTSW almost two years ago.

“I knew I was always getting a straight and honest assessment, backed up by her being a very compassionate physician,” Dr. Pomper said. “She was sort of the conscience of the Department, which derives from years of institutional knowledge and working collaboratively across different departments.”

Those attributes are acknowledged in her many honors, including the Dr. Fred Bonte Professorship in Radiology and the 2021 Patricia and William L. Watson Jr., M.D. Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine, UT Southwestern’s highest honor in clinical care.

When Dr. Twickler first came to UTSW, ultrasounds were very crude in finding abnormalities in fetuses, she said. In adults, X-rays were just beginning to be replaced by CT scans and then, by MRI.

“A colleague in OB said we needed to start using MRI to look at the fetus because it’s safe,” Dr. Twickler recalled. “Then he said, ‘If there’s someone who could do it, it’s probably you.’”

He was right. Dr. Twickler brought the concept of fetal MRI to North Texas, which led to her and her team authoring and contributing to multiple publications on fetal dysmorphology, including abnormalities of the brain and other organ systems. Her placental research team has authored studies on how to image the placenta with ultrasound and MRI.

“The fetus usually doesn’t suffer complications of scar tissue placental invasion,” she said, “but this can cause major complications for the mother because the placenta won’t come out. I am not the surgeon; my role is to do imaging to try to predict whether there will be problems.”

Dr. Twickler did not initially plan to focus on radiology. In retrospect, maybe she had such leanings in childhood; she always loved looking at pictures. When she did decide to go into medicine instead of her first field of choice – occupational therapy – she realized she could put her good visual skills to use.

“I’m not artistic,” she said. “It wasn’t the hand/eye stuff that interested me, just the acuity. It was like solving visual puzzles.”

After college, she left her native Chicago and headed to Texas, where tuition at UT Southwestern cost $900 per year. She assumed she’d return home. But plans, as they tend to do, changed.

“I loved medical school so much and ended up staying for an internship, residency, and fellowship here,” Dr. Twickler said.

She also met the physician who would become her husband, George Wendel Jr., M.D. At the time, Dr. Wendel was a UTSW Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, later worked for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, then returned to the Medical Center in 2024. The couple’s son and daughter-in-law live in Washington state and recently welcomed the arrival of their first granddaughter, Marlowe Wendel. Two grandsons, the children of Dr. Twickler’s stepdaughter and son-in-law, happily live much closer – a mere mile away.

Dr. Twickler said she misses beloved colleagues who have been in her life for decades. But she’ll continue to mentor junior faculty and stay involved with her placenta team. She’s also confident that everything she and her colleagues have accomplished will continue at an even higher level.

“I’m not sad about leaving because I think the next generation will do a better job,” she said, “which is what you aim for. Nothing makes me prouder than to see this carry on.”