[1] Wood was born in Bethesda, Maryland, and grew up in North Carolina where she obtained her B.A.
After obtaining her PhD, Wood started as an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
[3] Later her focus shifted to feminism, intimate partner violence, and the gendered dynamics in culture.
[2] In these studies, she has interviewed both men and women about their experiences of abusive heterosexual relationships.
[2] Wood has earned over 30 honors and awards for her work, including the CASE Award for Professor of the year in North Carolina in 1998, Gender Scholar of the Year in 2007, and George H. Johnson Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2010.