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Why We're MADE FOR THIS

Learn what we're doing to transform health care, prepare the next generation of leaders, and solve the world's greatest medical challenges.

Stories

Putting Data and Tech on a Fast Track
In her new position as principal deputy commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Amy Abernethy, MD’94, HS’94-’01, PhD, is working to use data and precision medicine to develop more efficient ways to deliver personalized care.
Changing of the Guard
Heather Whitson, MD, HS’01-’04, takes the reins at the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development as Harvey Cohen, MD, HS’65-’67, ’69-’71, steps down after almost four decades.
A One-Dollar Bill Leads to Almost $20,000 for Pancreatic Cancer Research
A one-dollar bill started it all. In 2011, John and Andrea Pitera had just opened Mojo’s on the Harbor. Brooke Williams, their very first customer, paid in cash and signed their first dollar for good luck. He had no idea that he was starting a trend that would lead to thousands of dollars for cancer research.
How Do Whales Fight Off Cancer?
Oxford University epidemiologist Richard Peto was puzzled by a paradox: If cancer is a function of individual cells going haywire, wouldn’t an organism with a lot more cells, say a whale, have a greater chance of getting cancer than a human or a mouse?
Swimming Against the Odds
Duke’s lung transplant team brought Gavin Maitland back from the brink of death. Now he’s raising money to help the program save more lives.
Estate Gift Will Expand Opportunities
Pioneering cardiologist Richard A. Schatz, MD’77, recently established two endowments to help Duke give new generations of students the same chance it gave him.
Buying Time to Save Sepsis Patients
With sepsis, time is of the essence. Left untreated, the illness—a runaway immune response to infection—can quickly become life-threatening. Duke hospital medicine physician Cara O’Brien, MD, is partnering with the Duke Institute for Health Innovation to lead a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, and biostatisticians that is using data science to rapidly identify at-risk patients, speed treatment, and improve outcomes.
Complex Care
Special program offers support, better-integrated care for children with medical complexity.