More than 300 volunteers and friends joined Duke Health leaders, faculty, students, and staff for a special weekend May 1-3 highlighting the critical role of philanthropy in driving innovation, discovery, and patient care.
The event kicked off on Thursday evening, as members of 10 boards and councils gathered to hear Duke Health’s vision for the future. A conversation between Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for health affairs for Duke University and dean of the School of Medicine, and Craig Albanese, chief executive officer of Duke University Health System, was moderated by Stacy Waters, vice president of Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs.
Mary Klotman, MD, right, and Craig Albanese, MD, MBA, center, answer questions from Stacy Waters, MBA, left, during the joint board dinner.
School of Medicine Board of Visitors members Carol Deane P’11; Katherine Upchurch, MD’76, P’10; and Kelley Redbord, BS’97, at the joint board dinner.
After board meetings on Friday morning, attendees took part in a working luncheon in which they discussed their roles as advocates in inspiring others to join them in supporting the Duke campaign.
Board members enjoy lunch and conversation at the Trent Semans Center.
School of Nursing Board of Visitor member Lynn Erdman, H-SON'19; Duke Global Health Institute Board of Advisors member Tom Gorrie; and School of Medicine Medical Alumni council member Claire Spain-Remy, MD’85, at the “Sharing Your ‘Why’” luncheon panel discussion, moderated by Michael V. Relf, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, dean of Duke University School of Nursing and associate chief nurse executive for academic partnerships and innovation for Duke University Health System.
In the afternoon, attendees participated in a science symposium that highlighted Duke discoveries and impact in neuroscience, complex care, data science, therapeutics, and medical education.
Nanthia Suthana, PhD, who recently joined the Department of Neurosurgery, presents at the “Decoding the Brain: Breakthroughs in Neuroscience” session. She was joined by Cameron McIntyre, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering and professor in neurosurgery, following a video introduction from Gerald Grant, MD, the Allan H. Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery.
Lisa McElroy, MD, MS, Onyekwere E. Akwari Assistant Professor of Surgery; Beverly Gray, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology; and David Ashley, MBBS, PhD, Rory David Deutsch Distinguished Professor of Neuro-Oncology and director of The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, participate in the panel discussion, “Complex Care: Advancing Treatment for the Most Challenging Cases.”
Ozanan Meireles, MD, associate professor of surgery; Christoph Hornik, MD, MPH, PhD, Samuel L. Katz Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and chief of the Division of Quantitative Sciences; and Amanda Randles, PhD, Alfred Winborne and Victoria Stover Mordecai Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences, lead a discussion of “Data Science Driving Health Innovation.”
Smita Nair, PhD, professor in surgery, speaks to attendees in a session titled, “Next-Generation Therapeutics: Redefining the Future of Medicine.” She was joined by Scott Soderling, PhD, George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and chair of the Department of Cell Biology; and Rohit Singh, PhD, assistant professor of biostatistics & bioinformatics.
The session, “Training Tomorrow’s Healers: An Interactive Medical Education Experience,” gave participants an immersive look into Duke’s cutting-edge training programs.
Friday evening brought the weekend’s signature event, “MADE FOR THIS: Discovery, Education, and Care.” The program featured faculty, researchers, patients, and students and celebrated the transformative impact of philanthropy at Duke Health in advancing health care and tackling its most complex challenges.
Mary Klotman, MD, and Craig Albanese, MD, MBA, welcome guests and set the stage for the evening’s program.
Suzanne Wardell, PhD, assistant research professor of pharmacology and cancer biology, and Donald McDonnell, PhD, Glaxo-Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Molecular Cancer Biology, share the story of their research that led to the FDA’s 2023 approval of drug called elacestrant as an effective treatment for breast cancer.
Duke Head Softball Coach Marissa Young shared her family’s journey with Duke Health after her husband suffered a heart attack that led to a heart and kidney transplant and multiple complications.
Kunal Patel, MD, PhD, assistant professor of surgery, and Dennis Ihnat share the story of how Dennis became Duke’s first robotic lung transplant patient.
Duke University President Vincent Price closed out the evening with words of inspiration for the donors and volunteers in attendance.
The programming wrapped up Saturday morning with two special panel discussions.
Mary Klotman, MD, facilitated a discussion on the science of living longer and healthier with Heather Whitson, MD, MHS, Duke School of Medicine Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience and director of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and Brian Andonian, MD, assistant professor of medicine. They were joined by School of Medicine Board of Visitors member Doug Kahn, P’11, P’13, P’20, and Stefanie Kahn, P’11, P’13, P’20, who have given generously to support the study of Alzheimer's disease.
Craig Albanese, MD, MBA, hosted an inspiring conversation with Manesh Patel, MD, the Richard Sean Stack, M.D. Distinguished Professor and chief of the Division of Cardiology, and former Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski about leadership, collaboration, and teamwork in both sports and medicine.
Many thanks to the volunteers and donors who attended the weekend’s events!
