As Vice Dean for Faculty, Dr. Becker reports to the Dean and is a member of the leadership team for the School of Medicine. She oversees the Office for Faculty and provides leadership on all faculty matters including advancement, development, mentoring and professionalism. She works closely with Kevin Thomas, MD, Vice Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the School of Medicine, to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion are integrated into all aspects of faculty affairs.
A physician-scientist, Dr. Becker’s translational research interests focus on identifying factors that enhance response and minimize toxicity to drugs used for the treatment of rheumatic diseases in children, focusing on individualized therapeutic strategies. She is a faculty leader in the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), where she focuses on developing and supporting novel networks to carry out pediatric research and clinical trials, focusing on children with rare rheumatic and genetic conditions including Down syndrome within the Pediatric Trials Network and the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Registry.
Dr. Becker joined Duke’s faculty in 2019. She previously served as Division Director of Rheumatology and Associate Chair for the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Mercy-Kansas City. Dr. Becker is actively involved in national committees and organizations including the FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee, American College of Rheumatology, American Board of Pediatrics, Rheumatology Research Foundation Board of Directors, and Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance.