Leadership Announcements

After over 12 years of exceptional leadership, Richard J. O’Brien, MD, PhD, Disque D. Deane University Distinguished Professor of Neurology, will step down as chair of the Department of Neurology on December 31, 2026. Dr. O’Brien will continue his service on the faculty, supporting the school’s academic, research, and clinical missions.

After ten years of service in the departments of Anesthesiology and Population Health Sciences, Padma Gulur, MD, will be leaving Duke to accept a position as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis, effective July 31, 2026.

Erik Sulman, MD, PhD, will serve as the interim executive director of the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI), effective January 5, 2026

Stephen Lisberger, PhD, George Barth Geller Professor, will be stepping down from his role as chair of the Department of Neurobiology effective November 30, 2025.

Michael Pencina, PhD, has stepped down as vice dean for data science at Duke University School of Medicine and chief data scientist for Duke Health, effective September 30, 2025.

After more than a decade of service, Edward Buckley, MD, BSE, will be stepping down as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, effective June 30, 2026.

We are pleased to announce that, following a thorough national search and external review of the department and its leadership, Peter J. Allen, MD, has accepted the role of chair of the Department of Surgery in the School of Medicine, starting August 25, 2025.

Joseph P. Mathew, MD, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, will step down from his position as chair at the end of June 2025, after over a decade of dedicated service in this role.

After more than a decade of exemplary service, Ann Reed, MD, will be stepping down as chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the end of 2025. Dr. Reed's leadership has been instrumental in propelling our pediatrics department to new heights, and her contributions will have a lasting impact on our Duke community.

After a thorough national search, I am pleased to announce that Aditee Narayan, MD, MPH, has been appointed as the new Vice Dean for Medical and Health Professions Education at Duke University School of Medicine, effective January 1, 2025.