Leadership Announcements

After nearly four decades, Barton Haynes, MD, has decided to step down as director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute.

After a decade of service, Jeffrey P. Baker, MD, PhD, will step down as director of the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities, and History of Medicine, effective June 30, 2026.

I am pleased to announce that Christopher Lindsell, PhD, has been appointed vice dean for Data Science and AI for the Duke University School of Medicine, effective April 1, 2026.

Colin S. Duckett, PhD, executive vice dean for basic and preclinical science, will leave Duke University to become the next provost and chief academic officer of Boston University, effective July 1. Dr. Duckett’s last day at Duke will be June 30, 2026.

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.