J. Lamar Callaway Professor of Dermatology
GIVEN BY FRIENDS OF J. LAMAR CALLAWAY
J. Lamar Callaway, MD, was a member of Duke University School of Medicine’s second graduating class. He joined the faculty as its first dermatologist and later became the Division of Dermatology’s first chief. Named a James B. Duke Professor in 1967, Callaway served as division chief until 1975. Callaway was president of the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Dermatological Association, the American Board of Dermatology, and the Society of Investigative Dermatology. He also received the American Academy of Dermatology Gold Medal. This professorship was established by former Duke dermatology residents, colleagues, and friends.
F. Bayard Carter Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology
GIVEN BY F. BAYARD CARTER SOCIETY OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
In 1969, 15 former obstetrics and gynecology residents, who called themselves the Nick Carter Travel Club, established this professorship to honor their mentor, F. Bayard "Nick" Carter, MD, upon his retirement. Dr. F. Bayard Carter was the first Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Duke University from 1931 to 1964. He continued to practice in Durham, North Carolina, for many years and died in 1976. The Nick Carter Travel Club has been renamed The F. Bayard Carter Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Chancellor's Distinguished Professor
GIVEN BY DUKE HEALTH
Established in 2022, Chancellor’s Professorships recognize School of Medicine faculty members who have achieved the highest level of excellence and impact in scientific discovery and its translation. The creation of new Chancellor Distinguished Professorships will enable faculty recruitment related to the Duke Science & Technology Initiative and other key research priorities.
Richard Hall Chaney Sr. Professor of Otolaryngology
GIVEN BY RICHARD HALL CHANEY, SR. AND DUKE UNIVERSITY
Richard Hall Chaney Sr. was co-founder and chief executive officer of Chaney Enterprises, Ltd. His personal experience with throat cancer led him and his wife Mary Mac Chaney to establish this professorship in 1996 in honor of his Duke physician, William J. Richtsmeier, MD, PhD, to support research in the Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Mr. Chaney died in 1999, and Mrs. Chaney passed in 2010.
The Chen Family Associate Professor of Pediatric Genetics and Genomics
GIVEN BY Y.T. CHEN
Dr. Y.T. Chen, MD, PhD, led a Duke research team in conducting human trials of a new drug, Myozyme, to treat Pompe disease, a once-fatal glycogen storage disease, in three infants. Successful outcomes led to the 2006 FDA approval of the drug, which is now used worldwide. Over the years Dr. Chen and his wife Alice have generously supported Duke's Department of Pediatrics, including by establishing this associate/assistant professorship.
C.L. and Su Chen Professor of Pediatrics
GIVEN BY Y.T. CHEN AND ALICE CHEN
Y.T. Chen, MD, PhD, led a Duke research team in conducting human trials of a new drug, Myozyme, to treat Pompe disease, a once-fatal glycogen storage disease, in three infants. Successful outcomes led to the 2006 FDA approval of the drug, which is now used worldwide. Dr. Chen and his wife Alice established this professorship in 2009, renaming it to honor his parents for their 70th wedding anniversary in 2011.
Every professorship has a great story. Read more about this one.
James and Alice Chen Professor of Radiology
GIVEN BY FRIENDS OF JAMES AND ALICE CHEN
James Chen, MD, was a professor in Duke’s Department of Radiology, director of its basic clinical clerkship from 1983 to 1986, and director of the Cardiopulmonary Radiology Service from 1976 to 2002. Chen was a four-time winner of the Department of Radiology Teacher of the Year Award and a 1990 recipient of both the Duke Medical Alumni Association’s Distinguished Teaching Award and the Thomas D. Kinney, MD, Teaching Award. This professorship was established in 2002 by patients, friends, and colleagues to honor Chen and his wife, Alice. Chen died in 2006.
James R. Clapp Professor of Medicine
GIVEN BY FRIENDS OF JAMES R. CLAPP
Duke University alumnus James R. Clapp, MD, earned a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing an internship and residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and a postdoctoral research fellowship with the U.S. Public Health Service, he was an investigator at the National Heart Institute. He returned to Duke as an associate professor in nephrology, focusing on kidney research and treating advanced kidney disease and hypertension. Clapp also was director of the Duke Center for Living’s Andrew G. Wallace, MD, Clinic and founding director of the Duke Executive Health Program. Upon his retirement, patients, friends, and colleagues honored him with this professorship.
William Cleland Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
EPONYMOUS
Durham native William A. Cleland, MD, dedicated his life to caring for children. He completed medical school at Howard University, followed by an internship at Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. In 1936, with support from Dean Wilburt Davison, MD, of Duke’s School of Medicine and Clyde Donnell, MD. Cleland obtained a Julius Rosenwald Fund fellowship for specialty training in pediatrics at New York University. He then returned home to Durham, the first African American pediatrician in North Carolina. Cleland had a large private practice and ran four well-baby clinics for the Durham County Health Department. Eponymous professorships are created by Duke University to honor individuals who have contributed significantly to the history of the institution.
The Cless Family Neuro-Oncology Professor
GIVEN BY GERHARD AND RUTH CLESS
Since their son Bryan was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2002, Ruth and Gerhard "Gary" Cless have been ambassadors for finding a cure for brain tumors. They believe relevant knowledge is being gained at an accelerating rate and there is no shortage of ideas—just a shortage of funds.
Residents of Chicago, Ruth and Gary looked at every option before choosing to seek treatment for their son at The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke because they believed it was "the very best in the world." Bryan survived. The family is passionate about supporting the brain tumor research being done at Duke. "Brain cancer is an orphan disease—that's what struck us . . . This is a time when researchers have abundant ideas about how to help people and make major breakthroughs. Investments here leverage great advancements."
In 2014, the family established the Cless Family Neuro-Oncology Professorship with a gift of $1.5 million. Ruth and Gary joined the Duke Brain Tumor Program Board of Advisors in 2003 and Gary served as chairman of the board from 2008 until his recent passing in January of 2016. Bryan, once a patient of the center, has recently replaced his father as a member of the Duke Brain Tumor Program Board of Advisors. He is married and the proud father of four children.
Sandra Coates Associate Professor
GIVEN BY KENNETH COATES, ELIZABETH COATES, DOUGLAS COATES, AND JENNIFER COATES RASMUSSEN
In 1995, in the wake of his wife Sandy’s death from metastatic breast cancer, Kenneth Coates and his teenage son and daughter made a gift in her memory to Duke cancer research. “The care that Sandy received and the effort that the doctors and staff made was outstanding. We couldn’t have asked the doctors and the nurses to do any more than they did,” Coates says. In the early 2000s, in response to a challenge grant from another donor, Coates felt he could make a larger gift to endow an associate professorship.
The Sandra Coates Associate Professorship is vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.
Every professorship has a great story. Read more about this one.
Fred Cobb, MD Professor of Medicine
GIVEN BY THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF FRED COBB, MD
Dr. Fred Cobb was the Director of the Duke Program for Prevention and Treatment of Heart and Vascular Disease at the Duke Center for Living and Director of Congestive Heart Failure Clinic and Claudication Research Clinic at the Durham VA Medical Center. He received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He completed his training in Internal Medicine and his fellowship in Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center. After serving as a Major in the U.S. Army, he returned to Durham to join the faculty of both Duke and the Veterans Administration Medical Centers, where he remained until his death in 2006. He became Professor of Medicine in 1983, was Chief of Cardiology at the VA from 1983 to 1992, held appointments in the Departments of Radiology and Cell Biology, and directed the Duke Center for Living from 1989 to 1996.His clinical interests included managing cardiovascular risk factors through medical and lifestyle strategies, implementing strategies to alter and monitor the progression of coronary artery disease. His research interests were primarily involved in studies of the factors that control blood flow to the heart as well as blood vessel function.
The Fred Cobb, MD Professorship in Medicine is vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.
Donald D. and Elizabeth G. Cooke Professors
GIVEN BY ELIZABETH G. COOKE
Donald D. and Elizabeth G. Cooke first met in kindergarten. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, Donald Cooke served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant in World War I before returning home to work in his family’s business. Later, during World War II, he worked in an industrial plant that built furnaces, eventually becoming company president. Elizabeth Cooke was the daughter of John W. Griggs, who was governor of New Jersey and U.S. Attorney General under President McKinley. After Donald Cooke’s death, Elizabeth became interested in cancer research and made a gift to endow this professorship. Mrs. Cooke passed away in 1988.
