Joannes H. Karis, MD Professor of Anesthesiology
GIVEN BY THE KARIS FAMILY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ANESTHESIOLOGY
Dr. Joannes H. Karis was among the most distinguished faculty members of Duke’s Department of Anesthesiology. A remarkable leader, scientist, pioneer, and philanthropist, he was instrumental in the growth and development of Duke’s cardiac and pediatric divisions. His groundbreaking research helped to uncover the dangers of ultraviolet radiation in the operating room and to identify physiologic mechanisms of neuromuscular blockade agents. Karis also helped refine early physiological-monitoring and anesthesia-delivery systems that evolved to become essential components of the modern operating room. He died at age 88 in 2017.
The Joannes Karis, MD Professor of Anesthesiology is vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.
Lawrence C. Katz Professor of Urology
EPONYMOUS
Lawrence C. Katz, PhD came to Duke as an assistant professor of Neurobiology in 1990, and became a James B.Duke professor of Neurobiology and a Howard Hughes Investigator in the late 1990s. His research focused on the development and function of the mammalian cortex, especially neurotrophins and neurogenesis. He pioneered the application of optical imaging of neurons (using fluorescent calcium or voltage indicators) and photostimulation (using caged glutamate) to probe circuit development. Dr. Katz's research centered on the key senses of hearing and language (birdsong), sight, and smell, where he did groundbreaking research on the functional analysis of the olfactory system. Eponymous professorships are created by Duke University to honor individuals who have contributed significantly to the history of the institution.
Samuel L. Katz Professors in Pediatrics
GIVEN BY DUKE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Samuel L. Katz was an international expert on infectious diseases and vaccine research and development, as well as a global advocate for children’s health. A Wilburt C. Davison Professor of Pediatrics, Katz chaired Duke’s Department of Pediatrics from 1968 to 1990. Previously, he was a faculty member at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he spent 12 years working with Nobel laureate John J. Enders, PhD, to develop the attenuated measles virus vaccine. Duke University established this professorship to honor Katz for his leadership.
Walter Kempner Professor of Medicine
GIVEN BY FRIENDS OF WALTER KEMPNER
Walter Kempner, MD, was internationally recognized for creating the Rice Diet, an innovative approach to managing obesity-related problems such as kidney disease, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes with a prescribed low-protein, low-fat, and low-salt diet of rice and fruit. During nearly four decades at Duke, Dr. Kemper treated patients from around the world. When he retired, friends and colleagues established this professorship to honor him.
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor
GIVEN BY THE WILLIAM R. KENAN, JR. CHARITABLE TRUST
The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust was established by a bequest from the estate of chemist, industrialist, and philanthropist William R. Kenan, Jr. It carries out Kenan’s legacy through various initiatives including endowed professorships, scholarships, and fellowships in his name at esteemed colleges, universities, and arts institutions throughout the United States. The professorship supports scholars of true eminence and excellence, whose enthusiasm for learning, commitment to teaching, and interest in students make a notable contribution to the undergraduate community.
Grace Kerby Chair in the School of Medicine
EPONYMOUS
Dr. Grace Kerby came to Duke in 1940 as a research assistant in the Department of Pathology. In 1946 she was named the first female chief resident in the Department of Medicine, and in 1964 she became the department’s first female full professor. Additionally, she was chief of the Division of Rheumatic and Genetic Disease in the Department of Medicine from 1965 to 1971, the first woman to become a division chief in the department. Eponymous professorships are created by Duke University to honor individuals who have contributed significantly to the history of the institution.
The Rebecca and John Kirkland Professor
GIVEN BY DRS. REBECCA TRENT KIRKLAND AND JOHN KIRKLAND AND DUKE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Rebecca Trent Kirkland received her MD from the Duke University School of Medicine and is Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. A scion of Duke’s founding family, she is the daughter of Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans. Dr. Kirkland served as a trustee at Duke University from 1995 – 2007. She was a member of the Duke University Health System Board of Directors from 2002 – 2013, and served on Duke Children’s National Board of Advisors from 1998 – 2000. She received the Duke University Medal for Distinguished Meritorious Service in 2012. The son of Duke alumni, Dr. John Kirkland III is the former Chief of the Pediatric Endocrine and Metabolism Service and emeritus professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He received his MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The Rebecca and John Kirkland Professorship supports a scholar of true eminence and excellence in a field selected by the Dean of the School of Medicine and associated with the Duke/Robert J. Margolis, MD Center for Health Policy.
Dr. Glenn A. Kiser and Muriel C. Kiser Professor of Pediatrics
GIVEN BY GLENN AND MURIEL KISER
Glenn A. Kiser, MD, and his wife, Muriel, left nearly half of their estate to Duke’s Department of Pediatrics, the largest gift to the department from an individual. A 1941 graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine, Kiser operated a pediatrics practice in Salisbury, North Carolina, for seven years before becoming chief of pediatrics and chief of staff at Salisbury’s Rowan Regional Medical Center. This endowment supports a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics.
Kiser-Arena Professors of Pediatrics
GIVEN BY GLENN AND MURIEL KISER AND DUKE UNIVERSITY
Glenn A. Kiser, MD, and his wife, Muriel, left nearly half of their estate to Duke’s Department of Pediatrics, the largest gift to the department from an individual. An alumnus of the Duke University School of Medicine, Kiser operated a pediatrics practice before becoming chief of pediatrics and chief of staff at Rowan Regional Medical Center. This endowment supports a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics who specializes in pediatric toxicology.
K. Ranga Rama Krishnan Associate Professor
GIVEN BY DUKE UNIVERSITY
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences K. Ranga Rama Krishnan, MB, ChB, served as dean of Duke–NUS Medical School. Krishnan—whose interests include late-life depression, bipolar disorder, and dementia—created a translational research center focused on depression in the elderly, the only such center in the U.S. funded by the National Institutes of Health. He served as chair of psychiatry at Duke from 1998 to 2009. Duke created this professorship in his honor to support a scholar of academic promise in biological psychiatry.
The K. Ranga Rama Krishnan Associate Professorship is vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.
The Norman L. Letvin, MD Associate Professor of Medicine
GIVEN BY MARION STEIN, MD
This professorship was established in memory of Norman L. Letvin, MD, and in honor of Barton F. Haynes, MD. Dr. Letvin devoted his life to the study of the immune system and its relationship to the cause and prevention of disease. One of the most internationally influential leaders in the field of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) research, he was a major contributor in the quest to make a vaccine against the disease. Dr. Letvin was a consummate collaborator, who fostered the development of large research teams that made remarkable progress in AIDS research, and a wise, honest, and caring mentor to both trainees and collaborators. Dr. Haynes, an associate of Dr. Letvin, is globally recognized for his work in T-cell immunology, retrovirology and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine development. An indefatigable researcher and educator, he founded the Duke Human Vaccine Institute to support the development of vaccines and therapeutics for HIV and other emerging infections. He is the institute’s director and the Frederic M. Hanes Professor of Medicine and Immunology at Duke University.
Every professorship has a great story. Read more about this one.
Norman L. Letvin, MD Professorship
GIVEN BY MARION STEIN, MD
This professorship was established in memory of Norman L. Letvin, MD, and in honor of Barton F. Haynes, MD. Dr. Letvin devoted his life to the study of the immune system and its relationship to the cause and prevention of disease. One of the most internationally influential leaders in the field of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) research, he was a major contributor in the quest to make a vaccine against the disease. Dr. Letvin was a consummate collaborator, who fostered the development of large research teams that made remarkable progress in AIDS research, and a wise, honest, and caring mentor to both trainees and collaborators. Dr. Haynes, an associate of Dr. Letvin, is globally recognized for his work in T-cell immunology, retrovirology and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine development. An indefatigable researcher and educator, he founded the Duke Human Vaccine Institute to support the development of vaccines and therapeutics for HIV and other emerging infections. He is the institute’s director and the Frederic M. Hanes Professor of Medicine and Immunology at Duke University.
Every professorship has a great story. Read more about this one.
Barbara Levine University Professor in Cancer
GIVEN BY LEON LEVINE, HOWARD LEVINE, AND LORI L. SKLUT
Leon Levine, the founder and chair emeritus of Family Dollar Stores, Inc., and his children, Howard Levine and Lori Sklut, established this endowment in memory of their wife and mother, Barbara Levine, who lost her battle with breast cancer when she was 27. Leon Levine was a friend and supporter of Duke Health for more than 25 years, including serving on the Duke Hospital Advisory Board and the Duke Medicine Board of Visitors. The family also established the Barbara Levine Faculty Research in Cancer Endowment Fund and the Leon Levine Scholarship for students at Duke University School of Medicine. Completed in 1994, the Levine Science Research Center (LSRC) at Duke was named in honor of Leon and Sandra Levine, whose visionary philanthropy provided the largest gift the university had ever received from an individual at that time. The LSRC is among the leading single-site interdisciplinary research facilities in the United States. Mr. Levine passed away in 2023.
The Barbara Levine University Professorship in Cancer is vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.
Lincoln Financial Group Professor in Neurobiology
GIVEN BY LINCOLN FINANCIAL GROUP
The Jefferson-Pilot Corporation, a North Carolina-based life insurance, annuity, employee benefits, and broadcast company, established this professorship in 1987 at the urging of Joseph M. Bryan, an executive committed to curing Alzheimer’s disease. The company merged with Lincoln National Corporation in 2006, creating the Lincoln Financial Group, one of the largest financial services organizations in the U.S. This professorship was renamed in recognition of the merger.
The Lindquist Presidential Distinguished Chair
GIVEN BY AN ANONYMOUS DONOR
This Presidential Chair was established by an anonymous donor in recognition of the outstanding and compassionate care given to their family member by Diana McNeill, MD. Duke's first endowed professorship in endocrinology, its holder shall be a physician-scientist of exceptional eminence within the School of Medicine’s Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition.
Dr. McNeill is a nationally respected diabetes clinician whose career spans more than 30 years. She has won numerous awards, including Master Clinician Educator at Duke; the prestigious Dema Daley Award from the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine, which honors a member acknowledged nationally as an education leader; and the Distinguished Service Award from the Duke Medical Alumni Association. The donor has requested that the professorship be named The Lindquist McNeill Presidential Distinguished Chair upon Dr. McNeill’s retirement or departure from Duke.
Every professorship has a great story. Read more about this one.
Robert Machemer, MD, Professors of Ophthalmology
GIVEN BY FRIENDS OF ROBERT MACHEMER
Dr. Robert Machemer, known as the father of vitreoretinal surgery, was chair of the Department of Ophthalmology from 1978 to 1991, helping Duke build an international reputation in ophthalmology. He developed many techniques and surgical instruments now commonly used to restore sight to people with vitreoretinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal detachments. This endowment was established by patients, friends, and colleagues. Machemer died in 2009.
Florence Reynaud McAlister Professor of Medicine
GIVEN BY AN ANONYMOUS DONOR
In 1936 this professorship was established at Duke University in memory of Florence McAlister, the daughter of William Henry McAlister, secretary and director of the American Tobacco Company. The Florence McAlister Professorship was first held by Frederic M. Hanes, MD, a member of the original Duke medical faculty, and later by Eugene A. Stead Jr., MD, chair of the Department of Medicine from 1947 to 1967.
Anthony R. Means Cancer Biology Professor
GIVEN BY DUKE UNIVERSITY
Anthony Means, PhD, Nanaline H. Duke Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, was recruited to Duke in 1991 to lead the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, which he chaired for more than 10 years. He is recognized for his innovative, thoughtful, and effective leadership on countless initiatives that have significantly influenced science as well as the professional development of generations of scientists in the discipline of endocrinology. Means is a highly respected and beloved mentor to more than 200 scientists.
Merlin Associate Professorship in Surgery
GIVEN BY AN ANONYMOUS DONOR
This professorship was established by an anonymous donor in honor of Jacob N. Schroder, MD and his skillful, empathetic, and innovative care of heart transplant patients and their families. Dr. Schroder earned his MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed both his general and cardiothoracic surgery residencies, as well as thoracic transplant surgery fellowship, at Duke University. He then joined the Duke Department of Surgery faculty in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2012. In 2024 Dr. Schroder was named Surgical Director for Advanced Heart Failure of Duke Health’s Heart and Vascular Service line and the Duke Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.
The Merlin Associate Professorship in Surgery is currently vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.
Gustavo S. Montana Professor of Radiation Oncology
GIVEN BY FRIENDS OF GUSTAVO S. MONTANA AND DUKE UNIVERSITY
Gustavo S. Montana, MD, was a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and chief of oncology at the Durham VA Medical Center. Active in the multi-modality therapy of patients with lung malignancies, Montana also studied patterns of patient care and the impact of age on patient outcomes at the VA’s Thoracic Oncology Clinic. When he retired in 2001, Duke University established this professorship to honor him. Montana lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and continues as a Duke clinical professor in radiation oncology.
The Gustavo S. Montana Professorship in Radiation Oncology is vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.
Beverly C. Morgan, MD, Professor of Pediatric Cardiology
GIVEN BY BEVERLY C. MORGAN, MD
Beverly C. Morgan, MD, was a pioneer in the field of pediatric cardiology. After earning a medical degree from Duke in 1955, she was an intern and assistant resident in pediatrics at Stanford University Hospital. She completed a clinical fellowship in pediatrics and was a trainee in pediatric cardiology at Babies Hospital and at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. She also completed a research fellowship at Columbia’s Pediatric College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she subsequently was an instructor. Morgan then directed the Heart Station at Robert B. Green Memorial Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, and was a lecturer in pediatrics at the University of Texas. She later accepted a research fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where she was eventually named a professor of pediatrics and then department chair. She left Seattle to become a professor and chair of pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, a position she held for eight years. Dr. Morgan passed away in 2014.
