Ronald N. Goldberg, MD, has been named a recipient of a 2026 Honorary Alumni Award by the Duke Medical Alumni Association in recognition of his transformative impact on neonatal/perinatal medicine and his longstanding commitment to improving outcomes for critically ill newborns.
A nationally respected clinician‑scientist and the Dorothy J. Shaad/Angus M. McBryde, Sr. Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Goldberg has advanced neonatal care through innovation, scholarship, and institution‑building across more than five decades in academic medicine.
Since arriving at Duke in 1996, Dr. Goldberg has shaped the Division of Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine into a national leader. As division chief for more than 20 years, he oversaw the expansion of Duke’s NICU from 36 to 67 beds, strengthened the neonatology faculty and advanced practice workforce, and implemented quality initiatives that achieved national benchmarks in infection prevention and chronic lung disease outcomes. He founded and directed the Jean & George Brumley, Jr. Neonatal‑Perinatal Research Institute — securing more than $5 million in programmatic support — and created the Neonatal‑Perinatal Research Unit, an interdisciplinary clinical research infrastructure that continues to support investigators across Duke.
A prolific scholar, Dr. Goldberg has authored more than 160 peer‑reviewed publications and served as principal or co‑principal investigator on numerous NIH‑funded studies that have shaped national guidelines in neonatal respiratory care, infectious disease, pharmacology, and clinical trial methodology. His early research contributed foundational insights into intraventricular hemorrhage, hypoxic pulmonary hypertension, neonatal seizures, and hemodynamic instability.
His mentorship legacy is extraordinary: dozens of former fellows and junior faculty have gone on to national leadership roles, collectively securing more than $1 billion in federal funding and contributing to pediatric drug labeling, clinical trial innovation, and neonatal health services research. His impact has been recognized with honors including Duke’s Leonardo Palumbo Jr., MD Faculty Achievement Award; the Michael M. Frank, MD Research Prize; and the Duke Children’s Master Clinician Award.
Dr. Goldberg’s career reflects an unwavering dedication to excellence in patient care, research, mentorship, and institutional leadership — advancing neonatal/perinatal medicine at Duke and improving the lives of countless newborns and families around the world.