Mary E. Klotman, BS’76, MD’80, HS’80-85, is Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at Duke University, Dean of Duke University School of Medicine, and Chief Academic Officer for Duke University Health System. She was appointed dean in 2017, after serving for seven years as chair of the Department of Medicine, and re-appointed in 2022.
You’re halfway through your second five-year term as dean. What are your priorities?
Incorporating data science and AI in all that we do in a responsible, equitable, ethical way across all missions is absolutely a priority.
Another priority is continuing to focus on the integration of our academic mission with our clinical mission. We're in a rapidly changing environment of care delivery, and it is critical to our success that we do that.
We’re also focusing on team science. The challenges ahead require multidisciplinary approaches. So we are asking our investigators to weigh in on what are some of the big problems they are trying to solve and how do we build teams and leverage all the incredible talent across Duke to solve these problems. That also requires strategies to promote, fund, and reward team science.
And supporting our people is always top of mind. That means emphasizing wellness and rethinking strategies to mitigate burnout across our community. We also want to make sure that everyone can function at the top of their game!
Have your priorities shifted since you began in 2017?
They haven't shifted as much as they've become much more defined. I started with the theme of One Duke, and that's evolved from a general idea to really coalescing around specific areas particularly in research that can take advantage of that approach. One example is the intersection of neuroscience and engineering. The One Duke theme has become a tangible, recognized value here. We have been able to recruit some amazing scientists because we promote collaboration across Duke.
The other thing I started with was the concept of service. That has become more defined in our work to support our people so they feel valued. That involves honoring the work they do — for example, with the Staff Awards we now present every year — and putting in place mechanisms to understand the stresses they face and mitigate burnout.
What are some of your biggest challenges now?
Like all biomedical institutions, we face the question of how to keep pace with scientific change, which creates both excitement as well as a sense of urgency. Science moves faster than the funding mechanisms that support it. That’s an imbalance that we, as a society, have to address.
Here at Duke, as we bring our clinical and academic missions into closer alignment through the new Duke Health Integrated Practice, we have to engage our workforce so everyone understands how they play a role in all the missions. Not everyone does research, but they should understand how research drives clinical care. And most of our researchers don't deliver clinical care, but they should understand how our clinical care informs and supports our research.
In order for Duke to continue to be a top academic health system, we have to change and adapt but still stay true to our core missions. We have to look for opportunities and maximize them.
How do you deal with crises and unforeseen challenges?
There is no question that crisis management has become a bigger part of the job, You have to have an operation that's flexible enough to deal with challenges that you didn't see coming. That was certainly exemplified by COVID. Having the right team and processes in place for rapid communication and management in the face of a new crisis is part of responsible planning.
One particular challenge with external crisis is determining how it might be affecting our internal community. That's not such an easy distinction, because we don't live in a bubble.
What sets Duke apart?
It’s the people and their commitment to the work we do. No matter what you’re dealing with, the talent of the people here at Duke is what makes it an extraordinary institution. We have skilled, passionate individuals at every level, and they are expert at dealing with whatever is necessary.
What COVID taught us was that we could do almost anything. That experience reinforced how special the workforce is here. I never take that for granted.
And an underpinning of excellence is diversity, particularly in a place where our workforce is our community. We are focused on providing the opportunities and training that our workforce needs to advance. It's not about selecting one group over another. I see it as best business practice. Why wouldn't you want every member of your workforce to be able to be at the top of their capacity? That’s what we’re aiming for.
Story originally published in DukeMed Alumni News, Fall 2024.
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