For decades they advanced discoveries that changed medicine, trained future generations of physicians and scientists, cared for patients, and guided Duke University School of Medicine into a leading academic medical center.
The School of Medicine celebrated those faculty member contributions at its annual Distinguished Emeriti Faculty recognition ceremony by honoring faculty who retired with tenured emeriti status during the past calendar year.
Earning tenured emeriti status is a distinction that acknowledges a lifetime of achievement and continued connection to the institution. For many faculty members, retirement marks not an end but a transition to new forms of scholarship, mentorship, and service.
As the School of Medicine recognized emeriti faculty, the ceremony offered an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of this year’s honorees while celebrating the lasting legacy they leave behind.
2026 Duke School of Medicine Honors Distinguished Emeriti Faculty:
David M. Brizel, MD, Leonard Prosnitz Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Radiation Oncology
Brizel is a distinguished radiation oncologist and clinical leader, serving as Leonard Prosnitz Distinguished Professor at Duke and specializing in head and neck cancers, with decades of experience advancing combined chemoradiation and tumor biology research.
He is a nationally recognized investigator and trial leader, with extensive NIH-funded research, pivotal clinical trials that have shaped national standards of care, over 50+ H-index publications, and sustained leadership roles in major national cancer committees and guidelines.
David S. Caldwell, MD, HS'74-'76, Associate Professor Emeritus of Medicine
- Caldwell is a long-standing Duke faculty leader in rheumatology, serving for nearly five decades and advancing from early faculty roles to tenured Associate Professor while holding key leadership positions including chief of Clinical Services and associate director of the Rheumatology Training Program.
- An influential clinician-educator and researcher in arthritis and pain management, with an extensive publication record, NIH-funded research contributions, national society involvement, and multiple teaching and mentorship awards recognizing excellence in training fellows, residents, and students.
Rowena J. Dolor, AB'87, MD'91, HS'91-'95, MHS'98, Professor Emerita of Medicine
- Dolor is a nationally recognized leader in practice-based research and community-engaged clinical trials, she has led the Primary Care Research Consortium for more than 30 years, overseeing a network that has conducted over 100 multi-site studies across a broad range of chronic and acute conditions.
- A leader in advancing practice-based research network (PBRN) methodology, Dolor has contributed to the development of national research infrastructure and tools that enable rigorous, real-world clinical research in primary care settings.
Michael S. Freemark, MD'76, HS'76-'79, HS’80-’84, Robert C. Atkins, MD and Veronica Atkins Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics
- Freemark is an internationally known pediatric endocrinologist who has made seminal discoveries in fields including obesity and childhood malnutrition, pediatric diabetes, intermediary metabolism, and the control of fetal growth.
- A celebrated educator and mentor who served as the chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Duke for 30 years, training numerous medical students, pediatric residents, endocrine fellows, and junior faculty members who have gone on to make major contributions in their fields.
John P. Grant, MD, HS'69-'71, '73-'78, Professor Emeritus of Surgery
- John P. Grant is a veteran academic surgeon and nutrition expert, longtime professor of surgery at Duke with leadership roles including chief of surgery at the Durham VA, and founding director of Duke’s Nutritional Support Service and Weight Loss Surgery Program.
- The pioneer in clinical nutrition and bariatric surgery is the former president of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition with decades of influential research, extensive publications, and early leadership in surgical nutrition and metabolic care.
W. Robert Lee, MD, Professor Emeritus of Radiation Oncology
- Lee is a senior radiation oncologist and educator specializing in prostate cancer, longtime Duke professor and former residency program director with deep expertise in brachytherapy, IMRT, and image-guided radiation therapy.
- As a widely published clinical researcher and national leader, with an H-index of ~47, he made major contributions to prostate cancer treatment standards and guidelines, and served in leadership roles including president of the American Brachytherapy Society and Editor-in-Chief of Practical Radiation Oncology.
George S. Leight, Jr., MD’72, Professor Emeritus of Surgery
- Leight is a distinguished surgical leader and longtime Duke faculty member, professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Endocrine Surgery with decades of experience in academic medicine and patient care.
- A pioneer in multidisciplinary breast care, he is co-director of Duke’s Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic with a career spanning clinical leadership, surgical training, and national research recognition.
Neil R. MacIntyre Jr., MD, Professor Emeritus of Medicine
- MacIntyre Jr. is a nationally recognized leader in pulmonary and critical care medicine, with more than four decades at Duke advancing from early faculty roles to tenured Professor while leading key clinical programs, including long-term service as medical director of Respiratory Care, Pulmonary Function Lab, and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
- He is a pioneering authority in mechanical ventilation and respiratory care, with over 250 peer-reviewed publications, major NIH-funded clinical trial leadership, including the ARDS Network, foundational textbooks and guidelines, and numerous national honors recognizing his impact on critical care practice, research, and education.
David J. Madden, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
- Madden is a leading cognitive neuroscientist in aging research, with a long-standing tenure at Duke as professor in psychiatry and psychology, advancing the understanding of attention, memory, and brain connectivity through cutting-edge neuroimaging approaches.
- Known as a highly influential scholar and mentor, he has more than 20,000 citations, sustained NIH funding as principal investigator, major editorial leadership (including editor-in-chief of Neurobiology of Aging), and national recognition for research excellence.
Salvatore V. Pizzo, PhD’72, MD’73, HS’73-’76, Professor Emeritus of Pathology
- Pizzo is a distinguished physician-scientist and institutional leader, serving as Professor and Distinguished Professor of Pathology at Duke, long-time department chair, and director of the Medical Scientist Training Program, with a sustained impact on research, clinical innovation, and physician-scientist training.
- He is an internationally recognized research pioneer, with a prolific publication record and seminal contributions to protease biology, fibrinolysis, α2-macroglobulin and GRP78 signaling, and cancer biology — translating discoveries into patents and therapeutic advances.
Kenneth D. Poss, PhD, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Regenerative Biology and Professor Emeritus of Cell Biology
- Poss is an internationally recognized leader in regenerative biology, James B. Duke Professor at Duke University, and head of the Duke Regeneration Center, with a distinguished career spanning faculty and major institutional leadership roles.
- As a pioneering scientist in tissue and heart regeneration using zebrafish models, he has 145 publications and honors including election as an AAAS Fellow, the NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award, and founding presidency of the International Society for Regenerative Biology.
John H. Sampson, MD, HS’90-’98, PhD,’96, MHS’07, MBA’11, Robert H., MD and Gloria Wilkins Professor Emeritus of Neurosurgery
- Sampson is a distinguished neurosurgeon serving as vice chancellor of health affairs at University of Colorado Anschultz who previously served as senior vice president at Duke University Health System and the inaugural chair of the Duke Department of Neurosurgery.
- As a leading investigator in neuro-oncology, his research focuses on immunotherapy and novel drugs for patients with brain tumors. He earned election to the National Academy of Medicine and became the NIH’s top-funded neurosurgeon. He is a member of the Association of American Physicians and served as president of the Private Diagnostic Clinic, Duke’s physician practice.
Donald B. Sanders, MD, Professor Emeritus of Neurology
- Sanders is an internationally recognized neurologist and pioneer in neuromuscular medicine, serving as professor at Duke for decades and founding landmark programs including the Duke Electromyography Laboratory and Myasthenia Gravis Clinic, shaping clinical care and research in neuromuscular disorders.
- A leading authority on myasthenia gravis and electrodiagnostic medicine, he provided extensive leadership in national and international organizations, major clinical trials, and hundreds of influential publications, earning multiple lifetime achievement and distinguished research awards.
Hilliard F. Seigler, MD, Professor Emeritus of Surgery
- Seigler is a distinguished surgical oncologist and Duke University professor who served as director of Clinical Programs at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center and held professorships in both surgery and immunology, contributing to the development of clinical cancer programs and transplantation research.
- The prolific researcher in melanoma and tumor immunology, has more than 300 publications spanning several decades, advancing understanding of immunotherapy, transplant biology, and cancer treatment.
Michael H. Sketch Jr., MD, HS'87-'90, Professor Emeritus of Medicine
- Sketch is a nationally recognized leader in interventional cardiology and clinical research who has led major clinical trials, contributed to national guidelines, and authored hundreds of peer-reviewed publications advancing coronary intervention and patient care.
- A distinguished academic cardiologist and institutional leader at Duke, he directed the Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories and the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program for more than two decades.
Debara L. Tucci, MD, MBA'13, Professor Emerita of Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences
- Tucci is an internationally recognized otolaryngologist and neurotologist, whose NIH-funded research and clinical leadership advanced understanding of hearing loss, auditory system plasticity, and cochlear implantation, alongside decades of specialized clinical practice in otology and skull base surgery.
- A distinguished clinician-scientist and national leader in hearing research, she has led major academic and clinical programs, directed The Hearing Center at Duke, held prominent roles in national organizations and advisory committees (including NIH and FDA), and contributed extensively to clinical trials, guideline development, and the advancement of translational hearing science.
Kent J. Weinhold, PhD, Joseph W. and Dorothy W. Beard Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Experimental Surgery
- Weinhold is a leading immunologist and HIV/AIDS research pioneer, Duke professor and former director of the Duke Center for AIDS Research, with decades of NIH-funded work advancing vaccine development and immune-based therapies.
- He is a distinguished academic leader and innovator, Beard Distinguished Professor, and former chief of surgical sciences with an extensive publication record, patents, and national leadership in immunology, cancer research, and clinical trials.
Karen E. Welty-Wolf, MD'86, HS'86-'93, Professor Emerita of Medicine
- Welty-Wolf is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist, whose NIH- and VA-supported research has advanced understanding of mitochondrial dysfunction and novel therapies in sepsis and ARDS, alongside extensive clinical and academic leadership.
- An influential leader in pulmonary, critical care, and infectious diseases, the Duke professor of medicine, and VA section chief has deep expertise in sepsis, acute lung injury, and respiratory failure.
