Heidi T. Jacobe, MD, MSCS, will join Duke Health as chair of the Department of Dermatology, effective December 1, 2026.
A nationally recognized leader in the field of dermatology, Jacobe is currently a tenured professor of dermatology and Distinguished Teaching Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a professor in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health. She also serves as the associate dean of clinical research development and director of the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, where she leads institutional programs to advance the development of clinician‑scientists and the clinical research workforce.
Jacobe is a clinical expert in sclerosing skin disorders, including morphea and systemic sclerosis, and cares for patients referred from specialists from around the world. Her research also focuses on sclerosing skin diseases, with an emphasis on disease outcomes, biomarkers, and clinical trials. She has led and collaborated on studies aimed at improving disease measurement, understanding disease heterogeneity, and advancing evidence‑based care for patients with complex inflammatory and fibrosing skin disorders.
Jacobe's contributions to the field of dermatology have been acknowledged by the receipt of two endowments: the James N. Gilliam Chair in Rheumatology-Dermatology and the DJ Moody Family Fund for Scleroderma Research.
Through several leadership roles within UT Southwestern’s NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, Jacobe has developed and implemented institutional training programs that support early‑career investigators across disciplines. She served as the institutional lead for AI Education in the UT System wide UT-REAL AI Initiative.
In acknowledgement of her impactful contributions to patient care, research, and institution wide contributions, she was awarded the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Excellence in Institutional Service Award in 2024. She was also selected as a Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Fellow in 2025. She served as president of the Photomedicine Society from 2015 to 2018 and has held leadership roles in several other professional associations, including the Society for Investigative Dermatology.