Mary Klotman, MD, has decided to step down as dean of the Duke University School of Medicine and as executive vice president for health affairs at Duke University and chief academic officer for Duke Health in June 2027, when she completes 10 years as dean.
Klotman has served as dean of the School of Medicine since 2017. In 2023, her responsibilities expanded to include the newly created role of executive vice president for health affairs, providing strategic oversight of academic health affairs and partnering with the CEO of Duke University Health System to integrate the clinical and academic missions of Duke’s health enterprise.
“Throughout her service as dean and executive vice president for health affairs, Mary has led with extraordinary skill and an unwavering commitment to translating scientific discovery into better patient care and better health,” said President Vincent E. Price. “From her investments in faculty through the Duke Science and Technology initiative and the creation of the Duke Health Integrated Practice to her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and in navigating the changing landscape of academic medicine, Mary has positioned Duke to lead in an increasingly interconnected era of medicine and science.”
Under Klotman’s leadership, Duke has strengthened the connections among discovery, education, clinical practice, and service, advancing a more integrated vision for academic medicine across Duke Health.
As dean of the School of Medicine, she leads one of the nation’s premier institutions for health professions and biomedical education, clinical care and biomedical research. The school comprises approximately 2,800 regular rank faculty physicians and researchers; more than 40 health professions and graduate degree programs with nearly 3,000 students; and more than 5,500 staff.
During her tenure, Klotman has advanced Duke’s position as a national leader in federally funded biomedical research while advancing strategic investments in scientific discovery, research infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaboration, data science, and artificial intelligence. In recent years, Duke faculty and clinicians have achieved significant scientific and medical breakthroughs across areas including transplantation, cancer, immunology, infectious disease, vaccine science, genomics, and precision medicine.
The School of Medicine secured more than $1 billion in philanthropic support during her tenure, strengthening research, education, patient care and community partnerships and enabling the creation of 20 new distinguished and presidential chairs to recruit and support outstanding faculty. She also helped position the school for long-term success by recruiting 15 department chairs and seven center and institute directors, continuing additional national searches, and advancing the creation, elevation, and expansion of academic departments and programs to meet emerging needs in science, clinical care, and education.
"In many ways, Duke's history has become my own,” Klotman said. “From my days as an undergraduate and medical student to serving as dean and executive vice president, it has been an extraordinary privilege to learn from and lead this remarkable community. I will always be grateful to the people who have made Duke such a special place.
I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside exceptional faculty, staff, learners, alumni, donors and partners who are among the very best in their fields and who share an unwavering commitment to improving lives through discovery, education, patient care and community service. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and deeply optimistic about all that lies ahead for this extraordinary community.”
Klotman has worked with colleagues to guide Duke Health through a period of transformational change. The 2023 creation of the Duke Health Integrated Practice brought the clinical practice into much closer alignment with Duke Health’s research, education, patient care and community missions. Her tenure also encompassed the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Duke cared for patients and supported its workforce and learners while making major contributions to national research, testing, vaccine development, and public health efforts.
She has also helped advance Duke’s strategy in artificial intelligence, computational medicine, and data science through the growth of AI Health and its integration across research, education, and clinical care.
“Mary is a relentless leader,” said Provost Alec Gallimore. “Her drive stems from her belief that our greatest impact comes when students, faculty, staff, clinicians, researchers, alumni, and supporters work together toward a shared mission. Throughout her tenure, she has advanced an integrated vision for bringing together research, education, clinical care, and community partnership to address some of society's most pressing health challenges. Her leadership transformed the School of Medicine and Duke Health and established a strong foundation for future growth in discovery, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Klotman earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from Duke and completed residency training and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Duke. A pioneering physician-scientist, her research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) infection.
She is past president of the Association of Professors of Medicine and the Association of American Physicians and is an elected member of the Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Details of a search for Klotman’s successor will be announced in the coming weeks.
This story was first published on Duke Today