In 2022, Kurt D. Newman, MD’78 retired as president and chief executive officer of Children’s National Hospital, after a nearly 40 year career there. During his 11 years as CEO, the hospital soared from No. 18 to No. 5 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital annual rankings, with neonatology maintaining the No. 1 spot for six consecutive years. 

Mary Louise Markert, PhD’81, MD'82, HS’82-’84, ’84-’87, is professor emeritus of pediatrics in the Division of Allergy and Immunology and professor emeritus of immunology at Duke University School of Medicine.

Kevin O. Saunders, PhD’10, is an associate professor in surgery, molecular genetics and microbiology, and in immunology. He is the faculty chairperson for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and associate director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI).

Kanecia Zimmerman, MD’07, HS’07-’11, 12-’15, PhD, MPH, is an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine.

Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, is the Mary and Deryl Hart Professor of Surgery, vice chair of research of surgery, professor of radiology, and disease group leader of the Breast Cancer Program at the Duke Cancer Institute.

A diverse team of Duke faculty and community advocates created LATIN-19 (Latinx Advocacy Team and Interdisciplinary Network for COVID-19) in March 2020 to advocate for and bring awareness to the needs of the Latinx community in North Carolina during the COVID-19 crisis.

For decades, medical cancer treatment has generally meant chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, alone or in combination. Today, new approaches such as immunotherapies and targeted therapies are becoming available, with many more in research and development.

Health challenges across the globe — everything from climate change to infectious disease and better treatment options for patients — precipitate the need for skilled physician-scientists: physicians who see patients in the clinic and who also devote time to scientific research. Duke programs including the Office of Physician-Scientist Development and the Medical Scientist Training Program are helping to meet that need.

Eugenie S. Kleinerman, chair of the Division of Pediatrics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is exploring how to alter the tumor microenvironment to increase the efficacy of treatments and improve outcomes.

2019 Nobel Prize winner Bill Kaelin says he’d be disappointed if he could predict the next big thing in cancer research and care, because many of the greatest advances come from unexpected directions.