One of the most powerful moments Phil Lister, MD’79, had in medical school came during a lecture by Adhemar "Jim" Renuart, BS’52, MD’56, HS’57. Renuart shared with the students the challenges he experienced as both a doctor and a father to a child with medical issues.

Health care professionals found themselves facing a whirlwind of unknowns at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Among the many unanswered questions was what effect shutdowns, social isolation, and the virus itself would have on children. Despite what some stated at the time, Kurt Newman, MD’78, and his colleagues at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., believed there was cause for concern.

Blake Wilson, BSE’74, DSc, DEng, DMed (honoris causa), PhD’15, is director of the Duke Hearing Center and adjunct professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and consulting professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.

Diana McNeill, AB’78, MD’82, HS’87-’88, is a professor of medicine, endocrinology, metabolism, and nutrition and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University School of Medicine, and associate dean and inaugural director of Duke AHEAD (Academy of Health Professions Education & Academic Development), which has over 800 interprofessional members in Duke Health.

Michael Kastan, MD, PhD, is the William and Jane Shingleton Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and professor of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine and executive director of the Duke Cancer Institute. He was previously a professor of oncology, pediatrics, and molecular biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine prior to becoming chair of the Hematology-Oncology Department and later Cancer Center director at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

David H. Adams, BS'79, MD'83 is the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Professor and chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and cardiac surgeon-in-chief of the Mount Sinai Health System. Recognized by peers as one of the top mitral valve surgeons in the world, he established the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center at the Mount Sinai Hospital, where he and his team have pioneered new techniques of valve repair while setting benchmarks for valve repair rates and quality.

Laura Schanberg, MD’84, HS’84-’92, is a professor of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine and a faculty member in the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

One of Dr. Kimberly Johnson’s earliest memories of arriving at Duke for her residency in 1997 is the long hallways lined with portraits of white men. Johnson, professor of medicine, has since earned her own place in the hallowed halls of Duke—and beyond.

Blake Wilson is a principal developer of the modern cochlear implant, a device that enables highly useful hearing for deaf or nearly deaf persons.

In a large academic medical system such as Duke, there are bound to be spouses, siblings or children who work for the same organization. Duke Health is fortunate enough to have one entire family who have dedicated a combined 83 years to improving the lives of their patients and colleagues.