Ralph Snyderman is chancellor emeritus of Duke University and James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Medicine. He was dean of the School of Medicine from 1989-1999 and chancellor for health affairs from 1989-2004. He currently serves as executive director of the Duke Center for Personalized Health Care. He reflects on his eventful tenure as dean, which saw the creation of the Duke University Health System, Duke Clinical Research Institute, and other initiatives that positioned Duke as one of the nation’s most innovative and important academic health centers.

In experiments using mice and liver tissue from humans, Duke researchers identified how the aging process prompts certain liver cells to die off. They were then able to reverse the process in the animals with an investigational drug.

During his recent visit to Duke University, Dr. Anthony Fauci sat down with School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman, MD, to discuss his long and storied career in public health, the history of HIV/AIDS and the progress being made to develop a vaccine to prevent it.

Duke Science and Technology Scholar Amy Gladfelter, PhD’01, a professor in the Department of Cell Biology, studies extremely large cells, such as that of the human placenta, whose outer layer is one huge cell with billions of nuclei. The insights she’s gaining into these cells’ organization and function sheds important light on cell biology, diseases of pregnancy, and cancer.

A program led by Duke University School of Medicine students is helping people who have a history of homelessness make the transition to stable housing easier. In the process, the students are gaining a better understanding of the impact housing can have on health.

Groundbreaking research from Duke-NUS offers new hope to millions with asthma and severe food allergies, signaling a new strategy for the prevention of life-threatening reactions.

Clayton Alfonso, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, strives to make sure everyone who enters his exam room feels welcome and respected and receives evidence-based care.

In a column posted by American Scientist magazine, Duke Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and School of Medicine Dean Mary E. Klotman, MD; Adjunct Professor in Medicine Brian Southwell, PhD; and Tuckson Health Connections Managing Director Reed V. Tuckson address concerns about the increasing number of Americans who are declining even routine vaccinations due to medical misinformation and other factors.

Sarah Wilson, PhD, always had an interest in fighting for justice and fairness, starting as early as high school. That drive to address inequities experienced by people in various communities still exists today. An assistant professor in psychiatry & behavioral sciences at Duke, she is involved with several projects, including a new intervention to mitigate racial implicit bias in clinicians.

Emily Wang, MD'03, is a professor of internal medicine and public health at the Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health.