Christine Eyler, MD, PhD, Butler Harris Assistant Professor in Radiation Oncology, is one of 15 scientists nationwide

When James B. Duke signed the indenture of trust that transformed Trinity College into Duke University, he expressed his wish that the new university would include a school of medicine. His goal was to improve access to quality health care in North Carolina. He achieved that, and much more. Over the past 100 years, the School of Medicine has grown from a visionary philanthropist’s dream to the position it holds as one of the world’s premier academic health institutions. The school’s story is one of excellence and innovation in health professions education, world-class patient care, biomedical research, and community partnership.

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.

Edward Holmes was vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of the School of Medicine from 1999-2000 and now serves as CEO and president of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, vice chancellor and dean emeritus of University of San Diego Health Sciences, and Distinguished Professor at the University of California. During his time as dean, he says, he worked to build deeper and more effective collaborations not only within the health system but across the rest of campus — efforts that, among other things, helped elevate Duke to a leading position in the field of genome sciences.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.