Pamela S. Douglas, MD, has been named a recipient of a 2025 Distinguished Faculty Award by the Duke Medical Alumni Association in recognition of her pioneering contributions to the field of cardiology.

Lori J. Pierce, MD’85, has been named the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award by the Duke Medical Alumni Association in recognition of her pioneering work in advancing breast cancer treatment and her leadership in education and training.

Joseph Heitman, MD, PhD, has been named the recipient of a 2025 Distinguished Faculty Award by the Duke Medical Alumni Association in recognition of his significant contributions to biomedical science, education, clinical impact, and leadership.

Cameron R. Wolfe, MD, HS’07-’08, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Duke University, has been named a recipient of a Duke Medical Alumni Association 2025 Distinguished Faculty Award in recognition of his sustained contributions to clinical care, research, education, and institutional leadership.

Amy P. Murtha, MD, HS’92-’98, has been honored with a 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award by the Duke Medical Alumni Association for her sustained commitment to improving maternal-fetal health and advancing academic medicine.

Steven M. Scott, MD, HS’74-78, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Service Award by the Duke Medical Alumni Association in recognition of his selfless service, steadfast passion for Duke, and transformative contributions to education, college athletics and health care institutions.

Technological advances such as artificial intelligence, big data, and gene editing have dramatically accelerated the pace of biomedical research and health care. It can be hard to predict what new developments will arise next week, much less in the next 10, 50, or 100 years.

Kimberly Johnson, MD, MHS’05, HS’00-’02, is the Brenda E. Armstrong, MD Distinguished Professor in medicine and geriatrics. She emphasizes the need to shift health care disparities research from documenting disparities to developing interventions that improve equity, particularly in serious illness care for African Americans.

Geriatrician Heather Whitson, MD, is the Duke School of Medicine Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience, the director of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and the co-director of the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “For me, the true north is to help people maintain function, independence, quality of life, and resilience,” she says.

Dr. Svati Shah, a leader in cardiovascular genetics at Duke, directs the OneDukeGen program, aiming to sequence 150,000 patients to identify actionable genetic variants. Her vision is a future where genetic sequencing at birth enables precise, equitable healthcare, potentially preventing diseases through advanced gene editing and personalized medical care.