William Dalton Family Assistant Professor in Medical Oncology
GIVEN BY WILLIAM L. AND SUSAN LOUISE DALTON
William Dalton was a 1957 graduate of Trinity College. He and his wife Susan Louise Dalton were members of the Duke Cancer Institute Board of Advisors for many years. A 2003 gift from the Daltons was matched with funds from the Nicholas Faculty Leadership Initiative to establish a professorship to support a faculty member in the field of medical oncology. Mr. Dalton died in 2012 at age 80.
The William Dalton Family Assistant Professorship in Medical Oncology is vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.
Wilburt C. Davison Professors of Pediatrics
GIVEN BY THE DORIS DUKE FOUNDATION AND THE DUKE ENDOWMENT
Duke president William Preston Few recruited Wilburt C. Davison, MD, from Johns Hopkins University in 1927. As dean of the School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Davison oversaw the construction of Duke University Hospital, School of Medicine, and School of Nursing and hired the original faculty. He led the hospital and medical school to national prominence. A leader in medical education, he published nine editions of The Compleat Pediatrician textbook. This professorship was established by the Doris Duke Foundation and The Duke Endowment in his honor.
Disque D. Deane University Professor of Neurology
GIVEN BY DISQUE D. DEANE
Disque D. Deane attended Duke University as a member of the class of 1943 but left to serve in the U.S. Maritime Service during World War II. He became a prominent financier, investor, and philanthropist. Deane received Duke’s Notable Alumni Award in 1987 and served on various university boards and committees, including the Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1989. Deane established this professorship in 2005 to support a scholar of true eminence and excellence in the field of translational neurosciences, with the ultimate goal of improving diagnosis, prevention, or therapy of human diseases of the nervous system.
Every professorship has a great story. Read more about this one.
Rory David Deutsch Professor of Neuro-Oncology
GIVEN BY THE RORY DAVID DEUTSCH FOUNDATION
Seven-year-old Rory David Deutsch died of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a type of pediatric brain tumor. His courage and optimism in the face of inevitable death was an inspiration to all who knew him. During his illness, Rory had access to the very best medical treatment. Unfortunately, Rory’s type of brain tumor grew within the brain stem itself and was not surgically accessible. Standard chemotherapy and radiation therapy did not offer a cure. When Rory passed away, his family and friends established the Rory David Deutsch Foundation as a living tribute to the warm-hearted boy who touched so many in his short life. Its mission is to eradicate pediatric brain tumors and other devastating childhood diseases as well as to make a difference in the lives of afflicted children and their families.
Mark W. Dewhirst Professor of Radiation Oncology
GIVEN BY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COLLEAGUES OF MARK W. DEWHIRST, DWM, PhD
This professorship was established in recognition of the many contributions that Dr. Dewhirst has made over the years in the field of oncology research and in gratitude for his role as an outstanding mentor to generations of faculty, residents, and students.
Mark W. Dewhirst spent 30 years studying causes of tumor hypoxia and the use of hyperthermia to treat cancer. In collaboration with Professor David Needham in the Pratt School of Engineering, he developed a novel thermally sensitive drug carrying liposome that has been successfully translated to human clinical trials. He utilized the thermal characteristics of this liposome to develop an MR imageable form that can accurately reflect drug concentrations in tumors, which then is related to the extent of anti-tumor effect in pre-clinical models. This property has been widely used by other investigators, worldwide, particularly in the area of high intensity focused ultrasound, where it would be possible to literally paint drug to a target zone and visualize this process in real time, during heating. Dr. Dewhirst retired in 2017, and is now the Gustavo S. Montana Professor Emeritus of Radiation Oncology.
James B. Duke Professors
GIVEN BY THE DUKE ENDOWMENT
Created in 1953 by a special grant from The Duke Endowment, the James B. Duke professorships honor the late James Buchanan Duke, a North Carolina industrialist and philanthropist who was the principal benefactor of Duke University, Duke University Hospital, and the schools of medicine and nursing. The Duke professorships honor well-established members of the Duke academic community, regardless of field, who have achieved distinction as creative scholars.
Nanaline H. Duke Professors
GIVEN BY DUKE UNIVERSITY
Nanaline H. Duke was the second wife of North Carolina industrialist and philanthropist James Buchanan Duke and the mother of Doris Duke. Mr. Duke was the principal benefactor of Duke University, Duke University Hospital, and the schools of medicine and nursing. These professorships were created in 1982 to honor Mrs. Duke and are intended primarily to support promising young faculty members.
Duke Health Cardiology Professor
GIVEN BY AN ANONYMOUS DONOR
An anonymous donor established this professorship in honor of Dr. E. Magnus Ohman.
Duke Surgical Innovation Professor
GIVEN BY ETHICON ENDO-SURGERY INC. AND DUKE UNIVERSITY
Established in 2008 by Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., this endowment supports a Duke faculty member in the field of minimally invasive surgery. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., is a Johnson & Johnson company that designs and manufactures innovative medical products and devices, and trains surgical teams to use them to perform minimally invasive procedures.
