“Though we’re celebrating many successes over the last 50 years, not every story is a success,” he said. “We’ve lost a lot of patients, family, and friends over the years. And I’d like to take a moment of silence so we can think about them as we move forward.”
In addition to celebrating the 50th anniversary of Duke’s recognition as a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kastan also recognized the ten-year anniversary of the stand-alone Duke Cancer Center building and the creation of the Duke Cancer Institute.
For this, he commended the leadership and direction of Victor Dzau, MD (a Duke cardiologist and pathologist who served as chancellor of Health Affairs from 2004 to 2014), Dean Emerita of the Duke University School of Medicine Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD (Pediatrics and Pharmacology & Cancer Biology), and Bill Fulkerson, Jr., MD, MBA, who served for the past 10 years as executive vice president of DUHS before stepping down in December.
“With his unwavering commitment to the DCI’s growth and care of our patients, I am proud to recognize Dr. Fulkerson among our attendees here today,” said Kastan, giving a nod to the pulmonologist who began his clinical career at Duke nearly 40 years ago. “Today we continue in our commitment to making innovative discoveries developing new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer and deliver those therapies in a patient-centric and family-centric way.”