Duke University School of Medicine alumnus Shane Killarney, MD, PhD, spent his teen years expecting to become a New York City firefighter, like his grandfather, father, great uncle, and two uncles. “My father always told me to pick a career where you’re working in your community and you’re helping people,” Killarney said.
But after high school, a community college astronomy class rekindled his love of science. His father’s advice helped him say yes to medicine — a new way to serve. That moment marked the beginning of his journey to Duke, where he found a community that encouraged curiosity and collaboration.
An FDNY scholarship helped Killarney complete two years of community college. Then he transferred to UNLV, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and set his sights on oncology. The field’s gravity and the chance to build long-term relationships with patients drew him.
Once he entered medical school at Duke, a month spent in cancer biologist Kris Wood’s lab, paired with the sobering reality of how few options some cancer patients have, helped Killarney say yes to the long road of an MD-PhD. He decided to become a clinician-scientist — someone who treats cancer patients while developing better therapies in the lab.
Now an internal medicine resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, Killarney is well on his way.
His Duke career included the Duke Cancer Institute Scientific Achievement Award in 2023 and the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research in 2024, which honors graduate students for leadership, publication record, and contributions to the scientific community.
“Shane is among the most gifted, intelligent, conscientious, and rigorous scientists I’ve known at any age,” Wood said.
