Ten DCI Faculty Awarded Distinguished Professorships
Duke University has awarded Distinguished Professorships to 44 faculty members from seven Duke colleges and schools this year — including 27 from the School of Medicine. Ten of these faculty are members of Duke Cancer Institute. The honorees were formally recognized by President Vincent Price and Interim Provost Jennifer Francis during a ceremony at the Washington Duke Inn on May 4.
Distinguished Professorships recognize faculty scholars who are well-established members of the Duke academic community and who have achieved distinction as creative scholars in their field or in their ability to transcend disciplines. For School of Medicine awardees, this means faculty who "have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health."
At the ceremony, Price noted the broad influence the awardees have had through their scholarship, by “shaping our understanding of the world, and advancing opportunities, solutions, and inventions to improve the human condition.”
Peter Allen, MD, PhD, David C. Sabiston, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Surgery
Peter Allen, MD, is a professor of surgery. An accomplished surgeon who specializes in treating disorders of the pancreas, liver, bile ducts, stomach, and adrenal glands, he serves as chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology. Allen is known for his multidisciplinary approach to research and patient care, particularly for those with complex issues involving cancer. In addition to his patient care and research accomplishments, he is a superb medical educator and mentor. His reputation as a leader in his field — serving as an author, editorial board member and visiting lecturer — has elevated the Duke surgical oncology program.
Michel Bagnat, PhD, Nanaline Duke Distinguished Professor in the School of Medicine
Michael Bagnat, PhD, is a professor of cell biology. He is a highly productive scientist who creatively combines tools and approaches from the fields of cell biology, developmental biology, physiology, genetics, biophysics, and computational modeling. His research has provided insight into the molecular physiology of fundamental processes in the gut and other organ systems. His studies of intestinal development and physiology have laid the groundwork for identifying modifiers of intestinal inflammation, and potential drivers of human inflammatory bowel disease. He has an exceptional reputation as a mentor and teacher.
Daniel George, MD, Eleanor Easley Distinguished Professor in the School of Medicine
Daniel George, MD, is a professor of medicine and a professor in surgery. Since 2003 he has led the genitourinary section of the Duke Division of Medical Oncology, and he leads Duke’s participation in the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium. His research leading and collaborating on clinical trials of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, anti-androgen therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy has led to advances in the treatment of patients with kidney cancer and prostate cancer. He is vice dean of diversity and equity in the Division of Medical Oncology, and he conducts clinical trials aimed at understanding and addressing the disproportionately poor outcome of Black men with prostate cancer.
Gerald Grant, MD, Allan H. Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery
Gerald Grant, MD, is a professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and a professor in neurobiology. He is an internationally recognized pediatric neurosurgeon and surgeon-scientist who focuses on two critical areas: the biological function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and mechanisms involved in recovery from brain injury. He studies the unique features of the BBB surrounding brain tumors at the molecular and functional level. His research focuses on innovative ways to open the BBB to improve the delivery of novel drugs and immunotherapy to target brain tumors.
Matthias Gromeier, MD, Cless Family Distinguished Professor in Neuro-Oncology
Matthias Gromeier, MD, is a professor of neurosurgery. He has dedicated his career to unraveling RNA virus/host relations and devising methods of exploiting them for cancer immunotherapy and vaccine design. He has applied his discoveries to design an attenuated poliovirus to activate the immune system to target glioblastoma and other cancers. In addition, his lab has conducted mechanistic studies showing how the attenuated poliovirus stimulates presentation of tumor antigens and antigen-presenting cells.
Susan Halabi, PhD, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor in the School of Medicine
Susan Halabi, PhD, is a professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics and co-chief of the Division of Biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics. She has been at the forefront of designing and analyzing clinical trials in oncology for over 25 years. She is focused on developing innovative variable selection methods for biomarkers and high dimensional data. Among her key contributions are building and validating prognostic models of outcomes for prostate cancer and identifying surrogate endpoints for overall survival. A past-president of the Society for Clinical Trials and the 2022 recipient of the Janet L. Norward Award, Dr. Halabi is a Fellow of the Society for Clinical Trials, the American Statistical Association, and the American Society for Clinical Oncology.
Seok-Yong Lee, PhD, George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology
Seok-Yong Lee, PhD, is a professor in biochemistry and cell biology. As a membrane structural biologist, he has developed advanced tools in X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and electrophysiology and has applied these tools to solve challenging questions about membrane and protein structural biology. He has become a world leader in this field and has made major advancements in three different classes of membrane protein: active transporters, ion channels, and enzymes. He has provided a better understanding of the cold and menthol sensor in mammals and a pain sensor for noxious chemicals. His work has also led to structural drug designs that can improve pharmacological properties.
Steven Patierno, PhD, Charles D. Watts Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Steven Patierno, PhD, is a professor of medicine and pharmacology and cancer biology. He is also a professor in family medicine and community health and deputy director of Duke Cancer Institute. Patierno is a renowned cancer researcher with training in molecular oncology and pharmacology and expertise in lung, breast, and prostate cancer. His work to develop innovative interventions for mitigating health disparities in the cancer patient population is well-recognized locally and nationally. His funding track record includes multiple R01 grants as principal investigator and co-principal investigator. Patierno’s numerous awards and honors include the AACR Distinguished Science of Cancer Disparities Research Award and the Duke University Health System Diversity and Inclusion Award.
John Rawls, PhD, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
John Rawls, PhD, is a professor of molecular genetics and microbiology and cell biology. He also is a professor in medicine. Rawls studies the influence of the gut microbiome on vertebrate host physiology and is a world leader in using the tractable zebrafish model for such studies. He has used both zebrafish and mouse systems to yield insights about host-microbe interactions relevant to development, homeostasis, metabolism, and disease. The work impacts many areas, including gut motility, fat absorption, effects of diet, visceral adipose tissue, obesity, gut immune responses, diabetes, and neural development.
Beth Sullivan, PhD, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Beth Sullivan, PhD, is a professor of molecular genetics and microbiology, professor of cell biology, and associate dean of research training. She studies epigenetic and genetic mechanisms of centromeres, specialized chromosomal sites involved in chromosome architecture and movement, kinetochore function, heterochromatin assembly, and sister chromatid cohesion. Dysregulation of chromosomal segregation underlies many human genetic disorders. Among Sullivan’s major accomplishments have been to define the functions and roles of telomeres. She has made important discoveries regarding the functions of centromeres, mechanisms of chromosomal segregation, and has contributed to the final full sequence of the human genome.
Angelo Moore, PhD, MSN, RN, NE-BC, director of the DCI Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity program Office of Health Equity, has been named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). Moore, along with four other nurses at Duke, is among 253 new fellows selected from across 40 states, the District of Columbia, and 13 countries.
Beyond one's achievements within the nursing profession, fellows are recognized for "engaging with health leaders nationally and globally to improve health and achieve health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science."
As a U.S. Army Non-Commissioned Officer, Moore served during three Gulf War campaigns. After subsequently attending, then graduating from Winston-Salem State University, he joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. All told, he served more than 25 years on active duty in multiple leadership roles from Germany to Hawaii — earning several service medals, commendation medals, service ribbons, and three bronze service stars. During this time Moore also completed a master’s degree and a doctorate degree in nursing.
Moore retired from the U.S. Army in 2015 as a Lieutenant Colonel, but his service continued in civilian life with his commitment to serve historically underserved communities in the U.S.
Moore joined DCI in May 2019. He oversees, coordinates, and helps design DCI's community impact-projects to reduce disparities in cancer outcomes for patients across North Carolina and beyond.
LEARN MORE about OHE's latest projects
Read this 2020 profile of Moore: "In Service to Others: On the Battlefield & In the Community."
The Academy will induct the new class of fellows during its annual Health Policy Conference in October. With this honor comes the Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing "FAAN" credential.
The other Duke inductees are: Mariam Kayle, PhD, RN, CCNs ; Mitchell Knisely, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, PMGT-BC;Staci Reynolds, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, CNRN, SCRN, CPHQ; Ryan Shaw, PhD, RN, ACHIP.
This spring, the "Andrew Berchuck, MD, Gynecologic Oncology Endowed Lectureship" was established in celebration of Dr. Berchuck's "remarkable legacy to the subspecialty of gynecologic oncology and to training the next generation of physicians dedicated to research, education, and patient care."
Andrew Berchuck, MD, the James M. Ingram Distinguished Professor of Gynecologic Oncology, is the third and current chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology (2005 to present) in the Duke Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. An accomplished gynecologic oncologist and researcher, he also directs the Duke Cancer Institute Gynecologic Cancer Disease Group, and is co-director, with Jennifer Plichta, MD, MS, of Cancer Genetics at DCI.
Berchuck joined the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center (now DCI) in 1987. Since day one he’s led a research program focused on the molecular-genetic alterations involved in the malignant transformation of the ovarian and endometrial epithelium. He maintains a clinical practice in surgical and medication management of individuals with ovarian, endometrial, and lower genital tract cancers.
Along the way, he's had the privilege to train about 40 fellows and some 250 residents. And while Berchuck has been at Duke long enough to witness some medical students become residents, then fellows, and eventually partners, the focus of the endowment, he said, is to re-establish and maintain connections with former Division fellows who are no longer at Duke and bring them back to learn about their work and how the training they received at Duke has served them in their careers through the annual oncology lectureship and possibly other events.
It was in that vein that the Division's second chief Daniel Clarke-Pearson, MD, a Duke resident and fellow in the 1970s who went on to lead the Division of Gynecologic Oncology from 1987 to 2005 — was invited to deliver the inaugural "Andrew Berchuck, MD, Gynecologic Oncology Endowed Lecture" on May 31.
Said Ob/Gyn Department Chair Matthew Barber, MD, before introducing the speaker that morning, "As I was thinking about this endowment and Andy, the one word that kept coming to mind was impact. And he has had just an incredible impact on this institution, on the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, on the Duke Cancer Institute, on the field of gynecologic oncology, and on the thousands of patients that he's had the opportunity to care for, as well as (his impact on) many medical students, residents, and fellows, and he's done it in so many ways — as a compassionate caregiver, as an extremely skilled surgeon, as an innovator, as a scientist, as a mentor, as a teacher, as a leader. And, in fact, I would say that Dr. Berchuck really is the archetype of the Triple Threat."
