Zafar and Uronis Appointed to New Roles

In continuing efforts toward ensuring that Duke Cancer Institute patients have access to the safest and best-quality care possible, DCI has recently made some changes to the physician-leadership structure within the institute.

Hope Uronis, MD, MHS, a DCI GI medical oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine, has been named Chief Safety Officer of DCI as well as Director of Medical Practice Operations.

"Well known to many of you, Dr. Uronis served as interim CMO last year and has made notable contributions to our clinical care and operations efforts," said DCI Chief Medical Officer Ted Alyea, MD. "In her new role as Chief Safety Officer of DCI, she will oversee the DUHS Safety Reporting System for the Oncology Service Line. As Director of Medical Practice Operations, Dr. Uronis will join forces with DCI and DUHS leaders to further improve clinical operations across DCI. She will continue her oversight of the Oncology Treatment Center at Duke Cancer Center, Durham."

Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, FASCO, a GI oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Policy, has been named Chief Quality & Innovation Officer.

Zafar, a nationally recognized health services researcher focused on improving cancer care delivery (including access to care and cost of care), was appointed Director of Healthcare Innovation last October. The new role expands his area of responsibility to also include oversight of all DCI quality-focused initiatives and activities.

"Dr. Zafar will collaborate with DCI, DUHS, and Duke Forge leaders on strategies to reduce emergency department visits, hospitalizations, over-utilization of care and cost to our patients," said Michael Kastan, MD, PhD, executive director of DCI. "These efforts will be key to realizing DCI’s value-based-care vision."

The new appointments for Uronis and Zafar went into effect on July 1.

Duke Cancer Institute leadership expressed their sincere gratitude to Arif Kamal, MD, MHS, MBA, FASCO, medical oncologist, palliative medicine physician and Associate Professor of Medicine, Business Administration, and Population Health Sciences, for his more than five years of dedicated service as DCI’s Physician Quality and Outcomes Officer.

"Dr. Kamal will continue to utilize his expertise in quality improvement as a Faculty and Improvement Coach with the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Quality Training Program, as Chair of ASCO’s Quality Publications Task Force, and as a member of the National Quality Forum Coordinating Committee," said Robin Famiglietti, PhD, MBA, FACHE, Associate Vice President and Assistant Dean, DUHS Oncology Services and DCI's Chief Administrative Officer. "Dr. Kamal will also continue to innovate in the palliative medicine space both within and outside of the field of oncology."