Inside Duke Medicine

Kontos appointed as MSTP director

School of Medicine Dean Nancy Andrews has named Christopher Kontos, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Medicine, as director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), effective March 1, 2009.

MSTP students earn both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees over seven to eight years. Most continue on with postgraduate clinical training before launching careers in academic medicine. In more than 40 years since the NIH began funding the MSTP, many graduates have become leaders at the most exciting frontiers of modern biomedical science.

“This program is very close to my heart, because I graduated from, and subsequently led, the Harvard MSTP,” said Andrews. “Chris is a talented translational investigator and a proven mentor to our students, and I am confident he has the experience and dedication to lead the program to new heights.”

Kontos has worked closely with the MSTP for the past few years, both on the admissions committee and as a mentor and thesis committee member for MSTP students. He is excited about guiding the education of this very talented group – in his words, “They’re creative, motivated, and enthusiastic about both science and medicine.” Chris is dedicated to building on the strong foundations of our program and working very closely with the MSTP students to foster their early development as physician-scientists.

Kontos earned his B.S. and M.A. degrees in Chemistry from the College of William and Mary, and his M.D degree from the Medical College of Virginia, where he also completed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine. He came to Duke in 1993 as a cardiology fellow, and joined the faculty of the Department of Medicine in 1997. Kontos is also an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, he is a member of the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, and he has served on numerous study sections at NIH. He has been actively involved in teaching and mentoring medical and graduate students as well as clinical fellows, and these experiences will serve him well in his role as MSTP director.

The Kontos Lab studies signal transduction by endothelial receptor tyrosine kinases in the regulation of vascular growth and remodeling. Kontos’s research has been supported by grants from both the NIH and the American Heart Association. His clinical interests in the treatment of coronary and peripheral artery disease have strongly influenced the direction of his research. His mix of clinical and research activities give him a valuable perspective on physician-scientist education.

Andrews also acknowledged the important contributions that Dona Chikaraishi, Ph.D. has made to the MSTP.

“Dona has served as associate director of the MSTP for several years now, and she graciously stepped in to serve as interim director during the interval between Peter Agre’s departure and Chris’s appointment. Dona has done an outstanding job, both in nurturing our current students and in recruiting outstanding new students. I am grateful for her leadership and delighted that she has agreed to continue as associate director working with Chris.”