Inside Duke Medicine

Thanks to generous donor support, 13 SoM and SoN faculty become endowed professors

Thirteen members of the School of Medicine and School of Nursing faculty were named to endowed professorships by Duke University on April 26, 2011. Ten of the 13 were named as distinguished professors, and one sitting distinguished professor, Joanne Kurtzberg, M.D., saw the name of her chair change to Jerome S. Harris Professor of Pediatrics.

Awards such as these are among the most prestigious faculty appointments at Duke. They recognize the recipients’ outstanding achievements and honor Duke Medicine’s legacy – beginning with its founding benefactor, James B. Duke, one of the great industrialists and philanthropists of the 20th century – as a health care, research and medical education enterprise second to none, dedicated to creating a better tomorrow. The awards would not have been possible without the generosity of donors who have invested in the mission of Duke Medicine and the patients for whom it provides care.

David M. Brizel, M.D.
Professor of Radiation Oncology
Professor in Surgery
Leonard Prosnitz Professor of Radiation Oncology

David Brizel’s clinical and research interests include head-and-neck cancer, tumor oxygenation, integrating molecularly targeted therapy with chemoradiation, and in situ imaging of the effects of treatment on tumor physiology and their relationship to treatment outcome.

“His major clinical contributions have led to new standards of care for combining radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced disease and have opened new avenues of investigation for the reduction of treatment-induced toxicity,” says Christopher Willett, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. “He will continue to actively seek new opportunities to try to improve the therapeutic index of the treatments available to our patients.”

In a landmark trial, Brizel was the first to demonstrate that concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy were more effective for treating locally advanced head and neck cancer than radiotherapy alone. In studying tumor physiology and its relationship to tumor aggressiveness and treatment outcome, he demonstrated that increased levels of hypoxia in head and neck cancer predicted increased risk of local-regional recurrence, and in primary soft tissue sarcoma predicted an increased risk of metastatic disease after treatment.

Brizel is also credited with developing and testing agents that protect tissue from radiation damage. He headed a multinational trial of amifostine, which led to its FDA approval for protection against radiation induced injury to the salivary glands in the treatment of head and neck cancer. He also investigated the ability of a biologic agent, keratinocyte growth factor, as a radiation protector in both animal models and in human clinical trials.

Brizel received his M.D. from Northwestern University and completed his residency in radiation oncology at Harvard Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. He joined Duke in 1987.

Shiao-Wen David Hsu, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
William Dalton Family Assistant Professor in Medical Oncology

David Hsu is a rising national star in the field of cancer genomics. His research centers on developing genomic strategies to improve the prognosis and treatment of colorectal and other gastrointestinal malignancies, as well as the mechanisms involved with metastasis of colorectal cancer.

His lab in the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) has proven to be a valuable base for his translational work in genomic research linked to GI malignancies. He collaborates with medical oncologists, gastroenterologists, pathologists and surgeons, and his success in establishing a tumor bank of GI malignancies has become a model in the development of an institutional biobank that is being piloted in Hsu’s laboratory.

“David has published several important papers dating to his years in medical school and graduate school work,” says Jeffrey Crawford, M.D., chief of the Division of Medical Oncology. “His research has been recognized through several young investigator awards, including funding from the American Cancer Society and Cancer and Leukemia Group B. His background and accomplishments ensure his potential to be a national leader in his field.”

Hsu received a BS in chemistry, and an M.D. and Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined the Duke faculty in 2007 after completing his fellowship here in hematology oncology. In addition to his faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine, Hsu has a joint appointment and is an independent investigator in the IGSP, where his work focuses on the use of genomic strategies to study the biology and and mechanism of metastatic colorectal cancer and other gastrointestinal malignancies.

Priya S. Kishnani, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics
Chen Family Professor of Pediatrics

Priya Kishnani is a pediatrician who specializes in clinical and biochemical genetics. She has spent much of her career focused on the development of treatments for glycogen storage diseases.

“Priya is an accomplished clinical investigator who has played a pivotal role in the development of enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe Disease,” says Joseph St. Geme, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “She is also internationally recognized for her pioneering work on the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in individuals with Down syndrome.”

After receiving a medical degree in Bombay, India, Kishnani came to Duke as a resident in 1991. She started working with noted Duke geneticist Y.T. Chen on the design of the first clinical trials of therapy with recombinant acid alpha glucosidase for infantile-onset Pompe disease, a rare disease affecting the heart and muscles. Acid alpha glucosidase is the enzyme that is deficient in Pompe disease, and the recombinant enzyme is called Myozyme™. It was granted FDA approval in 2006.

Kishnani, chief of the Division of Medical Genetics, went on to show that Myozyme™ is also effective in improving muscle function in adult-onset Pompe disease. She also has shown that it is possible to predict response to Myozyme™ therapy based on a patient’s genotype and biomarkers. This led Kishnani and colleagues to develop a biomarker to track Pompe disease and allow early detection in infants.

Kishnani is now considered a worldwide expert in designing clinical trials for treatments of rare diseases, and is often sought as a consultant. She was the first to hypothesize that donepezil and other cholinesterase inhibitors used in Alzheimer’s disease may improve language, cognitive, and adaptive-function deficits in individuals with Down syndrome.

Mary E. Klotman, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
R.J. Reynolds Professor of Medicine

Mary E. Klotman is the only female department of medicine chair at a top-five U.S. medical school. She joined Duke in 2010 after spending 13 years as chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Klotman’s research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection. One of her and her research team’s many notable achievements was their demonstration that HIV resides and evolves separately in kidney cells, a critical step in HIV-associated kidney disease.

Her research group also determined the role of soluble host factors involved in an innate immune response to HIV, a development that can lead to an improvement in prevention strategies. The team is also studying the development of topical microbicides that could be used to block sexual transmission.

“Mary is an outstanding leader who continually demonstrates her acumen as a clinician and as an investigator,” says Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine. “She has impressed me with her keen ability to successfully manage the school’s most diverse department amid many challenges.”

Klotman is a "triple Dukie" who earned her undergraduate (zoology) and medical degrees from Duke. She completed her residency, as well as a fellowship in infectious diseases, in Duke’s Department of Medicine. She also served as assistant professor of medicine at Duke before moving to the National Institutes of Health, where she worked in the Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology under Robert C. Gallo. M.D.

Michael S. Krangel, Ph.D.
Professor of Immunology
Mary Bernheim Professor of Immunology

Michael S. Krangel, chair of the Department of Immunology, is an internationally recognized leader in the molecular biology of T lymphocytes, the cells that mediate the cellular immune response.

Krangel was the first to identify the gamma-delta T cell receptor, and throughout his career has made fundamental discoveries regarding how immune receptors are generated and regulated. His current work focuses on T lymphocyte development in the thymus, with a specific emphasis on the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate V(D)J recombination and the assembly of T cell receptor genes.

“Mike is a very capable department chair and a highly regarded researcher whose work on the regulation of T cell receptor genes has received international recognition,” says Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine.

In addition to his duties as chairman, Krangel oversees the department-based DNA sequencing and flow cytometry core facilities and has worked closely with their directors to maintain high quality and service. Krangel also is highly regarded for his leadership in education. In a previous position as director of graduate studies in immunology, he worked to ensure that immunology graduate students received the best possible training.

Krangel received a BS from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and did his graduate work at Harvard University. He began his studies on T cell receptors and the organization and regulation of T cell receptor genes after joining the Harvard faculty. He came to Duke in 1990.

Daniel J. Lew, Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Professor of Genetics
James B. Duke Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology

Daniel Lew’s creativity, rigorous science and intellectual force are widely acknowledged in the field of cancer cell biology. He has made ground-breaking discoveries of fundamental importance to biomedical research.

Lew is one of the leading cell biologists working with budding yeast as a model system. His research interests focus on control of the cell division cycle and cell polarity. His discovery of a new checkpoint in the carefully orchestrated process of cell division in budding yeast shows that cell shape can influence cell cycle progression. His recent studies combine imaging and computational modeling to understand how cells develop a front-to-back axis.

“Danny is an exceptional scholar, research scientist, teacher and community member whose standard of excellence sets an example for all of us to follow,” says Anthony R. Means, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. “His integrity and generosity have earned him tremendous respect from his students and colleagues.”

Teaching is part of every activity in which Lew engages in his top-tier research laboratory, where he advises, mentors and develops the next generation of scientists. He looks for ways to improve how material is conveyed to students and how they can learn to be independent researchers.

Lew received his BA in genetics from Cambridge University in England, and a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Rockefeller University in New York. He was recruited to Duke in 1994 as an assistant professor of molecular cancer biology with a secondary appointment in genetics. In 1997, he became an inaugural member of the newly merged Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology.

Joseph P. Mathew, M.D.
Professor of Anesthesiology
Jerry Reves, M.D., Professor of Cardiac Anesthesiology

Joseph Mathew’s talents and contributions to clinical perioperative medicine have long been recognized in the fields of cardiology, surgery and anesthesiology.

He is internationally respected in the area of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) – a diagnostic tool that uses sound waves to monitor the heart and blood vessel function. This tool, first used in connection with cardiac surgery by researchers at Duke, has played a critical role in postoperative stroke prevention,dropping the rate of stroke by 50 percent. Mathew has published two editions of a textbook on TEE.

Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Mathew is also highly regarded for his groundbreaking research, which focuses on improving perioperative patient outcomes.

“He has worked tirelessly to understand and then intervene to reduce perioperative organ injury including perioperative arrhythmias and postoperative cognitive dysfunction,” says Mark Newman, M.D., chair of Anesthesiology.

Mathew serves as medical director of Clinical Anesthesiology Research Endeavors (CARE) and Neurological Outcomes Research Group (NORG) and currently has broad funding from the National Institutes of Health and in the past from the American Heart Association and other funding areas. He has served on national committees within the anesthesia community and within the cardiovascular and surgical communities.

He received his M.D. from Southwestern Medical School in Texas, and completed his residency in anesthesiology and a fellowship in cardiovascular anesthesiology at Yale University School of Medicine. He joined Duke in 1998.

Kathleen McGann, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics
The Dr. Glen A. Kiser and Muriel C. Kiser Professor of Pediatrics

Kathleen McGann is a distinguished pediatric infectious diseases specialist who has made broad contributions to medical education both at Duke and nationally.

As vice chair for education in the Department of Pediatrics, McGann oversees educational programs for medical students, residents, subspecialty fellows and department faculty.

McGann is also a member of the pediatric curriculum committee and has played a major role in the development of a variety of innovative educational initiatives, including creation of a web-based tool that facilitates teaching and learning. She is a primary mentor for many residents and fellows and serves on several scholarship committees. She is also active at a national level, participating on the American Board of Pediatrics, the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics and the Association for Pediatric Program Directors.

“Kathleen is a gifted educator and clinician who is committed to learners and patients,” says Joseph St. Geme, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “As an infectious diseases specialist, she has made major contributions to the Division of Infectious Diseases.”

McGann received a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, completed a residency and chief residency at Children’s Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University in Chicago, and pursued an infectious diseases fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She joined the Duke faculty in 2006.

Richard Mooney, Ph.D.
Professor of Neurobiology
George Barth Geller Professor for Research in Neurobiology

Richard Mooney ranks among the world’s top researchers in the field of the neurobiology of birdsong research, as well as the larger area of systems neuroscience.

Mooney's work focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms of learned vocal communication, using songbirds as a model system in which to search for these mechanisms. His lab is credited with seminal discoveries on the synaptic organization of the neuronal circuits that process song-related auditory information, the way in which signals influence song production, and the mechanisms that are responsible for song learning.

One aspect of Mooney’s work that stands apart is his technical prowess in using difficult state-of-the-art techniques to gather novel insights into neural circuit function. There are few scientists who attempt intracellular recordings in vivo and even fewer who have used them to reveal the synaptic basis for response selectivity in as compelling a fashion as has the Mooney lab.

“Dr. Mooney’s ongoing studies and future direction leave little doubt that he will continue the groundbreaking work that has become his trademark,” says James O. McNamara, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurobiology. “The availability of new molecular tools for visualizing and controlling neural activity has led to a resurgence of interest in tackling what may be one of the outstanding challenges of the 21st century: Understanding how the synaptic interactions between identified populations of neurons produce behavior.”

Mooney, a member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, received his BS from Yale University, and his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology.

Manesh Patel, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
John Bush Simpson Assistant Professor of Cardiology

Manesh Patel is recognized for his intellect, strong work ethic, excellent research productivity, and outstanding teaching and clinical skills.

Patel is cardiology section leader in Duke’s Peripheral Vascular Program, and is assistant director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. His clinical interests include diagnostic and interventional coronary angiography, peripheral angiography and percutaneous intervention. He is involved in several clinical trials involving patients with coronary artery disease and in cardiac imaging. He is also a member of the American College of Cardiology Task Force for Appropriate use of Cardiovascular Procedures and is chair of the American Heart Association Diagnostic and Interventional Cath Committee.

Patel’s interest in cardiac imaging is also evident in his research in radiation safety and cardiovascular MRI. His integration of these efforts into his roles at Duke was recognized last year when he received the prestigious Duke Cardiology Fellowship Mentorship Award.

“Manesh is respected as an outstanding teacher, clinical investigator and caregiver who relates well to his patients, staff, trainees and faculty,” says Mary Klotman, M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine.

In a little more than four years on the Duke faculty, Patel has published 41 peer-reviewed articles in high impact journals, six reviews and 17 editorials. Most recently, his articles in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the New England Journal of Medicine garnered national attention from scientific and lay press. Patel received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine in 1997. He completed his residency at Duke in 2000, followed by fellowships in cardiology and interventional cardiology at Duke.

Glenn M. Preminger, M.D.
Professor of Surgery
James F. Glenn, M.D., Professor of Urology

Glenn Preminger is considered one of the most influential urologists in the world, and is credited with helping to educate clinicians about the most cost effective and efficient method for evaluating and treating patients with kidney stones.

“He is highly regarded as both a scholar and an educator in urological surgery,” says Danny Jacobs, M.D., chair of the Department of Surgery.

Preminger’s work provides insight into the basic mechanisms of kidney stone development, novel treatment approaches for stone management, critical basic studies on the application of endourology, and support for outcomes-based research, both as an educational venture for its applications for stone disease. He also has extensive experience in the development of endoscopic instrumentation for minimally invasive urologic procedures and holds eight patents in shock wave lithotripsy design.

Preminger has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in the field of urology, kidney stone disease and endourology. These studies have had critical impact on the management of patients. He has served as the Duke Urology Program director for the previous 12 years. As chair of the American Urological Association Office of Education from 2006–2009, he was responsible for the quality and medical accuracy of the content of all educational course offerings of the 14,500-member association.

Preminger received an M.D. at New York Medical College, and completed residencies in general surgery and urology at UNC Hospitals. He completed a fellowship in mineral metabolism at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and served on the urology faculty in Dallas for 10 years before returning to North Carolina in 1993.

Geoffrey D. Rubin, M.D.
Professor of Radiology
George Barth Geller Professor for Research in Cardiovascular Diseases

Geoffrey D. Rubin, chair of the Department of Radiology, pioneered the use of spiral computed tomography (CT) and multi-detector-row CT for imaging the cardiovascular system.

Rubin’s research focuses on coupling cardiovascular and pulmonary CT and MRI with novel image processing techniques to detect, characterize, quantify and visualize structures as aids in diagnosis and treatment planning. He served as the principal investigator of two NIH research project grants.

“Geoff’s strong commitment to nurturing and enhancing the research agenda in the department is apparent in the many important connections he has forged with other units throughout the school and university,” says Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine. “He brings a very forward-looking vision that integrates all of the department’s missions.”

Rubin has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed manuscripts, more than 50 review articles and book chapters, and edited a major textbook on Cardiovascular CT and MRI. He currently serves as president-elect of the North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging, president-elect of the Society of Computed Body Tomography & Magnetic Resonance, president-elect of the Fleischner Society for thoracic imaging and diagnosis, and chair of the Committee on Cardiovascular Imaging at the American College of Radiology.

Before joining Duke in August 2010, Rubin was professor and chief of the section of cardiovascular imaging in Stanford University's Department of Radiology. He also held concurrent appointments as associate dean for clinical affairs, associate director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, and vice chief of staff of Stanford Hospital and Clinics.

Rubin received a bachelor's degree from the California Institute of Technology and a medical degree from the University of California San Diego. He completed a radiology residency and body imaging fellowship training at Stanford.

Barbara S. Turner, DNSc, RN, FAAN
Professor and Chair of the School of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Program
Elizabeth P. Hanes Professor of Nursing

Barbara Turner’s research focuses on the effect of nursing intervention on critically ill newborns, including exogenous surfactant administration, endotracheal suctioning, high frequency ventilators, and airway management. She has published widely in journals, books, monographs and computer-assisted instruction.

“For 20 years, Dr. Turner’s leadership has helped to build Duke’s School of Nursing,” said Dean Catherine L. Gilliss, DNSc, RN, FAAN, Helene Fuld Health Trust Professor of Nursing and Vice Chancellor for Nursing Affairs. "The first associate dean and the original director of the Research Center for the school and hospital, she is a trusted and visionary builder. As the first program director for the new Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at Duke, she crafted the program proposal and led its approval process. But
the honor of her distinguished professorship recognizes her distinctive contributions to our knowledge of the care of newborns.”

Turner serves as a section editor in Heart & Lung in addition to being a reviewer for other nursing journals. She is active professionally in the American Academy of Nursing, American Nurses Association, North Carolina Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau.

The distinguished professorship is named in honor of Elizabeth Peck Hanes, whose generous philanthropy and that of her husband, Dr. Frederick M. Hanes, provided funding in 1946 for Hanes House, the original site of the School and the dormitory for its students.

Turner earned graduate degrees in hospital administration and perinatal nursing before receiving her doctorate from the University of California at San Francisco. Following her retirement from the Army Nurse Corps, she established the Center for Nursing Research at Duke and held the position of associate director of Research for 13 years. She has served as chair of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at DUSON since 2008.