The
Duke University School of Medicine is part of the Duke University Medical Center in
DurhamNot to be confused with the U.K. city Durham.Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake county. It is the fifth largest city in the state by population, with 223,284 residents as of July 1, 2008. Durham County as of July...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
. Established in 1930 by James B. Duke, the School of Medicine has since earned a reputation as one of the world's foremost patient care and research institutions. The school has one of the best student-faculty ratios, with only 100 MD students per class and more than 2,000 basic science and clinical faculty.
The School of Medicine's current Dean, Nancy C.
The
Duke University School of Medicine is part of the Duke University Medical Center in
DurhamNot to be confused with the U.K. city Durham.Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake county. It is the fifth largest city in the state by population, with 223,284 residents as of July 1, 2008. Durham County as of July...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
. Established in 1930 by James B. Duke, the School of Medicine has since earned a reputation as one of the world's foremost patient care and research institutions. The school has one of the best student-faculty ratios, with only 100 MD students per class and more than 2,000 basic science and clinical faculty.
The School of Medicine's current Dean, Nancy C. Andrews, is the first woman hired to head a United States Top Ten medical school. Clinical rotations occur within the
Duke University Health SystemThe Duke University Health System, combines the Duke University School of Medicine, the Duke University School of Nursing, the Duke Clinic, and the member hospitals into a system of research, clinical care, and education.-Duke University Hospital:...
, a fully integrated academic health care system encompassing a tertiary-care hospital and specialty clinics on the Medical Center campus, two community hospitals, home health and hospice services, a network of primary care physicians, and other partners across North Carolina and southern Virginia. In particular, Duke University Medical Center is consistently ranked among the top 10 of some 5,700 American hospitals by US News and World Report, with 13 out of 16 specialties ranked among the nation's top 20 in 2007. Furthermore, the School of Medicine is a national force in biomedical research, bringing in $407 million in NIH-sponsored projects in 2006.
History
In 1925, James B. Duke made a bequest to establish the Duke School of Medicine, Duke School of Nursing, and Duke Hospital, with the goal of improving health care in the Carolinas and nationwide. 3,000 applicants applied to the new medical school in 1929 and 70 first- and third-year students were selected, including four women, for the School's inaugural class. In 1935, just five years after it opened, Duke was ranked among the top 25 percent of medical schools in the country by the
AAMCAAMC may refer to:* Al Ain Men's College, one of 12 colleges that constitute the Higher Colleges of Technology* American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, a pro-medical cannabis organization...
.
In 1966, The Duke Medical Scientist Training Program, a joint degree program leading to both the MD and the PhD degrees, was founded. It is one of the first three in the nation. The new $94.5 million, 616-bed Duke Hospital opened in 1980, bringing the total number of patient beds to more than 1000. (Today the renovated original hospital serves as Duke Clinic, an outpatient facility that sees more than 1 million patients annually. Duke Hospital is currently licensed for 1,124 beds.) From then until 1994, the Medical Center embarked on the busiest period of new construction in decades, including the Levine Science Research Center, Medical Sciences Research Building, a complete renovation of Duke Clinic, additions to the Morris Building for cancer care and research, a new Children's Health Center, a new ambulatory care building, and new parking garages. Among its many breakthroughs and discoveries in medicine, the FDA approved lifesaving treatment for Pompe disease, a previously fatal genetic disorder, developed at Duke in 2006. That same year, Duke launched the university-wide Global Health Institute to promote education, research, and service in health care to underserved populations locally, regionally, and around the world.
Curriculum
The School of Medicine has a unique curriculum among American medical schools. All of the basic sciences are learned in one year instead of the customary two, and clinical rotations start in the second year rather than the third. This allows a year of research or other scholarship during the third year.
Duke Medical School First Year Curriculum
| Section Title |
Duration |
Description |
| Molecules and Cells |
6.5 weeks |
Biochemistry, Genetics, Cell Biology |
| Normal Body |
12.5 weeks |
Gross Anatomy, Microanatomy, Physiology |
| Brain and Behavior |
4 weeks |
Neurobiology, Human Behavior |
| Body and Disease |
20 weeks |
Microbiology, Immunology, Pathology, Pharmacology |
Rankings and Admissions
According to US News and World Report annual ranking of American medical schools, the Duke University School of Medicine typically ranks in the top six medical schools in the United States. In 2009, the School of Medicine was ranked 6th for research and 41st in primary care. Admissions to Duke is highly competitive, with roughly 3.7% of applicants accepted for the 2008 class (5,309 applied, 739 interviewed, 196 accepted). Matriculates had an average GPA of 3.74 and average MCAT of 34.5.
Collaboration with the National University of Singapore
Duke recently announced plans to open a medical school in collaboration with the
National University of SingaporeThe National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
. The school, called the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, enrolled its first class for the Fall of 2007.
Research and Institutions
- The Duke Clinical Research Institute is the largest academic research organization in the world. Dedicated to improving patient care through innovative clinical research, it performs clinical research across the spectrum, ranging from: Phase I through Phase IV clinical trials; outcomes research
Outcomes research refers to research which investigates the outcomes of health care practices. It can use epidemiology to link health care outcomes with independent variables such as geography, income, or lifestyle....
; registries of more than 100,000 patients; and economic and quality of life studies in populations spanning more than 20 therapeutic areas.
- The Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) works to reduce health disparities in our local community and worldwide. Recognizing that many global health problems stem from economic, social, environmental, political and health care inequalities, DGHI brings together interdisciplinary teams to solve complex health problems and to train the next generation of global health scholars. The institute works with faculty and students from every school at Duke. It coordinates educational programs for undergraduate, graduate and professional students and facilitates multi-disciplinary education, research and service efforts on campus and in a variety of international sites.
- The Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities, and History of Medicine, the Center for Chemical Biology, and the $200-million Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy.
- Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center. Research efforts include translating basic science and epidemiological findings into well-designed clinical trials, ultimately leading to the development of new therapies for diseases with a metabolic basis such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
- The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) is a national and international leader in the fight against the major infectious diseases. Institute leaders head the $45-million Southeast Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense (SERCEB), established by the NIH and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2003 to perform the basic and translational research to make drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics to protect society from emerging infections and biothreats.
- The Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, among the top United States comprehensive cancer centers in peer-reviewed research support, is known for designing innovative therapies using bone marrow transplantation and hyperthermia therapy
Hyperthermia therapy is a type of medical treatment in which body tissue is exposed to high temperatures to damage and kill cancer cells or to make cancer cells more sensitive to the effects of radiation and certain anti-cancer drugs...
, for its studies of the immune responses to tumors, and for its unique approach to treating brain tumors, melanomaMelanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes which are found predominantly in skin but also in the bowel and the eye . It is one of the less common types of skin cancer but causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths. Melanocytes are normally present in skin, being responsible for the...
, lung cancerLung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. The vast majority of primary lung cancers are carcinomas of the lung, derived from epithelial cells...
, breast cancerBreast cancer is a cancer that starts in the breast, usually in the inner lining of the milk ducts or lobules. There are different types of breast cancer, with different stages , aggressiveness, and genetic makeup. With best treatment, 10-year disease-free survival varies from 98% to 10%...
, ovarian cancerOvarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from different parts of the ovary.The most common form of ovarian cancer arises from the outer lining of the ovary.. However, recent evidence shows cells that line the Fallopian tube also to be prone to develop into the same kind of cancer as seen in...
, and prostate cancerProstate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, problems...
.
- The Duke Heart Center has conducted many of the leading studies on the genetic factors underlying heart disease and early trials of new treatments for heart disease, as well as a long-term federal project to define appropriate treatment for heart attack patients.
- The Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development is conducting one of the nation's largest studies of the elderly, surveying over 4,000 people annually to identify risk factors that lead to chronic disease and loss of independence.
- Duke Integrative Medicine is also the first in the country to attempt to examine and quantify the value of mind-body-spirit interventions for the treatment of chronic heart failure.
Notable Faculty and Alumni
- David H. Adams
David H. Adams is an American cardiac surgeon and the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center....
, heart valve surgery and mitral valve repairMitral valve repair is a cardiac surgery procedure performed by cardiac surgeons to treat stenosis or regurgitation of the mitral valve. The mitral valve is the "inflow valve" for the left side of the heart. Blood flows from the lungs, where it picks up oxygen, through the pulmonary veins, to the...
- Lenox Baker
Lenox Dial Baker Sr. was an American orthopedic surgeon and athletic trainer at both Duke University and University of Tennessee. The Cerebral Palsy and Crippled Children’s Hospital at Duke is named in his honor...
, physician, public servant
- Lt. Andy Baldwin, The Bachelor
The Bachelor is an American reality television dating game show debuting in 2002 on ABC. The show is hosted by former game show host and news anchor, Chris Harrison.A 14th season is scheduled to air in early 2010.-About the show:...
, lieutenant, and doctor
- Charles E. Brady, Jr.
Charles Eldon Brady, Jr. was a physician and American NASA astronaut.-Personal data:...
, astronaut
- George Church
George Church is an American molecular geneticist. He is currently Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences & Technology at Harvard and MIT....
, helped initiate the Human Genome Project, professor at Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is currently ranked first among American research medical schools by U.S. News and World Report....
- Paul Farmer
Paul Farmer is an American anthropologist and physician, the Presley Professor of Medical Anthropology in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard University and an attending physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts...
(B.S. 1982), infectious disease doctor, winner of MacArthur AwardThe MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation each year to typically 20 to 40 United States citizens or residents, of any age and working in any field, who "show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced...
, subject of Pulitzer-prize winning author Tracy KidderJohn Tracy Kidder is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer of the 1981 nonfiction narrative, The Soul of a New Machine, about the creation of a new computer at Data General Corporation....
's biography Mountains Beyond MountainsMountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World is a non-fiction, biographical work by American writer Tracy Kidder. The story traces the life of physician and anthropologist Paul Farmer. The book was a New York Times Notable Book for 2003.-External links:*...
- Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest Paul, M.D. is an American physician and Republican Congressman for the state of Texas. Paul is a member of the Liberty Caucus of Republican congressmen which aims to limit the size and scope of the federal government, and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Joint...
, physician (OB/GYN), congressman
- Rand Paul
Randal "Rand" Paul is an American eye surgeon and political activist. He is the third child of Republican U.S. Congressman Ron Paul of Texas. During his father's 2008 presidential campaign, Rand Paul's outspoken, libertarian-conservative views were widely disseminated...
, surgeon (ophthalmologist)
External links