In the Department of Medicine, we're working towards Building a Better Future. We asked a number of colleagues what that means to them: Why do you work at Duke? Why are you proud to be here? Why is your future here? Why is Duke important? Check out their answers below:
Dani Zipkin, MD
Michael Canos, MD
Why do you work at Duke?
I work at Duke because I want to be part of an institution that is committed to delivering excellent care. Duke has the resources necessary to support innovative care models that improve the lives of people with Diabetes.
Why are you proud to be here?
I consider Duke to be one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with phenomenal colleagues and to teach some of the most talented medical students, residents, and fellows in the nation.
Why is your future here?
In my four years at Duke, I’ve been fortunate to work with leaders who are passionate about improving the lives of people with diabetes. We have successfully implemented several key initiatives to deliver value-based care. We are looking forward to establishing a Diabetes Center of Excellence that will serve as a hub for innovative and cost-effective clinical care, groundbreaking research, and unique educational opportunities for trainees.
Why is working at Duke important to you?
The Duke name brings instant credibility to my practice. People with Diabetes and other Endocrine disorders come from several hours away to be seen by a Duke doctor. The Duke name is trusted by patients. I enjoy the challenge of meeting the level of expectation that comes with being a physician at this revered institution.
Anita Kelsey, MD, MBA
Why do you work at Duke?
I work at Duke because I want to work at a world class academic medical center. I have always loved teaching and have been in academic cardiology since finishing my training at Duke. Duke provides a wealth of opportunities including world-renowned colleagues, hard-working, eager trainees, and an overarching mission of excellence and quality in patient care.
Why are you proud to work at Duke?
Duke is a great place to work. It is in tough times that we see the true grit of an organization and its people. Duke supported staff and protected patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining staff and salaries, a feat not accomplished by so many other institutions. Duke employees rallied to support each other during these tough times. I know my patients get the best, evidence-based care from my Duke colleagues.
Why is working at Duke important to you?
Working at Duke for me is a once in a lifetime opportunity that few practitioners in the world have had the privilege of doing. I work side by side with luminaries in their fields, who are changing how we care for patients with groundbreaking work.
Why is your future at Duke?
I will be staying at Duke University’s integrated practice where my patients will continue to receive exceptional care, I will continue to teach the next generation of health care leaders and I will continue to contribute to the science that will make patient care better. As Coach K always says “All of us alone are weaker, by far, than if all of us are together.” I joined the Duke team to play a part in the great things this institution will do and for me Duke’s future is bright.
Dan George, MD
Stephen Smith, MD
Like many here, I came to Duke thinking I would be here for a few years and return to where I am from, which for me, was the Northeast. I had never considered academic medicine before coming to medical school here, but being among smart and collaborative people in a culture that promoted doing the extra thing for the patient – searching the literature, reaching out to a colleague, making that extra phone call, getting continuing education almost by osmosis – I find all of that very appealing. There is a sense of belonging to an entity that has a great purpose. Being a younger institution than many of our peers, we have had less baggage and were perhaps less inhibited in our aspirations by concerns over what could be feasibly accomplished. It does not hurt that we have arguably the most accomplished college sports programs among our peer institutions. This place attracts ambitious yet collaborative people, and we live in a vibrant community where there has not been a majority race or ethnicity for decades.
But I think our several attempts to amend our institutional structure to fit the times and our failure to have done so have taken a toll. We are not growing as fast as other health systems in the state and we are losing market share. The health system has done an admirable job building a primary care network and strong hospitalist program in our three hospitals, but we need more specialists away from the mother ship and that requires investment that our current structure does not allow. We need to be the convenient place for patients to get great care at a reasonable cost, and we are far from that. In addition, in our current structure as reimbursement tightens, it has become clear that there are groups in our physician practice that are undercompensated. Frustration grows when issues like these are not fixed and over the years a potentially dangerous lack of trust has developed among physicians not only with health system leadership but even with our own practice plan leadership.
I believe we must align now or we are destined to become less and less relevant in all of our missions. These are not easy financial times for health systems and if we think a better deal for us as physicians is going to come down the line, we are mistaken. If we can get on the same page, we can compete, grow, and continue to be the ambitious, collaborative place we have been and should continue to be.
Diana McNeill, MD
Schuyler Jones, MD
Why do you work at Duke?
I work at Duke because we have such great people and an incredible opportunity to not only provide world class healthcare but also to innovate and make it better on all fronts.
Why are you proud to be here?
I’m proud to be at Duke because I honestly think we have one of the best health systems in the country (regardless of the USNWR rankings!) and we offer our patients the gold standard of care and opportunities to get cutting edge diagnosis/therapies via clinical research.
Why is your future here?
I’ve bled Duke blue for 21 years. I have exceptional partners and colleagues, and I also really enjoy training the next generation of physicians.
Why is working at Duke important to you?
Honestly, I can’t do the things I currently do (clinical care, clinical research, fellow training) at many other places. The diversity of daily life and opportunity to continue to learn and improve are key reasons why I’ll stay at Duke. Whether or not we vote to eliminate status quo, we need a system that better recognizes all the great things that we do as a healthcare system and university.