The Chief Resident position is a tremendous investment in leadership made by the Department of Medicine, and the Chiefs serve as key leaders for the program. Chiefs are selected for their exceptional clinical and leadership skills.
Chiefs work as a team to provide leadership and support of the key missions of the residency program and function as mentors and advocates for the residents. While each chief has separate responsibilities at their primary site (Duke University Hospital, Durham VA Medical Center, Duke Regional Hospital, and VA Quality/Safety), the camaraderie among the chiefs sets a positive tone for the program and allows us to accomplish the many goals we set for the year. It’s no secret that the Chief Residents form bonds with each class that lasts beyond the Chief year.
Current Chief Residents
The 2026-2027 Chief Residents are:
- Nicholas Brazeau, MD, PhD
An Infectious Diseases physician-scientist, Dr. Brazeau completed his Internal Medicine residency at Duke after earning both his MD and PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina and a BA in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard College. His research focuses on understanding how infectious diseases spread through populations and how host factors influence infection severity and transmission. He is passionate about medical education, clinical excellence, and advancing the integration of epidemiology and patient care to improve health outcomes. - John DeMis, MD
Originally from Cypress, Texas, Dr. DeMis earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his medical degree from UT Health San Antonio before completing internship training at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and residency at Duke. He is passionate about medical education, clinical excellence, and leadership development, with long-term career goals in academic nephrology and Veterans Affairs healthcare. His interests include strong clinical training, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), and advancing opportunities for leadership in medicine. - Amber Fleck, MD
Dr. Fleck earned her undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University, her medical degree from The University of Colorado School of Medicine, and completed a combined Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Training Program at Duke University. She will serve as a Chief Resident and work closely with Duke's Internal Medicine faculty to provide clinical acumen and mentorship to current residents. After her chief resident year, She will continue her fellowship training at Duke in Adult and Pediatric Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine. - Samantha Menegas, MD
Dr. Menegas earned her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She will serve as the Durham Veterans Administration Health Care System Chief Resident for Quality and Safety (CRQS) for her chief resident year. Dr. Menegas will be part of a network of chief residents across the country who lead quality improvement projects, receive expert training from mentors, and participate in a national curriculum designed to prepare a new generation of QI leaders to help residents implement QI initiatives. After this year, Dr. Menegas plans to pursue a fellowship in Gastroenterology. - Karen Young, MD
Originally from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Dr. Young is a Duke University alumna who earned her medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is passionate about medical education, mentorship, and academic medicine, with career interests in Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Dr. Young values the collaborative culture of Duke and is committed to supporting residents while fostering excellence in clinical training, teaching, and research.
In recent years, the Chief Residents have been responsible for reorganizing the noon conference series, instituting leadership training for JARs at the VA, developing well-being programming and evaluating patient flow on the general medicine services. In addition, the chiefs galvanize the competition for our annual Turkey Bowl, lead recruitment of new interns, and have a tradition of providing entertainment at the annual Department of Medicine Holiday Party.
Chief Residents are chosen during the JAR (PGY-2) year and serve as chief residents with a faculty appointment during their PGY-4 year.
Former Chiefs
Notably, many former chief residents remain on faculty at Duke, serving in leadership positions throughout the health system, including President of DUHS (Dr. Tom Owens), Associate Chief of Service at the DVAMC (Dr. David Simel, Dr. Christopher Hostler), Associate Chief Medical Officer (Dr. Jon Bae), Division Chief of Cardiology (Dr. Manesh Patel), Division Chief of Gastroenterology (Dr. Andrew Muir), Division Chief of Geriatrics (Dr. Cathleen Colon-Emeric), head of the Pepper Center of Aging (Dr. Heather Whitson), fellowship directors for Infectious Diseases (Dr. Eileen Maziarz), Oncology (Dr. Richard Riedel), Pulmonary (Dr. Stephen Bergin) and Endocrinology (Dr. Matt Crowley), Associate Program Directors (Dr. Jenny Van Kirk, Dr. Matthew Labriola, Dr. Stephanie Garbarino), housestaff Liason (Dr. Jenn Rymer) and housestaff Liason (Dr. Omobonike Sanders).