Danielle Richardson, MD, has been a hospitalist at Duke Regional Hospital since February 2016, and became a faculty member in our division last month. In our interview below, she tells us about her work, research, family, and the seven different states she's called home.
What is your title?
I am a nocturnist (a hospitalist at night) and a Medical Instructor in the Department of Medicine.
What are your interests in the field?
Quality improvement and education
How did you get in to this specific field?
Hospital medicine allows me to provide care to patients with a broad range of clinical conditions. It is the perfect intersection of pathophysiology and patient centered bedside care. Being a nocturnist has been a great fit as a physician mom.
What brought you to Duke?
I came to Duke because of the emphasis on patient centered care, quality improvement, research and education. Hospital medicine at Duke is perfect for me; I am encouraged to pursue interests in conjunction with clinical responsibilities and it has allowed me to grow as a physician and educator.
"Hospital medicine at Duke is perfect for me; I am encouraged to pursue interests in conjunction with clinical responsibilities and it has allowed me to grow as a physician and educator."
Is there any research you are doing or plan on doing?
Two of my fellow hospitalists (Drs. Rachel Hughes and Emily Ko) and I received a Duke Ahead Grant to continue work on implementing a hospital wide emergency response training team. Our team consists of physicians, nurse educators, floor and ICU nurses. We conduct rapid response and code training simulations with the goal of improving patient outcomes, building team cohesiveness, promoting individual resilience and improving knowledge and comfort levels in emergency situations.
I have also worked with other DRH nocturnists (Drs. Kevin Coleman, Bimal Patel and Joanne Sutter) to develop a night curriculum for the General Medicine Interns on their night float rotation at DRH. Our emphasis is nighttime cross-cover calls and emergencies.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of work?
Hiking, reading, travel. I love to try new foods and restaurants. I have a 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son so my husband and I are now knowledgeable about all things Disney.
Any trips you've taken recently that you would like to share?
We took the kids to Florida this December. We spent a week at Disney and a week on Anna Maria Island. They are still talking about all the rides and characters!
We leave for Portugal next week. It will the first overseas trip for our kids and the first time in Portugal for all four of us. Wish us luck!
Any recent books you’ve read that you’d like to share?
I read In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope by Dr. Rana Awdish while on vacation in December. In this memoir, Dr. Adwish recounts her time as a critically ill patient and how her personal experience has shaped her practice of medicine. I couldn’t put it down.
My new favorite kids book is Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen. It gets the best bedtime giggles.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I have lived in NY, Boston, DC, Texas, California, Colorado and now North Carolina. We are excited to make NC our permanent home and have successfully convinced my parents, my mother in law, two of my brothers, a sister in law and my niece to relocate here!
What is your favorite food?
A slice of real NYC pizza.
What is your favorite restaurant?
So many local favorites! Probably M Sushi in Durham or Lantern in Chapel Hill.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Thanks for reading about me! Duke is an amazing place to work and I look forward to meeting more colleagues in the Department of Medicine.