Mary Klotman, MD, chair of the department, announced today that
Monica Kraft, MD, has agreed to become the Chief of the
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, effective January 1, 2013.
Dr. Kraft replaces
Paul Noble, MD,
who leaves Duke this month to become chairman of the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Noble's tenure as division chief over six years was one of remarkable achievement. The division’s 58 full-time, regular-rank faculty members, its staff and trainees became an important contributor to Duke University Medical Center’s overall success – in the
2012-2013 U.S. News & World Report rankings of best hospitals, our pulmonology program ranks at
number five.
"The Pulmonary faculty, under Paul’s leadership, were essential components of the trajectory of Duke’s
lung transplant program to being one of the largest and most successful in the country," said Dr. Klotman. His success in recruiting and developing talented faculty will contribute to the division’s success well into the future.
"After a full review of the division with the faculty, it was clearly evident to me that Monica is highly respected among her peers, and a perfect choice to lead the division," said Dr. Klotman. "She outlined an exciting vision for the division to continue its impressive momentum as a top pulmonology program, as well as to build upon a tradition of clinical, research and training success."
Kraft will step down as the department’s vice chair for research following the department's annual research retreat in February; she has held that role since 2010. As vice chair, she implemented important initiatives to support the department’s research endeavors, including the annual retreat, monthly
Medicine Research Conference,
Integrated Research RFA, and research mentoring. Her skills and talents were also enlisted by Dean Nancy Andrews to assist in preparing the School of Medicine’s resubmission to the CTSA program of the NIH.
On top of her clinical, research and administrative roles at Duke, Kraft is currently serving as president of the
American Thoracic Society, indicating her wide respect as a national leader.
Kraft received a B.A. in chemistry from the University of California, Davis, and her M.D. from UC San Francisco. She trained at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she served as Chief Resident and completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. After faculty and leadership positions at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, she joined the faculty at Duke in 2004. She is currently Professor of Medicine and Director of the Duke Asthma, Allergy and Airways Center
Her research and clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of airway diseases such as asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis, and upper-airway dysfunction. She is the principal investigator on an R01, a program project and an NIH clinical centers network grant.
