The following message was sent to members of the Department of Medicine from Dr. Kathleen Cooney, MD, MACP, chair of the Department of Medicine, Dr. Mary E. Klotman, MD, executive vice president for Health Affairs for Duke University & dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Andrew Alspaugh, MD, chief of the Infectious Diseases Division and Dr. Christopher Woods, MD, MPH, executive director of the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health.
It is with a heavy heart we share the news of the passing of G. Ralph Corey, MD, Gary Hock Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Global Health, Division of Infectious Disease, on March 24, 2025.
A devoted member of the Duke community since the early 1970s, Dr. Corey received an undergraduate degree in Physics from Duke and later returned to complete his internship, residency, chief residency, and fellowship at Duke.
His professional journey within Duke began in 1983 when he joined the Department of Medicine (DOM) as an assistant professor of Medicine. He was then promoted to associate professor in 1993 and to professor of Medicine in 1999. In 2006, he was named the Gary Hock Distinguished Professor in Global Health.
Dr. Corey had a very distinguished career at Duke. He is perhaps best known for his 18-year leadership of the Duke Internal Medicine Residency Program, which shaped the careers of countless trainees. As program director, he created innovative programs involving training in clinical epidemiology and global health, as well as combined programs in medicine and pediatrics and medicine and psychiatry. He also served as the DOM's vice chair of Education and Global Health.
Known as the founding director of the Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health, Dr. Corey’s commitment to global health issues led to the development of the innovative medical center-wide Global Health Pathway and clinical research in diseases of the developing world.
An accomplished clinical researcher, Dr. Corey helped to forge international collaborations in infective endocarditis and Staph aureus disease. His research focused on large clinical trials involving skin structure infections, community and hospital-acquired pneumonia, post-surgical infections, prosthetic joint infections, intra-abdominal infections, urinary tract infections, and bloodstream infections. He guided the initiation of the Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Group, which prospectively identified, followed, and databased more than 2,000 patients over 15 years. Additionally, Dr. Corey co-founded the International Collaboration on Endocarditis, which prospectively identified, followed, and databased more than 5,000 patients from 61 sites in 30 countries over eight years.
Dr. Corey was the consummate doctor’s doctor, known for his encyclopedic command of the medical literature and very high standards for how we should take care of our patients. He received numerous awards in recognition of his leadership and vision, including the Golden Apple Award, the Eugene A. Stead Teaching Award, the Leonard Palumbo Jr., MD Faculty Achievement Award, the Distinguished Faculty Award, and the Research Mentoring Award.
We know that such a profound loss can affect each person differently, so we encourage you to take advantage of the resources provided by Duke to support you during this time of grief.
We will soon announce plans to celebrate Dr. Corey’s extraordinary contributions to our community. Please keep Dr. Corey’s family and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers.