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Dzau Remarks

April 27, 2004

Thank you, Nan and Dick, for the kind remarks and generous compliments. Before I begin my remarks, I would like to first introduce you to a very special person, my wife Ruth. She and my two daughters are my major sources of inspiration, love, and support. I hope that you will get to know Ruth and find out how wonderful she truly is. Ruth and I are thrilled to become a member of the Duke family, and I am honored to be the next Chancellor for Health Affairs.

Duke is the best place to be in American Medicine. It is a place known for its:

• Outstanding patient care: Indeed, Duke has some of the most renowned and finest physicians and surgeons in the world.
• Innovative research: Being first in many important basic discoveries and leading the nation in clinical research through the impressive work of DCRI.
• Unique medical and nursing school curriculum: Training the best and the brightest.
• Commitment to community: Through its many initiatives and programs for the community and most recently through the creation of a truly integrated delivery system.

Under Ralph Synderman's leadership, Duke has established itself as a premier academic medical center and health system. I realize that I have big shoes to fill!

Duke is young; full of energy, vitality and optimism. It has much to look forward to. It aspires to be the best. It is the best.

For many years, I have known Duke from a distance. I have admired and respected the Medical Center and its accomplishments. Now that I have had a chance to see it up close, I am truly impressed and quite inspired. I have always thought of Duke Medical Center and Health System as a place with first rate patient care, education and research. Now I know that these are all true and much more. It is the people - devoted, committed, loyal and proud - all working for excellence. I have now learned the true meaning of Duke Medicine.

On my first trip to Duke on March 2, as I stepped off the jet way, I was struck by a billboard for Duke Medicine at the airport: "The Future of Medicine, Delivered Today." This powerful image and statement have formed my first and lasting impression of Duke's vision in medicine. Now I have the honor of working with you to fulfill that vision for our patients. To realize the vision of the future of medicine, delivered today I believe that:

1. First, we must build bridges that will bring together the many strong components of DUHS and to harness the powerful synergies that exist at Duke such that the whole enterprise becomes much greater than the sum of the individual parts. This is the true meaning of a health care system - the medical school; Duke University Hospital; the community hospitals (Durham Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital); the faculty; the scientists; and the physician practices and networks. We must reach out to our patients, make connections with the community and develop a stronger network. Our physicians and providers will deliver care not only at the Medical Center but at local sites where our patients reside. We must serve our patients individually and give real meaning to the phrases: patient-doctor relationship, patient-nurse relationship, and personalized medicine. We must also develop the connectivity between patients and all components of our health system through access, service, and information technology such that a Duke patient can present to any local site or community hospital and have access to the best Duke care, with linkage to the system, with their medical history made available through an electronic medical record etc. Indeed, our patients will receive the right care at the right place in the Duke Health System.
2. We are leaders in research discovery. Duke has led in many areas of research innovation and knowledge discovery. I will work diligently with Sandy Williams to build on this success. As a medical center, we must facilitate and increase the translation of basic research and discovery to clinical application. We need to build more bridges between basic science, clinical investigation, and clinical adoption. We must aspire to be the first and the best in the translation and adoption of new evidence-based methods of diagnosis and therapies such that Duke Medicine remains at the cutting edge. In so doing, we can provide our patients with the best, latest, and the safest care.
3. These bridges must extend to the rest of the university. Silos must be broken down in order to promote interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. We must take advantage of the university's strengths in quantitative, physical and social sciences and the humanities and many other areas so as to develop novel, collaborative models of research, as exemplified by the recently established Institute of Genome Sciences and Policy. These collaborative efforts can potentially lead to new interfaces for biomedical research in such areas as bioengineering, tissue engineering, systems biology, nanotechnology etc. Together with Sandy Williams, I look forward to working with Peter Lange (the Provost) and other faculty members of Duke University to create these bridges and capitalize on these opportunities.
4. Our medical school and nursing school are among the very best (the med school is ranked #4 in US News & World Report). Our trainees and young faculty are our future. The "Future of Medicine" will be defined and realized by them. We must continually challenge ourselves and ask if our curriculum meets the needs of our students, whether we are preparing them properly for the future, and if we have successfully mentored our young faculty and facilitated their career development. Our training program must provide strong links and bridges from basic science to clinical care, from bedside to ambulatory care, and we have to teach our students to understand the importance of social and economic factors in health and disease.

American health care is facing many challenges. Some say it is in a state of crisis as we witness health inequities locally, nationally, and globally; as the numbers of uninsured and underinsured are growing; as the population is aging; and as there is a shortage of health care providers, especially nurses. We see unacceptable levels of medical errors and safety problems; we need to improve the quality of health care and we face increasing challenges in public and private funding for health care.

Although science and technology in this country have never been stronger, we are now facing federal funding cutbacks, the challenges of big science vs. little science, the emerging opportunities of commercialization of our discoveries, and the increasing dilemmas of conflicts of interest, etc. Despite these challenges, I am confident that together we will make Duke successful.

The Chinese word for challenge or crisis is made of two characters: danger and opportunity. In Duke, I see many opportunities. We will create the environment for our clinicians, educators, scientists to not only weather these difficult times, but to thrive and to lead the changes locally and nationally that will address and improve health care in North Carolina, in the US, and globally. Together with all of you, I look forward to meeting these challenges.

Finally, I would like to say a few words about some very special people and my experience with Southern hospitality, warmth, and thoroughness!

I have met many wonderful people during my visits: faculty, staff and members of the search committee. I’ll not be able to acknowledge everyone by name but I do want to thank Chuck Hammond, Nancy Allen and Ted Pappas for their support. They share the same values as I, and I look forward to having them as valued colleagues.

Next, the trustees. I am impressed with the engagement and commitment of the Duke Board of Trustees, especially, Roy Bostock, Carl von der Heyden and Pete Nicholas. Roy chaired the search committee. When I went to New York City in late January for the first interview, as luck would have it, I drew the short straw and was the first candidate to be interviewed. As if that wasn't enough pressure, the entire search committee from Durham was stuck at the Raleigh airport because of a snowstorm in the Triangle area! They arrived 3 hours late! I thought this was a bad omen. However, Roy was calming, patient, and humorous and together with Ted Pappas talked to me for over three hours so that by the time the committee arrived, we had become "best friends." By the way, the committee had only 1 hour (instead of the scheduled 2 hours) to interview me. Consequently, I believe I had a competitive advantage over the other candidates; don't you?

I was truly impressed when Roy and Carl flew to Boston on President's Day to tell me that I was the lead candidate and ask me to visit Duke. And then there is Pete Nicholas, the chairman of the Duke Board. Pete called me to invite me for breakfast in Boston in early March. When we met, I was immediately disarmed when he told me he knew many people at Harvard, Mass General, and the Brigham and Women's Hospital. He had done his own research, checking up on my credentials, leadership style, and skills. We had a fabulous breakfast that extended from the scheduled one hour to over two hours. He impressed me with his involvement and with his dedication to Duke. I know that I can count on him and the Board for their continued insights, support, and guidance.

I also want to tell you about my wonderful encounters with Dick Brodhead who was described to me as "beloved" by Yale students and faculty. He lived up to his reputation. We met on several occasions, but one memorable evening in late March was spent over a relaxed dinner at Clio, my favorite restaurant in Boston. It turned out that Clio is Dick's favorite as well. His warmth, sincerity, genuine interest in health care and intelligence truly impressed me. I told myself that I couldn't have found a better person to work for. He and I will be newcomers to Duke, Yet, he already embodies the Duke spirit, and I will have much to learn from him.

Then there is Nan Keohane! What an impressive woman - intelligent, elegant, decisive, and thankfully, in my case, patient! This process of recruitment has taken longer than either of us would have desired. Throughout the deliberations, she has been understanding, supportive, and patient, but most importantly she shared with me the greatness of Duke. How could I say no? So here I am!

Last but not least, Ralph Snyderman. He built this medical center and health system as it exists today. With his excellent team of executives and staff (many of whom are here today) and with Nan's support, he has laid the foundation and built brick by brick, the structure that you and I will flourish in and together we will bring Duke Medicine to even greater heights. It is my honor to be his successor and to carry out his vision and legacy.

I have come to Durham by way of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Montreal, San Francisco and Boston. When I look at the diversity represented in the many faces of Duke, I realize that in addition to many people from this area, there are many others who, like me, have come from far and wide to be a part of this great university.

Having spent the last 30 years living in different parts of this country, I can tell you that Ruth and I are looking forward to living in this part of the country and to experience the true meaning of southern hospitality. I thank you for making Ruth and me feel so welcome.