Joanne Wilson
Dr. Joanne A. Peebles Wilson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1947. Dr. Wilson attended parochial school for her primary and secondary education, where she cultivated interests in science and medicine. Wilson went on to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in chemistry and graduating with highest honors. Following her undergraduate career, Dr. Wilson attended Duke University School of Medicine, where she served as President of the Medical Student Body. In this role, Dr. Wilson “set aside the money for the yearbook for [the] Edgemont Clinic,” a health center that served low-income families in Durham, marking “one of the first times they got…a reasonable amount of money” to provide medical care. Additionally, she was heavily involved with the American Medical Association and the Student National Medical Association. Wilson graduated with honors, becoming the second African American woman to graduate from Duke University School of Medicine. After several internships and residencies, Wilson joined the University of Michigan Medical Center as a gastroenterologist. In 1986, she returned to Duke as Associate Professor and Associate Chief of Gastroenterology for Outpatient Services. Here, she taught gastrointestinal physiology for fifteen years in a summer program aimed at underrepresented minority students interested in medicine, complementing her belief in community outreach as a means to make the medical profession more demographically representative of the larger population. Above all, Dr. Wilson believes that the push for racial and gender equity in the medical school must become “a part of the integral structure of the university,” and that much of Duke’s progress toward equity depends on dedicated implementation of adopted plans.
Full Interview Audio:
Interview Topic Log
00:02 Introduction; Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Gastroenterology 00:36 Growing up in Raleigh; early education at St. Monica’s; early interest in medicine; high school at Sacred Heart (later known as Cardinal Gibbons); undergraduate experience at the University of North Carolina; community care center; college application process; financing college; early preparation for the rigors of UNC 10:12 Residential and academic struggles faced by classmates at UNC; activism on campus; chemistry major; medical school application process; dearth of women and African American students at the Duke School of Medicine; volunteerism at the YMCA 21:18 Racial disparities in care at Duke; Dr. Sadye Curry; treatment by classmates; racial discrimination/prejudice from patients and medical staff; mentors in the School of Medicine; continuance of de facto racial segregation in Duke medicine 29:54 Mixed emotions about special achievement certificate received while in medical school; research on disparity between comments and grades given to students of color; experiences of other Black medical students 36:13 Activist efforts at Duke; donating funds to the Edgemont Clinic 38:03 Volunteering at Edgemont; Edgemont’s role in expanding access to care in Durham 40:14 Path to gastroenterology; senior residency and GI fellowship; faculty position at Michigan; return to Duke 46:32 Advocating for increased recognition of maternity leave 49:21 Pushback against aforementioned advocacy efforts 51:32 Lack of paternity leave for her husband during the births of their children 52:58 Lack of movement forward in equitable distribution of care in time away from Duke 58:31 Advocacy during professional career; colon cancer screening; service on university committees; balancing activism with work and family; close friends from Michigan; daughters’ lives and work 1:12:21 Mentorship of students of color 1:15:22 Emphasis on education and access in making health care more equitable 1:22:08 Implementing adopted plans on the path to equity at Duke 1:27:22 More on colon cancer screenings in practice; speaking to community groups about colon cancer screenings and preventive care
Link to Full Interview Transcript