Timeline

1930

Duke Hospital Opens

Dr. Mary Bernheim is the only female among approximately 70 MDs or PhDs on the Duke School of Medicine faculty."

1934

1st Female Four-Year SOM Graduate

Dr. Eleanor Easley is the first female to graduate from the four-year program at Duke School of Medicine. She entered the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology and later co-founded the Durham Women's Clinic.

1939

Susan Dees Joins Faculty

Dr. Susan Dees joins the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics. In 1948, she became the first female Division Chief in the School of Medicine. In 1958, she was the first female in the School of Medicine to achieve the rank of full professor.

1940

Mary Duke Biddle Trent in Social Services Division

Mrs. Mary Duke Biddle Trent (later Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans) works in the hospital social services division. She married two Duke physicians, served as a Duke Trustee, and maintained continuous support of Duke Medicine and Duke University through the Duke Endowment and other channels.

1944

1st Physician Anesthetist

Dr. Ruth Martin is the first physician anesthetist in the hospital.

1948

Duke’s licensed practical nursing (LPN) program begins

Duke’s licensed practical nursing (LPN) program begins. Although there were already several others in the state, Duke’s is the only one in North Carolina established exclusively for training African American nurses. Clydie Pugh-Myers was one of the graduates of this first class.

1949

1st Microbiology PhD

Dr. Hilda Willett is the first person to get a PhD in the Duke Department of Microbiology. She joined the faculty in 1950.

1950

1st Female Chief Resident in Medicine

Dr. Grace Kerby serves as the first female chief resident in the Department of Medicine. In 1963, she became the first female full Professor, and in 1965, she was the first female Division Chief in the Department.

1955

Sara Dent Joins Faculty

Dr. Sara Dent joins the faculty in the Department of Surgery. She became Professor and Chair of Anesthesiology in Duke Hospital in 1968.

1955

Doris Howell Joins Faculty

Dr. Doris Howell joins the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics. In 1970, she was the first female to receive a Distinguished Duke Medical Alumni Award. She later served as a Department Chair (Pediatrics and Family Medicine) in two other medical schools.

1957

Jane Elchlepp Joins Faculty

Dr. Jane Elchlepp joins the faculty in the Department of Pathology. She later became a facilities planner for the Chancellor's office, playing a major role in the design of Duke Hospital North, which opened in 1980.

1957

Mary D.B.T. Semans Joins the Board of The Duke Endowment

Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans became a trustee of The Duke Endowment in 1957 when she took her great aunt’s place on the board, and she served as its first female chairman from 1982-2001. She marked her 50th year on the board in 2007.

1961

Shirley Osterhout Joins Faculty

Dr. Shirley Osterhout joins the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics. She headed the Duke Poison Control Center.

1964

Rebecca Buckley Joins Faculty

Dr. Rebecca Buckley joins the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics. She perfected a surgical technique for treating babies with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease (SCID) and in 1979, was the first female given a distinguished professorship at the School of Medicine.

1966

Jacqueline Johnson Jackson Joins Faculty

Dr. Jacqueline Johnson Jackson, the first tenured female black faculty member in the School of Medicine, joins Duke as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.

1968

Sheila Counce-Nicklas Becomes an Associate Professor

Dr. Sheila Counce-Nicklas becomes an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy, serving as the first female in the department.

1968

Marianne Breslin Joins Faculty

Dr. Marianne Breslin joins the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry as the first female in the department. Beginning in 1973, she served as Chief of the Division of Psychosomatic Medicine.

1969

Catherine Wilfert Joins Faculty

Dr. Catherine Wilfert joins the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics. She developed a clinical trial that drastically diminished mother-to-infant transmission of AIDS in the United States.

1969

Lois Pounds Joins Faculty

Dr. Lois Pounds joins the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics and later directs Outpatient Services of the Department. In 1987, she becomes Associate Dean for Medical Education and the Director of Medical School Admissions.

1969

1st African-American Respiratory Therapist

Dr. Thelma Brown, who began her career as a licensed practical nurse, becomes the first African-American Respiratory Therapist and cardiac catheterization professional.

1970

1st Female PA Graduate

Joyce Nichols is the first woman to graduate from the Duke Physician Assistant Program, and also is the first female African-American graduate of the program.

1970

Jane Richardson Joins Faculty

Jane Richardson joins the faculty in the Department of Anatomy. She became noted for drawing proteins and creating a standardized way of portraying them visually.

1970

Eva Salber Joins Faculty

Dr. Eva Salber joins the faculty in the Department of Community and Family Medicine. She developed medical programs for rural and underserved populations in the area.

1971

Ruby Wilson Becomes Dean of the Duke School of Nursing

Dr. Ruby Wilson is appointed as Dean of the Duke School of Nursing. She became the first female to receive the Duke University Medal for Distinguished Meritorious Service.

1971

1st Tenured African-American Female SOM Faculty

Dr. Jacquelyne Johnson Jackson, who served as an Associate Professor of Medical Sociology in the Department of Psychiatry, was the first tenured black female faculty member in the Duke School of Medicine.

1971

Evelyn Schmidt Becomes Director of Lincoln Community Health Center

Dr. Evelyn Schmidt becomes the Director of the Lincoln Community Health Center in Durham. She also had an appointment in the Duke Department of Pediatrics.

1971

1st African-American SON Graduate

Donna Allen Harris receives her Bachelor's degree in nursing, becoming the first African American to graduate from the Duke University School of Nursing.

1971

Frances Widmann Joins faculty

Dr. Frances Widmann joins the faculty in the Department of Pathology. She headed the blood bank at the Durham Veterans Administration Hospital.

1972

1st African-American Female SOM Graduate

Dr. Jean Spaulding graduates as the first African-American female from the School of Medicine. She later became a psychiatrist and served as Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and a Trustee of the Duke Endowment.

1973

2nd African-American Female SOM Graduate

Dr. Joanne A. Peebles Wilson graduates as the second African-American female from the School of Medicine. She served as a gastroenterologist at Duke, and in 1995, she became the second female full professor in the Department of Medicine.

1974

2nd Female to Graduate from Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency

Dr. Sezer Aksel is the second female residency graduate in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

1978

Evelyn Booker Wicker Becomes Director of Nursing Services for Duke South

From 1978 to 1986, Dr. Evelyn Booker Wicker is Director of Nursing Services for Duke South Hospital which included supervisory capacity for all nursing services in Duke South. In 1986, she became Director of Nursing in the Division of Women's and Children's Health, and from 1991 to 2000, she was Director of the Hospital Career Development Program at Duke University Medical Center Human Resources.

1979

Brenda Armstrong Joins Faculty

Dr. Brenda Armstrong, pediatric cardiologist, joins the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics. She served as the Associate Dean of Medical Education and the Dean of Admissions.

1981

Elizabeth Bullitt Graduates Residency

Dr. Elizabeth Bullitt becomes the first female residency graduate in the Department of Surgery.

1987

Dorothy Brundage Serves as Interim Dean for SON

Dr. Dorothy Brundage serves as Interim Dean at the SON from 1987 to 1991 focusing on maintaining stability and normal operations, while keeping the the master’s program students engaged and challenged.

1989

Susan Chase Lottich Becomes First Surgery Chief Resident

Dr. Susan Chase Lottich becomes the first surgery chief resident to graduate at Duke.

1993

1st Female President of Duke University

Dr. Nannerl Keohane begins her tenure as the first female President of Duke University.

1996

Brenda Nevidjon Named CEO Duke University Hospital

Brenda Nevidjon, RN, MSN, FAAN, becomes the first nurse and first woman to be named the Chief Operating Officer of Duke University Hospital, a position she held until 2000.

1998

Kathleen Clem Joins Faculty

Dr. Kathleen Clem joins the faculty in the Department of Surgery. She was the first female Division Chief in the deparment and the first Chief of the Division of Emergency.

2002

1st Female Department Chair

Dr. Brigid Hogan becomes the first female department chair in the Duke School of Medicine.

2002

MaryAnn Black Becomes Associate Vice President for Community Relations

Ms. MaryAnn Black becomes Associate Vice President for Community Relations for the Duke University Health System. In this role, she helped to develop and implement strategies and programs to enhance the health system's relationships with local communities and groups supporting the health and human service needs of the people of Durham, N.C.

2007

1st Female Dean of Duke School of Medicine

Dr. Nancy Andrews begins service as the first female Dean of Duke School of Medicine.

2009

1st Female Chair of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

Dr. Elizabeth DeLong becomes the first female Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics.

2010

1st Female Chair of Clinical Department

Dr. Mary Klotman becomes the first female to chair a Duke clinical department when she is appointed as Chair of the Department of Medicine.

2010

1st Female Chair of Psychiatry

Dr. Sarah Lisanby becomes the first female Chair of Duke’s Department of Psychiatry.

2014

1st Female Provost

Dr. Sally Kornbluth becomes the first female Duke University Provost.

2014

1st Female Chair of Pediatrics

Dr. Ann Reed becomes the first female Chair of Duke’s Department of Pediatrics.

2017

Mary Klotman Named Dean of School of Medicine

Dr. Mary Klotman becomes the Dean of the Duke School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs.