Joanne A. P. Wilson
Joanne A. Peebles Wilson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and was Valedictorian at Cardinal Gibbons High School. In 1969, she graduated with a BS in Chemistry with highest honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated with honors from Duke University School Of Medicine in 1973, becoming the second African-American woman to graduate from Duke’s medical school. She also served as President of the medical school student body and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.
Dr. Wilson completed an Internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (1973-1974), Medical Fellowship at Harvard Medical School (1973-1975), Residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (1975), Residency at Georgetown University School of Medicine (1975-1976) and Fellowship in Gastroenterology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center (1976-1978).
After her graduate training, she joined the staff of the University of Michigan Medical Center as a Gastroenterologist. She returned to Duke as a faculty member in 1986, serving as Associate Professor and Associate Chief of Gastroenterology for Outpatient Services. In 1995, she became the second woman in the Duke Department of Medicine to achieve the rank of Full Professor. Dr. Wilson is currently affiliated with several hospitals including Duke University Hospital and Duke Health Raleigh Hospital.
From 1997-2003, Dr. Wilson was the first woman and first African American Secretary of the American Gastroenterological Association. She has served in numerous capacities within Duke and beyond, on committees and advisory boards, both regionally and nationally. She is widely published and has won numerous awards, including the Trailblazer Award from the Duke Student National Medical Association (2007), American Gastroenterological Association Outstanding Women in Science (2008), and the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Duke Medical Alumni Association (2011).
Interview
This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Joanne A. P. Wilson on May 24, 2007 by Jessica Roseberry.