Duke Health is a big blue umbrella. It’s a hospital – OK, multiple hospitals – renowned for advanced life-saving care (including more firsts than you can shake a stethoscope at), but also the regional go-to for primary care physicians and urgent care. It’s a medical school, with 3,739 students pursuing nine types of degrees, and a school of nursing, with 1,468 enrolled (all figures as of 2023). It is a research institute where doctors and scientists advance everything from transplants to vaccines, and it is a North Carolina employment powerhouse: Of Duke University’s 45,000 employees, about 80 percent of them work for Duke Health.
For a comprehensive history, read Walter E. Campbell’s “Foundations of Excellence: 75 Years of Duke Medicine.”
For an appetizer, give our timeline a look.