The Duke Department of Surgery is pleased to announce that Betty C. Tong, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, has been appointed Chief of the Section of General Thoracic Surgery within the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic (CT) Surgery. This appointment follows an extensive national search which identified Dr. Tong as the most suitable candidate. Dr. Tong will officially begin in the position in July 2025, succeeding Thomas D'Amico, MD.
Dr. Tong completed her undergraduate education at the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering. She then completed medical school at Duke University and her general surgery training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She returned to Duke in 2005 as a thoracic surgery fellow, and in 2008 joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of CT Surgery. In 2009, she received a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Dr. Tong has developed a tremendous practice in surgical treatments for lung cancer and minimally invasive approaches to thoracic surgery. She has spearheaded the Duke lung cancer screening program and served as the Director of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Quality Review of the General Thoracic Program. In 2020, she was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.
Dr. Tong has demonstrated great academic productivity with over 130 publications. In addition, she serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. She is a member of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.
In addition, Dr. Tong brings important leadership experience as she also serves as the Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program Director. She has been a champion for the promotion of women in thoracic surgery, both within the Duke training program and through her involvement in national societies. She was named the inaugural recipient of the Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award, which is co-sponsored by the STS and Women in Thoracic Surgery to recognize outstanding women surgeons specializing in the cardiothoracic space.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Tong on her new role.