Peter J. Allen, MD, Professor of Surgery, has been named Duke University Health System Vice President for Cancer Services, effective June 1, 2023.
In this role, Dr. Allen will oversee clinical cancer care for Duke, working closely with Michael Kastan, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI). The DUHS cancer service line leadership team will report to Dr. Allen and continue to advance clinical cancer care at Duke.
"Changes at Duke, including our Duke Health Integrated Practice, and the dynamic external health care landscape will create many opportunities for our cancer services to continue to improve health and outcomes and impact more lives with remarkable Duke care," said Thomas A. Owens, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for DUHS in an announcement to DUHS faculty and staff about Dr. Allen's appointment. "This expansion of our DCI clinical leadership team reflects our commitment to delivering extraordinary cancer care for patients from our local communities, across N.C., and the southeast as a leading Cancer Center."
In this new role, Dr. Allen will work closely with DCI and department chairs, and his responsibilities will encompass quality and outcomes, operations, financial oversight, and development of innovative initiatives that improve access to care and support the Duke Health Strategic Plan.
Dr. Allen trained and practiced at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. prior to joining Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a surgical oncologist. While at Sloan Kettering, Dr. Allen served as Vice Chair of Operations within the Department of Surgery, the Associate Director of the Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, and the Murray F Brennan Professor of Surgery.
Dr. Allen was recruited to Duke in 2018, and currently serves as the Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and as a Professor of Surgery. Dr. Allen recently received the David C. Sabiston Jr. Distinguished Professorship in Surgery for his achievements in scholarly excellence, and is known by national colleagues as an accomplished surgical oncologist, researcher, medical educator, and mentor.