Feature Stories | Duke Department of Surgery

Here we share feature stories of the department's efforts and achievements throughout the year, looking deep into the cutting-edge research, educational advancements, and patient care breakthroughs performed by Duke Surgery faculty, trainees, and staff.

A man in a white physician coat stands in a hospital hallway

A Surgeon Shaped by Service

November 11, 2025 By Mary-Russell Roberson

Liver Transplant Saves Baby with a Rare Disorder

Photo above: Gillian Noel, MD, shows her stethoscope to liver transplant patient, Noah Mann, as his mother, Talisha Becton (right), looks on.

R. Keith Reeves, PhD, Joins Duke Surgery's Center of Human Systems Immunology

R. Keith Reeves, PhD, Instructor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Surgical Sciences, joined Duke in June as a tenured Professor of Surgery. At the same time, he became the Director of the Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology and the Head of Innovation Partnerships for the Center for Human Systems Immunology.

SEEDS Initiative Promises to Invest in Duke Surgery Team Members

As one of the ten core values of the Section of Surgical Disciplines, diversity plays a crucial role in supporting the employees of Duke Surgery, which in turn enables better care for patients.

Duke Completes 1,500th Heart Transplant

Photo above: Drs. Jacob Schroder and Carmelo Milano transplant the first donation after circulatory death (DCD) heart in the United States.

In the midst of the pandemic, Duke University Hospital completed its 1,500th heart transplant in October 2020, a milestone achieved by only five other transplant centers nationwide. Surgeons performed the first heart transplant at Duke in 1985, and the hospital recorded its 1,000th heart transplant in 2014.