Leaders in Laboratory and Clinical Investigation
The Duke Department of Surgery brings pioneering research discoveries from the lab to clinical practice through the pursuit of the latest advances in basic and translational research.
Basic and Translational Research
Unique among surgical departments, Duke Surgery is home to an active Division of Surgical Sciences made up exclusively of individuals engaged in basic and translational science.
Clinical Research
Faculty members in the Department of Surgery conduct hundreds of clinical trials each year. As part of a major academic medical center, Duke Surgery leverages clinical and research resources that allow patients to access cutting-edge treatments and participate in a broad spectrum of clinical trials.
Leadership and Administration
Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, is the Mary and Daryl Hart Distinguished Professor of Surgery in the School of Medicine. She has served as Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Surgery since 2015.
Dr. Hwang began her academic surgical career at the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine in 1998 until joining the Duke Division of Surgical Oncology in 2011. She holds a secondary faculty appointment of Professor in Radiology, and is a member of the Duke Cancer Institute as well as a core faculty member of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Public Health Policy.
In 2016, Dr. Hwang was included in TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People" as a pioneer in her field, an honor shared with Laura J. Esserman, MD, MBA, a fellow breast surgical oncologist at the University of California-San Francisco.
An avid scholar, Dr. Hwang has published nearly 300 academic articles, and an additional nearly 100 conference papers. Her research largely focuses on early-stage breast cancers, and in treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). She is currently the principal investigator of the Comparing an Operation to Monitoring, with or without Endocrine Therapy (COMET) study, a large, national clinical trial funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation exploring whether “active monitoring” can be a safe and effective alternative to surgery for women with low-risk DCIS.
Jennifer Janes is the Administrative Director of Research for the Duke Department of Surgery. Prior to joining Duke Surgery in 2014, Jennifer served as a laboratory manager at the Emory University Transplant Center.
Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida (UF). She also holds a Master of Science in Veterinary Medicine from UF, and a Master of Business Administration from North Carolina State University.
Administrative Assistant
Gail Morrah
gail.morrah@duke.edu
Lauren Anderson, PhD, has served as Director of Research Development for the Department of Surgery since 2017, after first joining the department as a Research Development Project Manager in 2015.
Lauren earned her Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University, and earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Grants and Contracts
Melissa Murad, Assistant Director of Research
melissa.trofi@duke.edu
Clinical Research
Sarah Casalinova, Research Practice Manager
sarah.casalinova@duke.edu
Animal Surgical Training & Research
Kyha Williams, DVM, DACLAM, Assistant Professor in Surgery
kyha.williams@duke.edu
Biobanking
Marybeth Joshi, MPH, Director or Clinical Residency Education Training and Operations
marybeth.joshi@duke.edu
Communications Support
Joshua Perin, PhD, Director of Communications
joshua.perin@duke.edu