Duke's largest department has a new leader.
Dr. Pascal Goldschmidt, currently chief of the cardiology division at the Medical Center, has been named chair of the Department of Medicine, officials announced Thursday.
"Pascal has all of the necessary attributes to lead a great Department of Medicine. He is an accomplished physician-scientist, an excellent communicator, a person of strong character and values, and a successful leader of a large and complex enterprise," said Dr. Sandy Williams, dean of the School of Medicine. "However, perhaps his most distinguishing feature is his graceful ability to rally and inspire individuals to work towards a common goal."
Goldschmidt, who will take over April 1, has been a visible star of the Medical Center in recent years. Hired from The Ohio State University in 2000, where he served as chief of cardiology, John H. and Mildred C. Lumley chair of medicine and professor of internal medicine in the division of cardiology, Goldschmidt developed OSU's Heart and Lung Institute to investigate diseases affecting the heart, lungs and blood vessels.
"This is a great honor and tremendous opportunity for me," Goldschmidt said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the entire Department of Medicine to continue to integrate our clinical expertise and groundbreaking research efforts, while training the next generation of leaders for the medical field."
The Department of Medicine is a monolithic entity within the Medical Center and contains within it divisions that are themselves than many departments. Those divisions include cardiology, as well as geriatrics, neurology, general internal medicine and medical oncology and transplantation.
Goldschmidt will replace Dr. Barton Haynes, who was chair of the department for seven years before stepping down in 2002 to serve as full-time director of Duke's Human Vaccine Institute. Currently, Dr. Harvey Cohen, chief of the division of geriatrics, is serving as interim chair.
Goldschmidt and his team recently created the Duke Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Center, aimed at improving the diagnostic scope for patients with cardiovascular disease. His personal research also includes applications in genomics and cell biology for the diagnosis and prevention of atherosclerosis.
Under Goldschmidt's watch as chief of the division, National Institutes of Health funding for research in the division more than doubled.
"During his tenure as chief of the division of cardiology, Dr. Goldschmidt has already had a major impact as a visionary leader in the School of Medicine," Williams said in a statement. "He has taken steps to enhance the climate for female and minority faculty and fellows and has worked at creating training programs unique to Duke."
A native of Belgium, Goldschmidt received his medical degree from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles and completed residency and fellowship training at Erasme Academic Hospital, Brussels, Belgium, the Medical University of South Carolina and Johns Hopkins University.
The medicine department appointment is one of more than a dozen Williams has filled or is set to fill since his summer 2001 arrival. Recently, he named Dr. Danny Jacobs the new chair of the Department of Surgery, the second-largest department at Duke, and he will soon hire a director for Duke's Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.