Sally Kornbluth, vice dean for research at the Duke University School of Medicine, will now serve as vice provost of academic affairs, the University announced Wednesday.
Kornbluth, who is also the James B. Duke professor of pharmacology and cancer biology, will assume her new role officially in November, succeeding John Simon who left Duke in August to become the provost at the University of Virginia.
“I look forward to getting to know all of my colleagues on the [non-medical] campus side and to have opportunities to work with the provost,” Kornbluth said. “I’ve had great interactions with them outside of the Medical School, and that is part of what really motivates me to take this job.”
As vice provost for academic affairs, Kornbluth will work closely with the Provost Peter Lange on a number of initiatives.
Lange said she will be his right-hand person, in regards to academic and research-related projects. He noted that she will also mediate Duke’s discussions with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools—an organization that provides college accreditation.
Everyone who works in the Office of the Provost has a personal academic focus beyond their office functions, Lange added. Kornbluth will have the opportunity to work across many fields, but she will be able to focus on science-related disciplines—continuing Simon’s previous work.
Since Kornbluth became the vice dean of research at the Medical School in 2009, she said she has worked particularly hard to connect the medical school with the rest of the Duke community.
Kornbluth has participated in interdisciplinary projects with various schools and institutes across the University—including the Duke Global Health Institute and the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy. She has also been a Duke Medicine representative on various academic committees and has acted as a liaison between the Medical School and the basic sciences.
“All of these interactions have been fun and productive,” she said. “The closer the Medical School gets with the rest of the campus, the better.”
Susan Roth, vice provost for interdisciplinary studies, said Kornbluth has been a valuable Medical School point person. Roth and Simon have worked with Kornbluth on various initiatives of strategic priority to the Medical School.
“[Simon] will be sorely missed,” Roth said. “But if there’s anyone who can fill those shoes, it’s Sally Kornbluth.”
Although she has no further teaching appointments, Kornbluth said she hopes to maintain her research lab, which focuses on the regulation of cellular processes, going strong even as she takes on new responsibilities as a vice provost.
“[Kornbluth is] superbly well prepared to take on this job,” Lange said. “She brings great energy and experience and will be a wonderful addition to our team.”
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