A Tale of Two Cities? The History of Duke Health and Durham's Health

Lunch provided at NOON
Talk begins at 12:10 pm

Since opening in 1930, Duke Hospital has evolved into an internationally recognized health care system. Yet it was founded with a primary mission to improve the health of its local community. Historians in recent years have explored Durham’s history from many angles, revealing a city that has at various times embodied hopes for racial progress and raised the spectre of class division. How does this history help us to understand Durham’s health disparities? Can it shed light on why Duke’s research commitments are sometimes viewed with suspicion? This talk will argue that any meaningful effort to understand our local community and bridge its legacies of distrust must start with an understanding of its history and Duke Health’s role in it.

Jeffrey Baker, MD, PhD, a pediatrician and medical historian, is the director of the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine. He also leads the History of Medicine program within the Trent Center. For over 15 years, Dr. Baker has taught medical history and ethics in both the Duke School of Medicine and the wider University. He has published books and articles on a variety of topics in pediatric health.