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Website Creation

Before signing a contract or beginning any new project, any group or individual embarking on a website development project is asked to contact Seamus O'Reilly at Duke Health Marketing and Communications and Karen Bencke at Duke Health Technology Solutions (DHTS) to determine next steps and guidance on best practice, technical requirements and brand guidelines. 

Submit a request for a Duke Health website.

Vendor engagement

To view a list of Duke-approved and recommended web design and development vendors, including Duke University OIT Web Services, contact Karen Bencke. All DUHS units will be responsible for payment to third-party vendors.

Prior to beginning work with a vendor, please facilitate a meeting between a departmental representative, the vendor, Duke Health Marketing and Communications, and DHTS to discuss design and branding, applications, and other technical and security policies and requirements. Third-party vendors must work with DHTS to ensure a new website built using the Drupal website content management system can be hosted at Duke - DHTS will only support the Drupal CMS.

Deciding on your web presence

Once you have concluded that there are valid business or organizational needs for your department, unit or practice to have a web presence, there are a few options for you to choose from. 

  • Partner with an existing website: If a DUHS website already exists that provides the information you hope to share, this option may work best for your group. Contact Seamus O'Reilly or Karen Bencke to explore possible options.
  • Intranet portal: If your web presence is for Duke Health staff only, consider using the DUHS Intranet. A Duke Intranet site can offer extensive functionality options and is completely secure from non-Duke engagement. Contact Karen Bencke to explore this option.
  • Integration with DukeHealth.org: If you need a public-facing site, integration with DukeHealth.org might be the best option. The Duke Health website is Duke Health's consumer-focused website and aimed at patients, and has many advantages. Contact Seamus O'Reilly to explore this option.
  • Standalone website: If you decide you need a standalone website, there are many factors to consider, including cost, resources and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Complete the Duke Website Request Form if you choose this option.

Find more information on any of these options.

Website template

For web design or development and application migration work, DUHS provides a free Drupal template for use by departments, centers/institutes and units. The starter kit is available for viewing and can be sent to a web developer upon request. To access the approved website template, contact Karen Bencke at DHTS, or pursue one of three options:

  • Use the pre-approved template as is, adding unit-specific navigation, content and images.
  • Use the pre-approved template as a basis for the website with the chosen vendor adapting it for the group's use.
  • Design and produce a new website from scratch. In this case, the vendor and the user should work with Duke Health Marketing and Communications in adhering to the brand style guidelines.