Paul Lindia is Vice President for Network Services at Duke University Health System (DUHS) and has been a part of the Duke University Health System for more than 27 years. Lindia oversees Duke University Health System’s clinical affiliations with community hospitals as well as the Duke LifePoint Healthcare relationship.

Prior to assuming his current role in 2001, Lindia served as chief operating officer at Duke Raleigh Hospital. He directed hospital operations and a staff of more than 800 FTEs, with an annual budget in excess of $100 million.

Lindia also served as DUHS Senior Director, Hospitals’ Operations Integration where he led the organization through restructuring initiatives including system-wide alignment of various operational departments. He led efforts to integrate major clinical and departmental systems and programs across the health system using business plans and business case reports to support the integration projects.

Lindia has also served as Assistant Chief Operating Officer for Surgical and Professional Services at Duke University Hospital. He was responsible for leading operational efforts in all areas of surgical and peri-operative services along with traditional hospital non-clinical departments.

Lindia is a graduate of Yale University and received a Master’s of Public Health in healthcare administration. He received his bachelor of science degree in business administration/accounting from Central Connecticut State University.

Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD, is a doctor and an economist whose work has addressed a wide range of strategies and policy reforms to improve health care, including payment reforms to promote better outcomes and lower costs, methods for development and use of real-world evidence and approaches for more effective drug and device innovation.

McClellan is a former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he developed and implemented major reforms in health policy. McClellan has served as a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors and as deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy. He was also a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a professor of economics and medicine at Stanford University where he directed the Program on Health Outcomes Research.

xxx

A nationally recognized leader in academic medicine, Mary E. Klotman, MD, is executive vice president for health affairs at Duke University, dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, and chief academic officer for Duke Health.

Klotman was appointed as Duke’s first executive vice president for health affairs in June 2023 and assumed her new role on July 1, 2023. She was named dean of the School of Medicine in January 2017 and was appointed to a second five-year term in 2022. Prior to her appointment as dean, Klotman served with distinction as chair of the Department of Medicine in the Duke University School of Medicine for seven years.

Klotman earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from Duke University. She completed her internal medicine residency and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at Duke before joining the faculty as assistant professor of medicine. She joined the National Institutes of Health in 1991, where she was a member of the Public Health Service and trained and worked in the Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology under the direction of Robert C. Gallo, MD.

Before returning to Duke in 2010, Klotman joined Mount Sinai School of Medicine where she was the Irene and Dr. Arthur M. Fishberg Professor of Medicine and served as chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases for 13 years. She was also co-director of Mount Sinai’s Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, a program designed to translate basic science discoveries into clinical therapeutics for newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. 

A pioneering physician-scientist, Klotman’s research interests are focused on the molecular pathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) infection. Among many important contributions to this field, Klotman and her team demonstrated that HIV resides in and evolves separately in kidney cells, a critical step in HIV-associated kidney disease. Most recently, her group has been defining the role of integrase-defective lentiviral vectors for the delivery of an HIV vaccine.

Klotman is a councilor of the Association of American Physicians and past president of the Association of Professors of Medicine. She was elected to membership in the Academy of Medicine in 2014. Klotman is a former president of the Duke Medical Alumni Association and received a Duke University School of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015.

Mike Datto, MD, PhD is an AP/CP/MGP board-certified pathologist, vice chair of clinical pathology for the department of pathology at Duke University and the medical director and associate vice president for Duke University Health System Clinical Laboratories. In his role as associate vice president, Datto is responsible for maintaining the standards of the College of American Pathologists and CLIA/CMS within all clinical laboratories at Duke. 

Specifically, Datto oversees clinical testing; develops quality management systems and proficiency testing programs; provides consultation with ordering physicians; develops strategic plans in line with patient, physician and health system leadership needs; coordinates research and development; ensures adequate and appropriately trained personnel; and provides profession interpretation for molecular diagnostic testing including the wide range of PCR, quantitative PCR, sequencing, NGS and FISH based tests for inherited genetic diseases, hematologic malignancies, solid tumors and infectious diseases.

In the past, Datto worked in the Lab of Xiao-Fan Wang, defining the mechanisms by which transforming growth factor beta exerts its cellular actions in health and disease. Following the completion of medical school, Datto trained as a resident in pathology at Duke. He has been on faculty in the department of pathology ever since.

Outside of Duke, Datto has served on many national committees as a leader in laboratory medicine, including service to the College of American Pathologists as the Chair of the Accreditation Committee, and overseeing the accreditation decisions for all CAP accredited laboratories.

Datto received a BA from Johns Hopkins University in Biology. He went on to receive his MD and PhD from Duke University as part of the Medical Scientists Training Program.

Richard P. Shannon, MD serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Duke University Health System. In this role, Shannon works in partnership with our Nurse, Physician and Administrator triads to oversee governance, strategy and operational outcomes for our comprehensive centers of excellence, including Neurosciences, Heart, Oncology and Musculoskeletal.

As Chief Quality Officer for Duke Health, Shannon is responsible for the overall direction, leadership and operational management of the quality and safety programs of Duke Health, and provides leadership in strengthening a quality culture where everyone is engaged and respected.

Shannon received his BA from Princeton University and his MD from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He completed his training in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, his cardiovascular training at Massachusetts General Hospital, and was the Francis Weld Peabody Fellow and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School before becoming the Claude R. Joyner Professor of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Prior to joining Duke Health, he served as executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Virginia, where he worked with faculty and staff to transform the UVA Health System into the premier health care provider in Virginia. Shannon has also served as the Frank Wister Thomas Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and as Chair of the Department of Medicine at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Shannon has received numerous teaching awards from Harvard Medical School, Drexel University College of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Shannon’s investigative interests are in the areas of myocardial metabolism and heart failure, specifically the role of energetics in the progression of heart failure. Shannon’s lab was the first to discover the beneficial CV actions of incretins which formed the basis for Ventrigen, LLC, a company designed to develop incretins for the use in treating heart failure.

Shannon's pioneering work in patient safety is chronicled in the chapter “First, Do No Harm” in Charles Kenney’s The Best Practice - How the New Quality Movement is Transforming Medicine. His innovative work also has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, on CNN and CNBC news segments, and on ABC's "20/20", and was a centerpiece for the PBS report entitled "Remaking American Medicine." 

Shannon is an elected member of honorary organizations, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and served as a senior fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently is a teaching fellow for the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. He is a Director of the National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center Research Hospital Board; and a member of the Boards of Directors of the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., where he chairs the Quality Health Improvement Committee.

Lori Pickens, is the Associate Vice President, Oncology Services for Duke University Health System, as well as Administrator and Associate Dean, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University School of Medicine.Previously she served as Assistant Vice President, Clinical Programs, Duke Cancer Institute. Pickens joined Duke in 2007, serving as Director of the Duke Raleigh Cancer Center and in 2009 was named Administrative Director for the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.Before coming to Duke, she served as CEO of the American Lung Association of Missouri. Pickens also served as a director for a health plan operated by BJC Health System and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.Prior to her transition into health care, Pickens spent more than 12 years working in corporate America in a variety of management capacities. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and her MHA from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by an administrative fellowship at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan.

Michael Kastan, MD, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Duke Cancer Institute and William and Jane Shingleton Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology.

As a pediatric oncologist and a cancer biologist, Kastan conducts laboratory research concentrated on DNA damage and repair, tumor suppressor genes, and causes of cancer related to genetic predisposition and environmental exposures. His discoveries have made a major impact on our understanding of both how cancers develop and how they respond to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and his publications reporting the roles of p53 and ATM in DNA damage signaling are among the most highly cited publications in the biomedical literature of the past 25 years. He has received numerous honors for his highly cited work, including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, as well as receipt of the AACR-G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to basic cancer research. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute, on the Boards of Directors of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Association of Cancer Institutes (AACI), as editor-in-chief of the journal Molecular Cancer Research, and as editor of the textbook Clinical Oncology.

Kastan earned his degrees from the Washington University School of Medicine and did his clinical training in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Johns Hopkins University. Before moving to Duke in 2011, Kastan was a Professor of Oncology, Pediatrics and Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins University and Chair of the Hematology-Oncology department, as well as the Cancer Center Director at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. 

Rhonda Brandon is the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Duke University Health System.

In her role, Brandon oversees efforts to advance a world-class workforce that positions the health system to meet our long-term strategic goals. She is a key driver of our initiatives to improve performance measurement, professional development and our work culture. She offers trusted counsel to senior staff, advocating on behalf of all of our employees.

Brandon was most recently the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for BJC Healthcare in St. Louis, MO. She joined BJC Healthcare in 2006 as Vice President of Human Resources for Missouri Baptist Medical Center and was named Vice President of Operations for BJC’s Shared Services Human Resources team in 2010.

Prior to her service to BJC Healthcare, Brandon served as Vice President of Human Resources for Colonial Pipeline Company and prior to that, as Director of Human Resources and Global Information Technology for Nike. She is a cum laude graduate of Hampton University (BA, mass communications) and American University (MS, organization development.)

Kevin W. Sowers, MSN, RN, FAAN, is the President of Duke University Hospital. Sowers joined Duke University Hospital in 1985 as a staff nurse in oncology and has been in leadership roles within Duke University Health System over the last 20 years.Prior to becoming president, Sowers served as the Chief Operating Officer for Duke University Hospital from 2003 to 2009. He received his BSN from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio and his MSN from Duke University School of Nursing. Sowers is accountable for the operations of the 957-bed academic teaching hospital with over 10,000 faculty, staff and volunteers. He is responsible for driving organizational excellence and implementing the strategic plan of the organization in collaboration with the Duke Health physician group. Sowers is internationally known for his lectures and writings on the issues of leadership, organizational change, mentorship and cancer care. He is currently on the Board of Directors for University Healthcare Consortium and the Counsel of Teaching Hospitals. He is adjunct faculty at Duke University School of Nursing, Duke University Fuqua School of Business and UNC School of Public Health. He has also served in leadership roles with the American Heart Association, Susan G. Komen and a variety of leadership roles at the national level within the Oncology Nursing Society.  

Shilpa Shelton, MHA, FACHE, is Associate Vice President for Musculoskeletal & Spine Services at Duke University Health System.

Prior to this role, Shelton was the vice president for Duke University Hospital and provided senior administrative oversight for neuroscience and orthopedic clinical services, including procedural and diagnostic services such as neurodiagnostic services, pain services, and physical therapy and occupational therapy services. In addition, she oversees hospital-based outpatient clinics for orthopaedic trauma, spine and pain services.

Prior to being appointed to vice president, Shelton served as senior strategic services associate and led strategic planning efforts for the integration of the newly formed Duke University Health System. In prior roles, she spearheaded operations improvement initiatives and breakthrough clinical quality improvement. In addition, she has successfully led several financial turn-around initiatives, as well as hospital-wide physician satisfaction initiatives.

She received her undergraduate degree in biology from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts and her master’s in health care administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Shelton completed her Administrative Fellowship at Mercy Health System in Michigan.

Shelton is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives and served on its National Chapter Leaders Committee. She is Past President of the Triangle Healthcare Executive Forum. Shelton also served as an adjunct faculty member for Pfeiffer University’s MHA/MBA program teaching Healthcare Finance. She is often a speaker at Fuqua School of Business’ Health Sector Management Program, as well as orthopedic conferences across the country.

William J. Fulkerson, Jr., MD, is professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and former Executive Vice President for Duke University Health System (DUHS). As executive vice president, he oversaw over a decade of unprecedented quality, growth and community benefit across the health system clinical enterprise.

Fulkerson is a North Carolina native and received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he also completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine. Fulkerson earned his MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business in 2002. 

Fulkerson has served previously as Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs for DUHS, CEO of Duke University Hospital, and Vice President of the Duke University Health System. He is a nationally recognized specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine, and has authored/co-authored numerous books, chapters and peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Fulkerson has twice received the Eugene A. Stead Jr. Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Duke Department of Medicine. He is past Chairman of the Board of Trustees, North Carolina Hospital Association. In 2021, he was awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest honor, which recognizes persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.