DukeMed Alumni News
Fall 2007

Nancy Andrews, Harvard Physician-Scientist
Named Dean of Duke University School of Medicine

Is only woman to lead one of
the nation's top 10 medical schools

Nancy C. Andrews, MD, PhD, an internationally renowned researcher and dean for basic sciences and graduate studies at Harvard Medical School, has been named dean of the Duke University School of Medicine. She begins her duties Oct. 1.

Andrews, 48, is the first woman to be appointed dean of Duke’s School of Medicine and becomes the only woman to lead one of the nation’s top 10 medical schools.

“I am deeply appreciative and humbled by the opportunity to lead one of the premier medical schools in the United States,” Andrews said. “Duke is clearly an outstanding school. It is relatively young compared to the places I’ve been, and not bogged down by tradition.” She praised Duke’s “academic and intellectual agility” and its leadership in forging interdisciplinary
approaches to science and medicine.

A pediatric hematologist/oncologist by training, Andrews has established herself as an accomplished leader and administrator. In her current role at Harvard, she oversees research in Harvard Medical School’s pre-clinical sciences departments, as well as physician-scientist and graduate education.
She previously served as the director of the Harvard-MIT MD/PhD Program, where she led the development of the program’s current curriculum. She is also an associate in medicine, Children’s Hospital, and a distinguished physician in pediatric oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Andrews is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences earlier this year. She was also a Howard Hughes Investigator from 1993 to 2006.

“My goal, and that of President (Richard) Brodhead, was to identify and recruit the best candidate in the country for this position, and it was clear to us early on that Dr. Andrews was that person,” said Victor J. Dzau, MD, chancellor for health affairs and president and CEO of the Duke University Health System. “I have known Nancy personally for several years and I am very pleased that she has accepted our offer. She is one of the most distinguished faculty leaders and physician-scientists at Harvard, and her recent service as dean of basic sciences and graduate studies has proven her to be an effective and decisive leader. I look forward to working with Dr. Andrews to further Duke’s academic excellence and to advance my commitment to ongoing efforts to increase diversity within Duke Medicine leadership and faculty.”

Andrews will succeed R. Sanders Williams, MD, who was recently promoted to the position of senior vice chancellor for academic affairs after serving as dean of the medical school since April 2001.

“Dr. Andrews is one of the nation’s most accomplished physician-scientists, and she is very well prepared to take up the challenges and maximize the opportunities of the dean’s role at Duke,” Williams said. “She has grasped immediately how we expect to derive the greatest benefit from our new organizational structure. It’s difficult to imagine a better addition to our senior management team. For me personally, the prospect of working closely with her in the years ahead is tremendously pleasing.”

“I’ve been very impressed with everyone I’ve met so far,” said Andrews. She said she looks forward to learning more about Duke Medicine from talking with faculty and staff in their places of work. But Andrews will also rely heavily on e-mail to communicate. In person or online, “I like to be very accessible,” she said.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Andrews received BS and MS degrees in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University. In 1985, she received a PhD in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and two years later she received her MD from Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency at Children’s Hospital, Boston, and a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Children’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.

Andrews joined the Harvard faculty in 1991 as an instructor in pediatrics and rose through the academic ranks, being named to an endowed chair as full professor in 2003.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Andrews to Duke,” said Peter Lange, PhD, provost of Duke University. “She has excelled in everything she has done, with accomplishments ranging from research and teaching to administrative leadership of complex and often interdisciplinary programs. She brings to Duke a combination of experience, vision, and personal qualities that complements perfectly our strategic goals, priorities, and values.”

Reaction to Andrews Appointment

“Nancy Andrews is one of the nation’s leading physician-scientists. But her accomplishments go far beyond that. She has sparkled in every aspect of her career—as a physician, as a scientist, as an educator, and most recently as an administrator and dean of Harvard Medical School’s basic science and graduate programs. She has emerged as a leader who is able to take programs, organizations, and people to new heights. People respect her because she’s smart and decent and honest. Duke is a magnificent place, and it has made a magnificent choice in selecting Nancy Andrews as the next dean of the School of Medicine.”
David G. Nathan, MD
President emeritus, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

“Nancy was my graduate student at MIT, and she was a terrific student. She did a very imaginative job solving difficult problems. It was clear even in those days that she had the potential to do great things, and it’s been no surprise to see her rise through the academic ranks at Harvard. Among Nancy’s many wonderful qualities is her equanimity—she is highly regarded for her ability to work with others and find solutions for complex problems. Duke’s medical school has a tradition of great leadership, and Nancy is a wonderful choice to carry on that tradition.”
David Baltimore, PhD
Nobel Laureate
President emeritus, California Institute of Technology

“It has been my privilege to work closely with Nancy over the past 10 years in her various roles within the Harvard Medical School. Nancy is an extraordinarily capable person and has proven herself to be a wonderful researcher and a remarkable leader. I am very pleased that she has been extended this opportunity to serve as Dean at the Duke University
School of Medicine.”
Joseph B. Martin, MD, PhD
Former dean, Harvard Medical School