Why Duke?

At many medical schools, you either sink or swim, but at Duke, we put a lot of emphasis on helping students navigate their way through the experience. Our faculty members include world-class clinicians and researchers—and because Duke is a regional referral center, our clinicians have seen everything. Our technology is state of the art, we have a strong institutional interest in evidence-based medicine, and you can get formal training in clinical research that's not available in most places.

Known for:

I give first-year students a lecture on menopause right before the holiday break. They're panicking because all they've learned so far is biochemistry, but their families think they're doctors now. So I tell them, “Now you can tell Mom and Dad all about menopause and hormone replacement therapy, and assure them that the money they're spending on medical school is being put to good use.

How to get the most out of medical school

In addition to all the memorizing and reading, it's also important to ask lots of questions. Get close to the professors you find most interesting, and learn from them directly. And remember that being a doctor isn't the same as being in medical school—it won't always be like this. So let go of the little stuff, try to be as open as you can to figuring out what's most interesting to you, and use the available resources to help you learn.

On keeping your communication skills while developing your clinical ones

I frequently see students who are afraid to talk to patients because they don't know all the answers yet. Students should remember to hang onto their natural communication skills, stay spontaneous and curious, and not worry so much about whether they can make the right differential diagnosis yet. They're embarking on a journey of lifelong learning, and that includes learning from patients.

On helping students form partnerships with patients

I teach students and residents with the perspective that the patient may not be coming to you to be told what to do, as they might in other disciplines such as infectious diseases or oncology, but to become partners in their own care. Women have an especially strong interest in learning more about health issues and making their own decisions. So I teach students how to listen and answer questions and serve as their patients’ advisors, consultants, and partners.

On building a women's health program

While women's health has traditionally been largely defined as gynecological, I've long felt that there were many issues that deserved attention by non-gynecologists, that took into account behavioral and social perspectives as well. There aren't well-defined avenues to a career in women's health, and there are many ways to get there. At Duke, we have a women's health rotation for residents in internal medicine, and a women's health fellowship. And, in response to several requests, I'm currently working with a team that's developing a women's health rotation for medical students.