DCRI Accomplishments showcases the publications, awards, and other achievements of our faculty members. Each quarter, a new collection will highlight the most recent accomplishments.
During Spring 2026, DCRI faculty members were appointed to leadership roles in influential scientific and medical organizations, and received prestigious awards and notable promotions.
Al-Khatib Appointed as 2026-27 President of the Heart Rhythm Society
Sana Al-Khatib, MD, MHS, has been named president of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) for the 2026–2027 term, recognizing her leadership in cardiac electrophysiology and clinical research. A tenured professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine and a DCRI faculty member, Al-Khatib is a board-certified clinical electrophysiologist whose work focuses on cardiac arrhythmias. Her clinical expertise includes sudden cardiac death prevention, ventricular arrhythmias, implantable cardiac devices, and atrial fibrillation. Her research spans the design and conduct of clinical trials, outcomes research, electronic clinical decision support, and the use of big data. She has authored more than 420 peer-reviewed publications.
Al-Khatib’s appointment was announced during the society’s annual conference in April 2026.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to preside over the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS),” Al-Khatib said. “I intend to serve all of our members by working with them to counter the challenges that surround us, including the dwindling resources and support for us as clinicians, misinformation and attacks on science that aim to stifle us as we strive to discover and innovate. I also plan to focus on reimbursement challenges and projected payment cuts that will undoubtedly impede patients’ access to the excellent care they deserve, and the threat of decreasing research funding and resources.”
Al-Khatib outlined several priorities she has for the organization, including growing the society’s community and increasing member engagement, leading the development of a new strategic plan, strengthening global connections and the society’s international leadership in electrophysiology, supporting trainees and early-career clinicians, and advancing research and awareness around the prediction and prevention of sudden cardiac death—an area that has been central to her career.
DCRI Deputy Director Benjamin Selected for Duke Medical Alumni Association Award
DCRI faculty member Danny Benjamin, MD, MPH, PhD, has been selected as a recipient of the Duke Medical Alumni Association’s Distinguished Faculty Award. Leaders of the association and the Duke University School of Medicine selected Benjamin based on his pioneering work in pediatric infectious diseases.
Benjamin will receive his award at a special celebratory luncheon on Nov. 13, 2026.
As the DCRI Deputy Director, the Kiser‑Arena Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, and the principal investigator and chair of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Pediatric Trials Network (PTN), Benjamin has led national efforts to determine safe and effective dosing of more than 100 of the most commonly used pediatric therapeutics.
His research portfolio reflects exceptional breadth and impact. Benjamin has led multiple platform trials enrolling nearly 10,000 participants across diverse populations, including premature and term infants, breastfeeding mother–infant pairs, children from birth to age 18, children with obesity, and children receiving ECMO support. His long‑running POPS study, ongoing since 2010, continues to inform the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of essential medicines in children. Additional trials have addressed analgesics, anti‑seizure medications, antipsychotics, and therapeutics for adults with COVID‑19. These efforts have resulted in FDA labeling changes for more than a dozen molecules, directly improving the safety and effectiveness of treatments for children nationwide.
Learn more about Benjamin’s impact and the Distinguished Faculty Award.
Lindsell Named an Inaugural Fellow of ACTS
DCRI faculty member and Duke School of Medicine Vice Dean for Data Science and AI Chris Lindsell, PhD, was among four Duke School of Medicine leaders named to the inaugural class of Fellows of the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS). The fellows were recognized at an induction celebration on April 22 and selected from more than 6,000 members of the ACTS.
ACTS is a non-profit membership association of translational scientists from the nation’s leading academic medical centers. Their new fellows program recognizes individuals who have made substantial contributions to and service within the clinical and translational science field and who are an essential part of the clinical and translational community.
With more than three decades of impact across biostatistics, informatics, and clinical trials, Lindsell has shaped clinical evidence ecosystems. His work spans multicenter, FDA‑regulated trials, large‑scale observational studies, and learning health systems that include laboratory, bedside, and community settings. His innovations in risk stratification and prognosis, including patented algorithms and national data coordination leadership, have had a lasting influence on how research is designed, governed, and translated into practice. As lead of CTSI’s Biomedical Informatics and Data Science pillar, Lindsell continues to advance rigorous, inclusive, and actionable approaches to clinical evidence generation.
“My career has focused on making it easy, fun, and rewarding for researchers to answer impactful questions,” Lindsell said. “ACTS is the premier organization dedicated to accelerating the impact of science on human health and vitality, and it is humbling to be recognized among the giants that have toiled tirelessly to improve the lives of everyone.”
DCRI Faculty Receive Duke School of Medicine Awards
Four DCRI faculty members were among those honored as part of the Duke School of Medicine’s 2026 Faculty Awards, announced on May 13. The awards celebrate the excellence and dedication of faculty members who embody the School’s mission and values. View the full list of 2026 Faculty Award recipients.
2026 faculty award winners from the DCRI are:
Gerald Bloomfield, MD, MPH: Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award
The Winn Award recognizes individuals who have significantly advanced inclusive excellence within the School of Medicine community. Bloomfield, an associate professor of medicine in the DCRI’s cardiology therapeutic area, was joined by Cindy Canty-Dumas, MSW, Program Coordinator for the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Center for Research, Community Engagement, Social Impact & Trust this year.
Mitchell Krucoff, MD: Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award
This award honors faculty who demonstrate compassion, clinical excellence, and respect in patient care. Krucoff, a professor of medicine in the DCRI’s cardiology therapeutic area, joined Julie Thacker, MD, as a recipient of the award this year.
Jennifer Rymer, MD, MBA, MHS: Early Career Research Mentoring Award in Clinical/Translational Science
This award recognizes excellence in mentoring across clinical, translational, population health, and basic sciences. Rymer is an associate professor of medicine in the DCRI’s cardiology therapeutic area and the incoming associate director of the DCRI Fellowship program.
Christoph Hornik, MD, PhD, MPH: Career Research Mentoring Award in Clinical/Translational Science
This award recognizes excellence in mentoring across clinical, translational, population health, and basic sciences. Hornik is the Samuel L. Katz Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and a faculty member in the DCRI’s pediatrics therapeutic area.
Piccini Named Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases
DCRI cardiologist Jonathan Piccini, Sr., MD, MHS, was recently named the Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases. He was among 22 Duke School of Medicine and 38 Duke University faculty members awarded distinguished professorships and honored at a celebration on May 18. Distinguished professorships are awarded to faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health.
Piccini is a professor and director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Section in the Division of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine. He also has an appointment in population health sciences. His focus is on the care of patients with atrial fibrillation and complex arrhythmias, with particular emphasis on catheter ablation, pacing, and lead extraction. His research interests include the development and evaluation of innovative cardiovascular interventions for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders. He has made seminal contributions in his field, and his work has led to numerous changes in clinical guidelines.
Read more about the School of Medicine faculty awarded distinguished professorships.
DCRI Faculty Members Receive Promotion to Full Professor
Four DCRI faculty members were among the Duke University faculty members who received promotions to the rank of full professor in 2025 or were hired as full professors since last year’s announcement.
The DCRI faculty members promoted to full professor include Lisa Wruck, PhD, Christina Wyatt, MD, Rachel Greenberg, MD, MS, MHSCR, and Kim Huffman, MD, PhD. Collectively, these faculty members contribute expertise across biostatistics and bioinformatics, nephrology, pediatrics, rheumatology, and immunology, reinforcing DCRI’s multidisciplinary approach to leadership in advancing clinical research and improving patient outcomes.
“Congratulations to our faculty who have been promoted or appointed to the rank of full professor,” said Abbas Benmamoun, Duke University vice provost for faculty advancement. “This milestone is the culmination of a rigorous and thorough review by faculty peers inside and outside Duke and by the academic leaders at the department/division, school, and campus levels. The review process looks for distinction, leadership, and impact in research, teaching and engagement, and for prominence in the relevant area of expertise nationally and internationally. These faculty colleagues represent all facets of academic excellence that are essential to Duke’s core mission of discovery, education, and engagement.”
View the full list of the Duke faculty members promoted to full professor.
