This year, the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) celebrates a major milestone: 30 years of advancing clinical research to improve health around the world.
But the DCRI’s story begins well before 1996. It starts in 1967, in a repurposed hyperbaric chamber on the Duke campus known as the “Tin Hut,” where an unlikely alliance of physicians, statisticians, and computer programmers set out to use emerging computing technology to improve cardiac patient care. That effort evolved into the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease, and ultimately into the institution that would become the DCRI. The legacy built in those early decades of data-driven discovery laid the foundation for everything that followed.
Today, the DCRI is the world’s largest full-service, mission-driven academic clinical research organization, with expertise spanning cardiovascular medicine, respiratory and infectious diseases, pediatrics, digital health, implementation science, and more.
As we mark our 30th anniversary, the DCRI is reflecting on three decades of leadership while launching a yearlong celebration with the theme “30 Years and Beyond: Shaping the Future of Clinical Research.”
“While 30 years is an incredible achievement, this is just the beginning,” DCRI Executive Director Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, said. “As we look ahead, the DCRI is leading the way with bold innovation. We’re leveraging the latest capabilities in AI, expanding our commitment to patient engagement, and continuing to advance novel methods in clinical trials.”
Celebrating People and Partnerships
The DCRI community has spent three decades at the forefront of research that has transformed health care and saved lives. DCRI faculty are regularly recognized among the world’s top 1% of the most highly cited researchers, and DCRI studies have been named among the most practice-changing in modern medicine.
Equally central to that record of excellence is the DCRI’s deeply experienced operational staff, which includes experts in data management, biostatistics, regulatory affairs, clinical operations, and more. Collectively, their expertise and institutional loyalty have made the DCRI a trusted research partner for decades.
A central focus of the anniversary is recognizing the faculty, staff, collaborators, and research participants who have powered DCRI’s growth and impact. The celebration will highlight key achievements across the decades and the colleagues whose ideas and dedication have advanced DCRI’s mission: developing and sharing knowledge that improves health for all.
Looking Forward: A Theme That Points the Way
The anniversary theme, “30 Years and Beyond: Shaping the Future of Clinical Research,” reflects DCRI’s long-standing commitment to advancing scientific excellence and training the next generation of leaders. It represents not only celebration but an understanding that the next era of clinical research will demand creativity, collaboration, and a relentless focus on our mission.
The theme “captures our commitment to continue pushing boundaries, sharing knowledge widely, and training the next generation of leaders who will carry our work forward,” Hernandez said.
A Year of Looking Back and Moving Forward
Throughout 2026, the DCRI will commemorate the anniversary with stories, events, historical highlights, and forward-looking initiatives that showcase how three decades of expertise have set the foundation for the decades ahead.
Elements of this year’s campaign include:
-
A DCRI service campaign demonstrating the institute’s commitment to our communities and partners
-
Opportunities for the broader clinical research community to engage with DCRI thought leadership
-
A “30 Years of Stories” digital storytelling project to capture the moments and memories from the last three decades
-
Special episodes of the Beyond the Endpoint podcast featuring current and former DCRI leaders
-
Celebratory events for DCRI faculty, staff, colleagues, and partners
-
To keep up with the latest anniversary content and events, connect with the DCRI on LinkedIn or by following @DCRINews on X and @DCRINews on Bluesky.
Learn more about our history and forward vision
Here’s to the next 30 years—and beyond.