Duke Medical Center Archive Blog
Remembering Dr. James Urbaniak
Posted On: July 29, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
The Duke community was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Dr. James R. Urbaniak. He was a pioneering Master Surgeon, devoted mentor, and exceptional leader.
Dr. Urbaniak graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine in 1962 and also completed his residency training in Orthopaedics at Duke in 1969. Before completion, he served a tour of duty from 1963 to 1965 in the U.S. Navy as the Attending Physician to the United States Congress and Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
He joined Duke's faculty in 1969 as an Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery and was promoted to full professor in 1977. From 1985 to 2002, he served as the Chief of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery. He had a distinguished career at Duke being awarded the Virginia Flowers Baker… MORE
Category: News
Duke Cancer Institute’s BreakThroughs Magazine Available on MEDSpace
Posted On: June 17, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
Duke Cancer Institute’s (DCI) BreakThroughs magazine is produced annually by the DCI Office of Development, and it includes articles on how researchers, physicians, nurses, patients, donors, and volunteers work to change the rules on cancer. This publication is available to users on MEDSpace. Users can view past issues here.
Issues on MEDSpace date back to 2018, and the Archives will continue to add new issues as they become available.
MEDSpace is the Duke University Medical Center Archives’ Digital Repository. Digital… MORE
Category: Collection Spotlight
Duke Health History Reference Tools
Posted On: June 3, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
Sometimes when doing historical research, it can be very helpful to have some guideposts to orient yourself in time! The Archives has many tools to assist you in your historical research, but today we are highlighting two resources on the Archives website that might be useful.
Chancellors, Deans, and Department Chairs
We maintain a list of leadership tenure dates for the School of Medicine and School of Nursing deans as well as all School of Medicine department chairs all in one place! You can also consult this page to learn when departments were established. Knowing the names of the people of leadership can be a great starting point when researching the history of Duke Health to help narrow resources… MORE
Category: Collection Highlights
Duke Department of Anesthesiology’s BluePrint Magazine Available on MEDSpace
Posted On: May 7, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
Duke Anesthesiology’s BluePrint magazine is available to users on MEDSpace. Users can view past issues here. BluePrint is published once by the Duke Department of Anesthesiology, and it highlights the collaboration behind Duke Anesthesiology’s individuality and innovation that intertwine to build the future of patient care.
Issues on MEDSpace date back to 2009, and the Archives will continue to add new issues as they become available.
MEDSpace is the Duke University Medical Center Archives’ Digital Repository. Digital repositories are “the technical infrastructure, services, and resources for the storage and management of digital… MORE
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Happy Administrative Professionals Day!
Posted On: April 22, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
Administrative professionals are an important part of the Duke Health community. Across the Health System, they provide essential expertise and invaluable organizational support for the daily operations at Duke Health.
The Duke Administrative Professionals Affinity Group (APAG) is Duke's first affinity group for administrative professionals. During COVID, the need to connect with and support one another became more important than ever, and the group officially launched on July 1, 2021. As of 2024, the group has over 2000 members.
The Archives is proud to have some of their materials preserved in the Duke… MORE
Category: Collection Spotlight
On This Day: Dedication of the Medical School and Hospital
Posted On: April 20, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
The Duke University School of Medicine and Hospital was dedicated 95 years ago today on April 20, 1931. This anniversary is a great chance to highlight several digitized publications from this day that are available to view on MEDSpace, our digital repository!
Order of Exercises for the Dedication of the Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke Hospital
This program outlines the order of events for the day. It was quite a busy day with several events and many speakers!
Acceptance of the Buildings
One… MORE
Category: Collection Highlights
Inside the Vault: A Q&A with the Archives Team
Posted On: April 6, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
What role does your department play in supporting the library’s mission, and how does your team bring that mission to life for patrons?
Medical Center Archives actively collects the official records of the School of Medicine, Nursing, and all of Duke Health. This includes a variety of materials that tell the story of our institution’s activities, business, and interests… MORE
Category: News
Lights, Camera, Action… Duke Hospital?
Posted On: March 20, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony were held earlier this month. While some Duke alumni were part of the celebrations, the connection between movies and Duke Health is probably not an expected one. One of our most popular past blog posts is When Hollywood came to Duke: The Filming of Brainstorm at the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine & Environmental Physiology. We encourage you to revisit that post to learn more about the filming of Natalie Wood’s last film and view photographs of her in Duke’s hyperbaric chamber.
After learning about that film’s connection to… MORE
Category: Collection Highlights
Listen to Oral Histories to Celebrate Women’s History Month
Posted On: March 11, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
March is Women’s History Month! Learn more about Duke history by checking out our online exhibit: Women in Duke Health.
This exhibit highlights women in multiple fields at Duke, many of which were pioneers or firsts in their disciplines. It looks at their stories and the context in which those stories took place through oral histories. We encourage you to listen to the recordings or read the transcripts of these women talking about their experiences.
Further historical perspective is presented through individual profiles and interviews, a general timeline of events, and background interviews conducted with people who have a longtime view of Duke Medicine.
View the… MORE
Category: Collection Highlights
From Research Day to Repository: Radiology Scholarship in MEDSpace
Posted On: February 25, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
A new collection is now available in MEDSpace highlighting scholarship from the Department of Radiology’s inaugural Radiology Research Day, held January 29, 2026.
Radiology Research Day was developed by Dr. Jon Martin to showcase research conducted by residents and students within the Department of Radiology. After learning about MEDSpace through the 2025 Medical Center Library survey, Dr. Martin partnered with the Medical Center Library & Archives to create a dedicated collection preserving presentations from this event.
This collection represents a collaboration between the Department of Radiology and the Medical Center Library & Archives and provides a… MORE
Category: News
Black History at Duke Health
Posted On: February 2, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
February is Black History Month. During this month, we celebrate the legacy, achievements, and cultural impact of Black and African American individuals.
To learn more we encourage you to check out the Archives’ research guide Black History at Duke Health. The stories of Black people have been historically underrepresented and concealed in archival collections. Consequently researching their history can be difficult. Our guide aims to introduce researchers to materials documenting the history of Black individuals at the Duke Health. Included are oral histories, archival collections, photographs, audiovisual materials, and publications, selected key dates and key… MORE
Category: News
Remembering Mary Champagne
Posted On: January 8, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
The Duke community was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Mary T. Champagne, Dean Emerita of Duke University School of Nursing. She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of leadership, advocacy, and commitment to care. During her tenure as Dean from 1991-2004, she oversaw an important period of grow and development in the School of Nursing.
Mary Thomson Champagne was born in 1946. She first attended Jose State College where she earned a BSN in 1968. She then served in the Peace Corps from 1968 to 1971. While in the Peace Corps, she worked at the Hospital of Nursing in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan. In 1975, Champagne graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with an MSN and, in 1981, with a PhD.… MORE
Category: DUMC History
SHOWW Exhibit Materials added to the Department of Community and Family Medicine Records
Posted On: January 6, 2026 by Rebecca Williams
The Archives received an addition to the Department of Community and Family Medicine Records documenting the Safety and Health of Working Women (SHOWW) exhibit of 1999. This project was a collaboration of academic researchers (some from the Duke Department of Community and Family Medicine) and community representatives in rural northeastern North Carolina designed to explore occupation roots of health disparities. Materials were assembled by Dr. Hester J. Lipscomb. The addition includes 14 photographs and accompanying placards, as well as 4 additional descriptive placards. Exhibit materials date to 1999.
Over the years, this department has had several name changes. From 1979 to 2019 the department was named the… MORE
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A Year in Review: 2025 Additions to the Duke University Medical Center Archives
Posted On: December 16, 2025 by Rebecca Williams
The Duke University Medical Center Archives (DUMCA) actively collects the official records of the DUMC and DUHS departments and divisions, including a variety of materials that provide evidence of business, interests, and activities through the years. In doing so, the DUMCA serves as the institutional memory of the DUMC and DUHS by collecting, preserving, and making accessible materials that provide evidence of day to operations. Guided by our collection development policy, we strive to document the intellectual, administrative, social, cultural, and visual history of the DUMC and DUHS in order to provide evidence of past actions and contribute to an understanding of the structure and history of the DUMC and DUHS.
See below for a listing of materials added to the DUMCA. The types… MORE
Category: News
Faces of Duke Health Facilities Exhibit Now On Display!
Posted On: December 15, 2025 by Rebecca Williams
Faces of Duke Health: Facilities
Medical Center Library & Archives - Level 1
The Medical Center Library & Archives is excited to announce the second installment in our exhibit series Faces of Duke Health. This exhibit series celebrates the diverse roles that contribute to the Duke Health community. We are now highlighting the work of Engineering & Operations (E&0). The physical exhibit now offers a glimpse into the history of E&O at Duke as well as highlighting two wonderful facilities workers in our building!
Our first installment highlighted Environmental Services (EVS). If you missed this exhibit, you can check out our… MORE
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