Duke Medicine Timeline

- Duke North opens

The new $94.5 million, 616-bed Duke Hospital opens, bringing the total number of patient beds to more than 1,000.

- Highland Hospital sold

Duke University sells Highland Hospital to Psychiatric Institutes of America.

- AZT clinical trials

Duke becomes one of two hospitals to conduct the first human clinical trials of AZT, the first drug to offer a substantial improvement in quality of life for AIDS patients.

- Duke Life Flight begins

Duke Life Flight becomes the first hospital based helicopter service in North Carolina.

- 4th Dean appointed

Dr. Ralph Snyderman appointed Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine on 1 January.

- Comprehensive Cancer Center established

Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center develops the nation's first outpatient bone-marrow transplantation program