Duke AI Health Leadership
Housed within the School of Medicine but drawing leadership, resources, and insights from across the entire University, AI Health will be helmed by a team that combines clinical knowledge and quantitative insight. Leading this team will be Duke Vice President for Research Lawrence Carin, PhD, who is also the James L. Meriam Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, and cardiologist and Duke University School of Medicine Vice Dean for Clinical Research Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, who is also the Executive Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. Under their guidance, AI Health will constitute one of three key pillars of a strategic initiative devoted to growing excellence in discovery science and technology at the University.
Lawrence Carin, PhD, Co-Director
Lawrence Carin, PhD, is the Duke University Vice President for Research and the James L. Meriam Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering. Dr. Carin’s early research was in the area of electromagnetics and sensing. Over the last 15 years, his research has focused on applied statistics and machine learning. As Vice President for Research, Professor Carin oversees Duke’s compliance with regulations on government-funded research as well as a host of research support services. He also shares responsibility for Duke’s Office of Licensing and Ventures, which manages intellectual property issues related to faculty research.
Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, Co-Director
Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, is the Duke University School of Medicine Vice Dean for Clinical Research. As Vice Dean for Clinical Research, Dr. Hernandez has direct responsibility for advancing the clinical research mission of the School of Medicine. He works with leaders in single and multi-site-based human research, patient care delivery, information technology, and health data science within School of Medicine departments, as well as centers and institutes including the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, in order to achieve the vision of advancing health and executing a coordinated strategy in clinical research to evolve the model of care and improve outcomes. Dr. Hernandez is also the newly named Executive Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).
Victoria Christian, Chief Operating Officer
Victoria Christian is the Chief Operating Officer of AI Health and Duke Forge. Victoria Christian has held executive leadership roles in clinical and translational research for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, CRO, and academic organizations. Before joining Duke Forge, she was COO of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and the Duke Translational Research Institute, a central institutional resource for translational researchers (now encompassed by the Duke Translational Research Institute). Ms. Christian played an instrumental leadership role in the conceptualization, design, and launch of the Measurement to Understand Re-Classification of Disease of Cabarrus County and Kannapolis (MURDOCK) Study, a major molecular epidemiology initiative made possible by a gift from David H. Murdock. She has held multiple positions at Duke University, where her operational leadership was crucial to the success of large clinical trials.