Background

As Dr. Payne began his leadership of the Institute, he solicited the assistance of the Oxford Consulting Group (Neil Douglas and Theresa Wykowski) to work with him on assessing the status and position of the Institute and on creating its strategic direction. The Oxford Consulting Group interviewed faculty members and staff associated with the Institute to assist Dr. Payne in understanding its history as well as the level of awareness and expectations of the Duke University faculty and staff regarding the Institute.

Interviewees expressed positive perceptions of the Institute’s past programs and activities, a desire to see the Institute address its opportunities more aggressively within the interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial culture of Duke, and a need to amplify its profile in the university.

The leadership of the Institute has been augmented with the recruitment of Jeanne Twohig as deputy director. Ms. Twohig comes to the Institute from Promoting Excellence in End of Life Care, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The following individuals or positions constitute the current Institute staff or closely-affiliated faculty:

Richard Payne, M.D., Director
Jeanne Twohig, M.P.A. , Deputy Director
Allen Verhey, Ph.D., Faculty, Duke Divinity School
Tonya Armstrong, Ph.D., M.T.S., Lecturer in Pastoral Theology, Duke Divinity School
James Tulsky, M.D., Liaison to Duke Medical Center
Dana Hall, Executive Assistant