Chair's Message

For the past 20 years, I have had the privilege of serving as Chair of Duke Radiation Oncology. Over that time, I have watched our Department grow and change.

We've more than doubled our employed radiation oncologists (from 16 in 2004 to 34 in 2024), and tripled our employed medical physicists (from 12 in 2004 to 36 in 2024). We now treat an average of 342 patients a day across our nine clinical locations. 

More broadly, we have worked diligently to provide our patients and their families with exceptional, compassionate care at our Duke Cancer Center clinic and our many satellite locations. We have educated and trained the next generations of radiation oncology leaders in both clinical practice and research. And our labs – with specialized focuses on radiation and cancer biology and radiation physics – are pushing the frontiers of research in cancer. 

It's been rewarding for all of us as a team to see the remarkable contributions, growth and commitment of our faculty, trainees and staff over these years, especially during difficult and challenging times. 

We are very pleased to share our 2024 Annual Report, which includes standout stories about each of our missions – patient care, research and education – as well as a highlight on our physics division, prominent news stories and a "by the numbers" look at Duke Radiation Oncology.

Christopher Willett, MD

Christopher Willett, MD
Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology