Kenneth Mahaffey, MD

ken mahaffey photo

I am delighted to be joining the DUCCS Board of Directors.  I spent 20 years at Duke as a cardiology fellow, a clinician in the Division of Cardiology, and a faculty member at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.  Over those 20 years I worked with many current and former DUCCS members on clinical trials.  In July of 2013, I moved with my family to Northern California to become Vice Chair of Clinical Research in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University to continue working with my good friend and colleague, Bob Harrington the Chairman of Medicine at Stanford.  We have a goal of growing the clinical research enterprise at Stanford to compliment the tremendous history of basic discovery and innovation on the Stanford Campus.

In the fall of 2014 we launched the Stanford Center for Clinical Research (SCCR) as a resource for Stanford School of Medicine faculty and researchers who are conducting translational and clinical investigation.  Engaging with DUCCS members who are interested in multi center clinical trials, particularly on the west coast, is a priority for us.  While the SCCR will support research programs across the entire Department of Medicine, my personal research interest will remain the design and conduct of multicenter clinical trials and analyses of important clinical cardiac issues using large patient databases.  I have already joined the Stanford IRB after serving on the Duke IRB for 10 years.

The methodology of clinical research is in rapid evolution as we leverage large data sources including electronic health records and mobile technology to acquire more data and engage with more patients than ever before.  I hope DUCCS investigators will continue to be leaders in the field of clinical research.

My wife and I are excited to be back on the west coast.  I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and my wife was born in Vancouver, BC, but moved to Northern California in the sixth grade.  Our two sons, ages 10 and 8, have quickly become ‘California kids’ and have also enjoyed being closer to cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.  They have been a bit disappointed in the Pacific Ocean since it is much colder than the coastal North Carolina waters and in the number of wineries they have to visit with mom and dad.  Lots of great things happening at Stanford and in California, come visit if you are in the area!