The Galen Wagner Endowment

The Galen Wagner Endowment Fund has been established for the sole purpose of supporting a DUCCS Director who will be a member of the Duke Cardiology faculty.

 

Galen watercolor
Galen watercolor by Chris Wagner

Endowing the Future of DUCCS – The Galen Wagner Endowment Fund

Galen Wagner, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke. A native of central Pennsylvania, Galen first came to Duke in 1957 and has remained at Duke since. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a medical degree, and he later served as a resident under Eugene Stead, M.D. After cardiology training, Galen’s early work at Duke included serving as director of the Cardiac Care Unit and having seminal involvement with the Myocardial Infarction Research Unit (MIRU) and with the creation of the Duke DataBank for Cardiovascular Disease. He also was one of the first of the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) outreach attendings, spending several decades traveling to Cabarrus County and teaching many staff members there.

Galen was influential in shaping the Division of Cardiovascular Disease through its formative years, especially in the training of young people. His own gifts for bringing out the best in others has marked his entire career. He served as a mentor, guide, guru, and even “the burr under the saddle” to numerous high school students, undergraduates, medical students, residents, fellows, and junior and senior faculty. His mentoring has extended to Europe, where he has become an advisor to many graduate and medical students from Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Following the advice of his own mentor, Eugene Stead, Galen has been the force behind many national and international projects and groups. Previously, he served as a member of the Stead Scholarship Committee, co-director of DUCCS, and chair of the 34th Annual Computers in Cardiology Conference in 2007. He is an honorary fellow of the Stanley J. Sarnoff Society.

DUCCS was born in 1987 based on Dr. Eugene Stead’s concept of a “university without walls.” After Dr. Joseph Greenfield recruited the founding DUCCS members from an international roster of former Duke cardiology fellows, Galen molded and sustained the organization for nearly a quarter of a century. During this time, a succession of devoted DUCCS board members have steered the organization from afar.

For those who work and live far from Durham, DUCCS has always been a principal means of maintaining contact with Duke University. For those in the community practice of cardiology, DUCCS is the reason many have been involved in ongoing clinical research. We owe a debt to DUCCS that we can repay in small measure through our contributions to the Galen Wagner Endowment Fund. The Endowment Fund has been established for the sole purpose of supporting a DUCCS Director who will be a member of the Duke Cardiology faculty. It is our hope that, with the support and generosity of donors like you, we will raise $1.5 million to fully endow the Galen Wagner Endowment Fund. Thank you for being a part of this landmark event by making a charitable gift to ensure the future of DUCCS.

 

Contributing to the Endowment

By Check
Make checks out to Duke University

Send to:
Blue Dean c/o Duke Heart Center
710 W Main Street, Suite 200
Durham, NC 27701

*Please note purpose of gift: Galen Wagner Endowment Fund

By Credit Card
https://www.gifts.duke.edu/
*Important: click on “Add unlisted designation” and enter Galen Wagner Endowment Fund / 611-6211

If you have any questions about contributing to the Galen Wagner Endowment, please contact Blue Dean
Executive Director, Development, Duke Heart Center
710 W. Main Street, Suite 200 | Durham, NC 27701
919-385-3159 | blue.dean@duke.edu