For nearly 60 years, graduates of the Cardiology Fellows Training Program at Duke University Medical Center have made a major positive impact on the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease. These physicians have been at the forefront of developing strategies for improving health care: carrying out both clinical and basic research as well as delivering outstanding patient care and training future cardiologists. The primary purpose of this book is not only to document these achievements, but also to examine the nature of the training program and to whatever extent possible, define the factors which have led to the outstanding results.

This programmatic description encompasses the period from the Origin through June 2003. Throughout the manuscript, the designation “fellow” denotes a physician either during or after finishing the fellowship. In order to be included, a fellow must have been enrolled in the Program for at least one year (with two exceptions).

In presenting the large body of material, Chapters II–VII deal with specific time periods. Each of these chapters presents both a narrative of the programmatic development as well as a detailed table listing the names of the fellows, the types of training and subsequent careers. (A detailed explanation of the content of these tables is given at the end of Chapter II.) The remaining chapters deal with specific aspects of the training program. The appendices document publications, research trainees, research funding, and sources.