In 2009, more than 250 Duke physicians were named by their colleagues around the state as among North Carolina 's very best -- the doctors whom they would select for their own medical care or that of their families.

The names of these highly respected Duke physicians appear on this year's annual list of North Carolina's Best Doctors, published in the November 2009 edition of Business North Carolina magazine. Fewer than 5 percent of all North Carolina physicians made the final list.

The Duke physicians who received this recognition practice within a broad variety of specialties -- from cancer care to cardiology, OB-GYN to ophthalmology. They work closely with their fellow Duke doctors within dedicated multidisciplinary teams to provide sophisticated, compassionate, patient-centered care. In fact, the Duke physicians honored in Business North Carolina represent the extraordinary training, expertise, and dedication of all of our physicians. And of that, we're very proud indeed.

Below are Duke physicians recognized on the list.

Anesthesiology / Cardiac Division

• Solomon Aronson, MD
• Joseph P. Mathew, MD, MHSc
• Mark F. Newman, MD
• Mark Stafford-Smith, MD

Anesthesiology / GVTU Division

• Catherine M. Kuhn, MD

Anesthesiology / OHNO Division

• Cecil O. Borel, MD
• Jeffrey M. Taekman, MD
• David S. Warner, MD

Anesthesiology / Pain Division

• Winston C.V. Parris, MD

Anesthesiology / Pediatric Division

• Scott R. Schulman, MD
• B. Craig Weldon, MD

Anesthesiology / Women's Division

• Holly A. Muir, MD

Community and Family Medicine / Family Medicine - General

• Kathryn M. Andolsek, MD, MPH
• Blake R. Boggess, DO
• Jeffrey R. Bytomski, DO
• Joyce A. Copeland, MD
• Margaret Gradison, MD, MHS-CL
• Victoria S. Kaprielian, MD
• Lisa B. Nadler, MD
• Barbara L. Sheline, MD, MPH
• Gloria M. Trujillo, MD
• Samuel W. Warburton, MD
• Kimberly S. Yarnall, MD

Community and Family Medicine / Occupational and Environmental Medicine-General

• George W. Jackson, MD
• Woodhall Stopford, MD, MSPH

Dermatology

• Claude S. Burton III, MD
• Jonathan L. Cook, MD
• Russell P. Hall, MD
• John C. Murray, MD
• Elise A. Olsen, MD
• Neil S. Prose, MD

Medicine / Cardiology

• Thomas M. Bashore, MD
• Richard C. Becker, MD
• Michael A. Blazing, MD
• Robert M. Califf, MD
• James P. Daubert, MD
• Pamela S. Douglas, MD
• Victor J. Dzau, MD
• Neil J. Freedman, MD
• Thomas Gehrig, MD
• Ruth A. Greenfield, MD
• J. Kevin Harrison, MD
• Joseph A. Kisslo, MD
• Daniel B. Mark, MD
• Christopher O'Connor, MD
• E. Magnus Ohman, MD
• Harry R. Phillips III, MD
• Joseph G. Rogers, MD
• Michael H. Sketch Jr., MD
• Andrew Wang, MD
• Mark A. Winchester, MD

Medicine / Cellular Therapy

• Nelson J. Chao, MD
• Keith M. Sullivan, MD

Medicine / Endocrinology, Metabolism, & Nutrition

• Ann J. Brown, MD, MHS
• Warner M. Burch, MD
• Diana B. McNeill, MD

Medicine / Gastroenterology

• M. Stanley Branch, MD
• Anna Mae E. Diehl, MD

Medicine / General Internal Medicine

• Martha B. Adams, MD, MA
• Lawrence H. Greenblatt, MD
• Michael Meredith, MD
• Eugene Z. Oddone, MD, MHS
• Robert W. Paterson, MD
• Bruce T. Peyser, MD
• Anne F. Phelps, MD
• James A. Tulsky, MD
• Kevin B. Waters, MD

Medicine / Geriatrics

• Kenneth W. Lyles, MD
• Kenneth E. Schmader, MD

Medicine / Hematology

• Thomas L. Ortel, MD, PhD

Medicine / Infectious Diseases

• G. Ralph Corey, MD
• Charles B. Hicks, MD
• Daniel J. Sexton, MD
• Nathan M. Thielman, MD, MPH

Medicine / Medical Oncology

• Kimberly L. Blackwell, MD
• Jeffrey Crawford, MD
• Carlos M. De Castro III, MD
• Louis F. Diehl, MD
• Jon P. Gockerman, MD
• Gretchen G. Kimmick, MD, MS
• Gary H. Lyman, MD, MPH
• Paul Kelly Marcom, MD
• Joseph O. Moore, MD
• Michael A. Morse, MD, MHS
• Victoria L. Seewaldt, MD

Medicine / Nephrology

• David W. Butterly, MD
• John P. Middleton, MD
• Stephen R. Smith, MD, MHS
• Laura P. Svetkey, MD, MHS

Medicine / Neurology

• Richard S. Bedlack, MD, PhD, MS
• James R. Burke, MD, PhD
• Larry B. Goldstein, MD
• Lisa D. Hobson-Webb, MD
• Aatif M. Husain, MD
• Vern C. Juel, MD
• Daniel T. Laskowitz, MD
• E. Wayne Massey, MD
• Janice M. Massey, MD
• Joel C. Morgenlander, MD
• Rodney A. Radtke, MD
• Burton L. Scott, MD, PhD
• Mark A. Stacy, MD
• Warren J. Strittmatter, MD

Medicine / Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine

• William J. Fulkerson, MD
• Joseph A. Govert, MD
• D. Allen Hayes, MD
• Monica Kraft, MD
• Peter S. Kussin, MD
• Neil R. MacIntyre, MD
• Paul W. Noble, MD
• Scott M. Palmer, MD, MHS
• Claude A. Piantadosi, MD
• John S. Sundy, MD, PhD
• Victor F. Tapson, MD

Medicine / Rheumatology and Immunology

• Nancy B. Allen, MD
• David S. Caldwell, MD
• Lisa G. Criscione-Schreiber, MD
• John R. Rice, MD
• E. William St. Clair, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology / Gynecologic Oncology

• Andrew Berchuck, MD
• Laura J. Havrilesky, MD, MHSc
• Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD
• Fidel A. Valea, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology / Gynecology Specialties

• Tracy W. Gaudet, MD
• Charles H. Livengood, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology / Harris and Smith Ob/Gyn

• Charles O. Harris, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology / Maternal and Fetal

• Haywood L. Brown, MD
• R. Phillips Heine, MD
• Jeffrey A. Kuller, MD
• Elizabeth G. Livingston, MD

Obstetrics and Gynecology / Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility

• Thomas M. Price, MD
• David K. Walmer, MD, PhD

Ophthalmology / Comprehensive Ophthalmology

• Robin R. Vann, MD

Ophthalmology / Corneal Ophthalmology

• Natalie Afshari, MD
• Alan N. Carlson, MD
• Terry Kim, MD

Ophthalmology / Glaucoma

• R. Rand Allingham, MD
• Sanjay G. Asrani, MD
• Pratap Challa, MD
• Leon W. Herndon, MD
• Paul P. Lee, MD, JD

Ophthalmology / Pediatric Ophthalmology

• Edward G. Buckley, MD
• Laura B. Enyedi, MD
• Sharon F. Freedman, MD
• David K. Wallace, MD, MPH
• Terri L. Young, MD

Ophthalmology / Retinal Ophthalmology

• Sharon Fekrat, MD
• Glenn J. Jaffe, MD
• Brooks W. McCuen II, MD
• Prithvi Mruthyunjaya, MD
• Eric A. Postel, MD
• Cynthia A. Toth, MD

Orthopaedics

• Louis C. Almekinders, MD
• David E. Attarian, MD
• Brian E. Brigman, MD, PhD
• Mark E. Easley, MD
• Robert D. Fitch, MD
• William E. Garrett Jr., MD, PhD
• Richard D. Goldner, MD
• Scott S. Kelley, MD
• Joe T. Minchew, MD
• Claude T. Moorman III, MD
• James A. Nunley II, MD, MS
• Steven A. Olson, MD
• Selene G. Parekh, MD, MBA
• William J. Richardson, MD
• David S. Ruch, MD
• Dean C. Taylor, MD
• Alison P. Toth, MD

Pediatrics / Allergy/Immunology

• Rebecca H. Buckley, MD
• Wesley Burks, MD
• M. Louise Markert, MD, PhD
• Joseph L. Roberts, MD, PhD

Pediatrics / Cardiology

• Ronald J. Kanter, MD

Pediatrics / Chairman's Office/Pediatrics

• Kathleen A. McGann, MD
• Joseph W. St. Geme III, MD

Pediatrics / Children's Primary Care

• Michelle L. Bailey, MD
• Jeffrey P. Baker, MD, PhD
• Dennis A. Clements, MD, PhD, MPH
• Deborah L. Squire, MD
• Emmanuel B. Walter, MD, MPH

Pediatrics / Critical Care Medicine

• Ira M. Cheifetz, MD
• Jon N. Meliones, MD, MS

Pediatrics / Endocrinology

• Michael S. Freemark, MD
• Nancy Friedman, MD

Pediatrics / Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

• Martin H. Ulshen, MD

Pediatrics / Hematology/Oncology

• Susan G. Kreissman, MD

Pediatrics / Hospital and Emergency Medicine

• Karen S. Frush, MD

Pediatrics / Infectious Diseases

• Ross E. McKinney Jr., MD

Pediatrics / Medical Genetics

• Priya S. Kishnani, MD, MB, BS
• Dwight D. Koeberl, MD, PhD
• Vandana Shashi, MD, MB BS

Pediatrics / Medicine-Pediatrics

• Dean S. Miner, MD

Pediatrics / Neonatology

• C. Michael Cotten, MD, MHS
• Ronald N. Goldberg, MD
• Ricki F. Goldstein, MD
• David T. Tanaka, MD

Pediatrics / Nephrology

• John W. Foreman, MD
• Shashi K. Nagaraj, MD, MBBS
• Delbert R. Wigfall, MD

Pediatrics / Ped - Community Programs

• Douglas W. Clark, MD
• Lisa Ferrari, MD
• Martha E. Gagliano, MD

Pediatrics / Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division

• Joanne Kurtzberg, MD
• Paul L. Martin, MD, PhD

Pediatrics / Pulmonary

• Katharine A. Kevill, MD
• Richard M. Kravitz, MD
• J. Marc Majure, MD
• Thomas M. Murphy, MD
• Judith A. Voynow, MD

Pediatrics / Rheumatology

• Egla C. Rabinovich, MD, MPH
• Laura E. Schanberg, MD

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences / Biological Psychiatry

• K. Ranga Krishnan, MBBS
• Ashwin A. Patkar, MD
• Richard D. Weiner, MD, PhD

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences / Geriatric Psychiatry

• Dan G. Blazer, MD, PhD
• Harold G. Koenig, MD, MHSc

Radiation Oncology / Radiation Oncology - Clinical Support

• David M. Brizel, MD
• Brian G. Czito, MD
• W. Robert Lee, MD, MEd, MS

Radiation Oncology / Radiation Oncology - General

• Christopher G. Willett, MD

Radiology / Abdominal Imaging

• Barbara S. Hertzberg, MD
• Elmar M. Merkle, MD
• Rendon Nelson, MD
• Erik K. Paulson, MD

Radiology / Cardiopulmonary

• Philip C. Goodman, MD
• H. Page McAdams, MD
• Lacey Washington, MD

Radiology / Neuroradiology

• James M. Provenzale, MD

Radiology / Nuclear Medicine

• Salvador Borges-Neto, MD
• R. Edward Coleman, MD

Radiology / Pediatric Radiology

• Donald P. Frush, MD

Surgery / Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery

• Thomas A. D'Amico, MD
• R. Duane Davis, MD
• Donald D. Glower, MD
• Carmelo A. Milano, MD
• Peter K. Smith, MD

Surgery / Emergency Medicine

• Victoria L. Thornton, MD, MBA

Surgery / General Surgery

• Bryan M. Clary, MD
• H. Kim Lyerly, MD
• Richard L. McCann, MD
• Leila Mureebe, MD
• John A. Olson Jr., MD, PhD
• Theodore N. Pappas, MD
• Debra L. Sudan, MD
• Douglas S. Tyler, MD
• James S. Wilson Jr., MD

Surgery / Neurosurgery

• Gavin W. Britz, MB BCh, MPH
• Allan H. Friedman, MD
• Henry S. Friedman, MD
• Herbert E. Fuchs, MD, PhD
• Robert E. Isaacs, MD

Surgery / Otolaryngology

• Ramon M. Esclamado, MD, MS
• Eileen M. Raynor, MD
• Richard L. Scher, MD
• Debara L. Tucci, MD, MS
• David L. Witsell, MD, MHS

Surgery / Pediatric Surgery

• Henry E. Rice, MD

Surgery / Plastic, Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery

• Jeffrey R. Marcus, MD
• Michael R. Zenn, MD

Surgery / Urology

• Craig F. Donatucci, MD
• Judd W. Moul, MD
• Glenn M. Preminger, MD
• George D. Webster, MD
• John S. Wiener, MD

How Was the List of North Carolina's Best Doctors Compiled?

To compile the listings, Business North Carolina contracted with Best Doctors Inc., a private company based in Boston. The firm conducts physician research throughout the United States and several other countries.

Best Doctors asked 40,000 doctors nationwide to submit their evaluations of practitioners in various medical specialties. The doctors were also asked whom they themselves would go to for medical care, or to whom they would refer a member of their families if they needed treatment. Best Doctors compiled the results, verified licenses and board certifications, and checked medical boards for disciplinary actions.