Members of the Shingleton Society gathered in April 2024 to honor this year's Shingleton awardees. Duke Cancer Institute Executive Director Michael Kastan, MD, PhD, provided an update on the institute. Carey Anders, MD, presented a keynote address.
Inspired by William W. Shingleton, MD, founding father and emeritus director of the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, this prestigious award recognizes the outstanding service and generosity of individuals committed to advancing the fight against cancer.
Congratulations to the 2024 awardees listed below. Learn more about them in the linked videos.
Donna Bernstein, the Shingleton Award for Distinguished Service
Heather Paradis Keyser (second from right) at the 2024 Shingleton Awards Ceremony.
Heather Paradis Keyser
Heather Paradis Keyser cared for hematology-oncology patients at Duke University Hospital as a nurse practitioner for 27 years. When she found her professional and personal world colliding after her late husband was diagnosed with leukemia, she leaned on Duke Cancer Institute and its Cancer Patient Support Program. In her late husband’s memory, she has given back through philanthropy and through volunteering.
Organizers of the Molly Malloy Smith Golf Tournament at the 2024 Shingleton Society Awards.
Molly Malloy Golf Tournament Organizers
This tournament in Chesapeake, Virginia, was started by family and friends of Molly Malloy Smith, who was treated at Duke Cancer Institute in 015.
Molly was, in her father’s words, “full of Irish moxie, had an infectious loud laugh, a quick, sharp wit, and was always up for a party. You could not ask for a better friend or a worse adversary.”
Molly was a well-respected member of the business community, and this tournament which honors her is embraced her business associates, friends, and golfers throughout the community.
Tournament organizers wanted to support DCI because Molly’s family was so impressed with care she received during her short time here.
This October they will host their 8th annual tournament.
Tracer Berger, MS, LMFT, (second from left) at the 2024 Shingleton Awards Ceremony.
Tracy Berger, MS, LMFT
Tracy Berger, MS, LMFT, Medical Family Therapist with the Duke Cancer Patient Support Program, joined Duke in 001 as a medical family therapy intern focused on the inpatient oncology units.
When the internship year was coming to an end, it was no surprise that she was offered a full therapy position. Over the years, she has provided countless hours of therapy to thousands of patients and their family members. She has been a caregiver partner alongside the provider team, who, themselves, say they “could not imagine working without her.”
Donna Bernstein, second from left, at the 2024 Shingleton Society Awards ceremony.
Donna Bernstein
Donna Berntein is an active DCI Board of Advisors member and has been a champion and a tireless advocate for the DCI and for the cancer cause. She and the Bernstein family donated the Bernstein Garden at the Duke Cancer Center. Her philanthropy has also been critical in establishing and maintaining programs in Duke Neurosurgery, as well as DCI programs in the Supportive Care and Survivorship Center, the Office of Health Equity, breast cancer community outreach efforts, and the Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers.
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Physician assistant Bolu Abe-Lathan, PA-C; program manager Jillian Dirkes, MSW, LCSW; and clinical social worker Megan Keith, LCSW, MSW, are part of the Duke team that helps more than 6,000 people each year quit tobacco. (Photo by Eamon Queeney.)
James Davis, MD, was a third-year medical student when he realized he wanted to help people beat tobacco addiction. On his first night working in the hospital, he was called to the emergency room to see a patient he had previously admitted to the inpatient unit for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. “I walked in, and her face had turned black with ash,” Davis said. “At first, I had no idea what had happened.” Then he realized that she had lit a cigarette while using high-flow oxygen, and it had exploded.Davis had gotten to know this patient, spending an hour conducting her history and physical. “She struck me as someone who was bright and capable. She was educated, had a career, and a family who loved her. But her tobacco addiction was so strong that she risked doing something dangerous to smoke a cigarette,” he said. “That experience was a wake-up call that it doesn’t matter how smart, well-adjusted, or successful you are. Addiction is an innate biological vulnerability, and it can impact anyone.”Today, he leads one of the largest smoking cessation programs in the United States: Quit at Duke. This team of 12 specially trained providers helps more than 6,000 people each year.In 014, Steven Patierno, PhD, deputy director of Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) recruited Davis to Duke to start a smoking cessation program for cancer patients. The team has since expanded it to serve all patients at Duke University Health System. “Drs. Steve Patierno, Mike Kastan, Cheyenne Corbett and others at DCI have provided the support necessary to turn this into a world-class smoking cessation program.” Davis said.Today, with the health dangers of cigarettes undisputed, most people who smoke have tried many times to quit but can’t. “They need more than a patch and a pep talk,” said Davis, associate professor of medicine. Cancer patients who smoke are often fighting for their lives. “If we’re going to ask them to quit smoking during one of the most the stressful periods of their lives, we better give them some highly effective tools,” he said.“Dr. Davis is very excited about what he does, and that is infectious,” said Quit at Duke program manager Jillian Dirkes, MSW, LCSW. “He always has energy and excitement to say, ‘Let’s find a new way to do this.’ That energy passes along to the rest of the team.”
Physician assistant Bolu Abe-Lathan, PA-C; program manager Jillian Dirkes, MSW, LCSW; and clinical social worker Megan Keith, LCSW, MSW, are part of the Duke team that helps more than 6,000 people each year quit tobacco. (Photo by Eamon Queeney.)
James Davis, MD, was a third-year medical student when he realized he wanted to help people beat tobacco addiction. On his first night working in the hospital, he was called to the emergency room to see a patient he had previously admitted to the inpatient unit for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. “I walked in, and her face had turned black with ash,” Davis said. “At first, I had no idea what had happened.” Then he realized that she had lit a cigarette while using high-flow oxygen, and it had exploded.Davis had gotten to know this patient, spending an hour conducting her history and physical. “She struck me as someone who was bright and capable. She was educated, had a career, and a family who loved her. But her tobacco addiction was so strong that she risked doing something dangerous to smoke a cigarette,” he said. “That experience was a wake-up call that it doesn’t matter how smart, well-adjusted, or successful you are. Addiction is an innate biological vulnerability, and it can impact anyone.”Today, he leads one of the largest smoking cessation programs in the United States: Quit at Duke. This team of 12 specially trained providers helps more than 6,000 people each year.In 014, Steven Patierno, PhD, deputy director of Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) recruited Davis to Duke to start a smoking cessation program for cancer patients. The team has since expanded it to serve all patients at Duke University Health System. “Drs. Steve Patierno, Mike Kastan, Cheyenne Corbett and others at DCI have provided the support necessary to turn this into a world-class smoking cessation program.” Davis said.Today, with the health dangers of cigarettes undisputed, most people who smoke have tried many times to quit but can’t. “They need more than a patch and a pep talk,” said Davis, associate professor of medicine. Cancer patients who smoke are often fighting for their lives. “If we’re going to ask them to quit smoking during one of the most the stressful periods of their lives, we better give them some highly effective tools,” he said.“Dr. Davis is very excited about what he does, and that is infectious,” said Quit at Duke program manager Jillian Dirkes, MSW, LCSW. “He always has energy and excitement to say, ‘Let’s find a new way to do this.’ That energy passes along to the rest of the team.”
