James Henry "Red" Duke, Jr. was born and reared in Central Texas with strong Southern Baptist traditions and the accompanying work ethics. He attended secondary school, participated in athletics, ran five paper routes, sold magazine subscriptions, dug ditches, picked cotton, and was the purveyor of poultry in Hill County. At the same time, Red received the highest commendation from the Boy Scouts of America - Eagle Scout.
Red Duke matriculated into the A&M College of Texas where he received a B.S. Degree in Economics in 1950. As a result of being a commissioned officer, he became a member of the 67th Medium Tank Battalion of the Second Armor Division, and ultimately served one year in Germany. Upon returning to Texas, Red enrolled in the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1956 where he developed a deep fascination with virtually every facet of medicine and learned to ask the ultimate question - Why? He completed an internal medicine internship at Parkland Memorial Hospital but remained deeply interested in the surgical discipline. During his surgical residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital under the tutelage of G. Tom Shires, M.D., he not only had an opportunity to develop fundamental interests in biological research, particularly in the area of fluid and electrolyte metabolism, but also a broad base of clinical experience. During these formative years, it was obvious that there were numerous biochemical questions related to the patient that had sustained injury that had not been addressed. His interest in the abnormalities associated with the metabolic response to injury led him to seek and receive a NIH Special Fellowship at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in the City of New York. After four rewarding years in this capacity, another opportunity arose when his mentor, Dr. Robert Shaw, asked him to join the Indiana University, Loma Linda Medical Consortium, to assist in the development of a new medical school, Nangarhar University, Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Whether this decision was based on Duke's missionary nature or sheer fortitude was not a question. He moved his family to Afghanistan in 1970. The clinical experience was rather unique in that it varied from gunshot wounds to camel bites and complications of parasitic diseases to major orthopedic injuries. After two years and bouts with hepatitis and tuberculosis, Red, like most Texans, returned home.
Red happily accepted the opportunity to join the faculty of the newly formed University of Texas Houston Medical School in order to be able to work with his old friend Stanley Dudrick, M.D. in the areas of surgical metabolism and nutrition. However, shortly after his return and because of his rather exhaustive experience and interest in the management of injury, he was called upon to establish the trauma service at Hermann Hospital. As with all other program development efforts, the initial steps were slow and deliberate, but when Mr. John Dunn, a trustee of the Hermann Estate, built a heliport over the entrance to the Emergency Room, the die was cast. The Life Flight Helicopter System was established in August 1976. He realized that an air ambulance service would impact significantly to the welfare of patients in the area. Hence, Life Flight was born in 1978.
During his tenure as Chief of Trauma, Red Duke has established the first air ambulance service in Texas, made Hermann Hospital the first Level I Trauma Center in Southeast Texas, trained numerous residents and students, not to mention healed countless injured patients.
Dr. Duke is a founding member of the American Trauma Society and is an advanced trauma life support instructor for the American College of Surgeons. He was named "Surgeon of the Year" by the James F. Mitchell Foundation in 1988. Dr. "Red" Duke's extraordinary efforts to educate the public in health issues and his tireless work as a crusader against traumatic injury brought him into serious consideration for the position of Surgeon General of the United States in 1989.
As founder and past president of the Texas Bighorn Society, Dr. Duke is a major supporter of many wildlife conservation groups. Dr. Duke has been the president of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and of the Boone and Crockett Club, the oldest conservation organization in America. In 1992, Dr. "Red" Duke was appointed to the Board of Directors of the newly formed National Forest Foundation.
Dr. "Red" Duke is one of the most recognized television personalities in his field as former host of the nationally syndicated Texas Health Reports (no longer produced / aired) and former host of the 1986-89 PBS series Bodywatch. Dr. Duke has been featured on several national news reports, health specials and a television series.
"PRESCRIPTION FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT"
Dr. Duke's prescription for managing life's difficulties is an informative and humorous talk on stress in our everyday lives, how it affects us and how to deal with it. This is one subject everyone can relate to, and Dr. Duke's light-hearted view of the subject will leave listeners with lots of sensible advice on coping with any situation. He explains how he handles demanding responsibilities and hectic schedules, and will also share with you some of those priceless moments recorded on tape when stress managed to get the best of him, if only for an instant!
"TRAUMA: THE UNRECOGNIZED EPIDEMIC"
This informative talk describes the devastating effects of traumatic injury on our nation and its future. Dr. Duke will heighten your awareness of trauma, and remind you that denial is not the way to cope with this epidemic. He outlines the steps each of us can take to prevent trauma or lessen its impact through education, legislation and individual commitment to action. Dr. Duke will discuss the need for a system of regionalized trauma care to ensure timely transport of injury victims to appropriate healthcare facilities. The economic factors of trauma and indigent health care are also explained in this slide presentation.
"MEDICAL MEDIA"
With over a decade of experience in televised healthcasts, Dr. Duke advises medical professionals about using the media to effectively communicate health issues. His down-to-earth style of explaining complex medical processes and his unique way of presenting health care topics to the public have made him one of the most recognized and beloved doctors in the U.S. Dr. Duke will help clarify for physicians and educators some of the possibilities of using the media to inform a broad audience, as well as giving tips on avoiding the pitfalls of generalized medical information. Dr. Duke reminds us that good communication skills are vital to every doctor-patient encounter.
"MODERN SURGERY IN THE MIDDLE AGES"
Dr. Duke shares some of the joys, trials and tribulations of practicing surgery in a Third World country where modern medical procedures clash with the almost medieval surroundings and ancient cultures. This presentation of slides taken by Dr. Duke dramatizes the condition of life in the developing nation of Afghanistan, a place where misery and beauty exist side-by-side among a people who are kind and hospitable in spite of a long history of violent conflict and suffering.
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