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Duncan named chief of interventional radiology

Focus of work is image-guided procedures as alternatives to surgery

by Kristi LutherJune 20, 2019

Washington University

James R. Duncan, MD, PhD, a professor of radiology, has been named chief of interventional radiology for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Prior to his appointment as section chief, Duncan served as MIR’s vice chair for quality and safety, beginning in 2015. He has been on the School of Medicine’s faculty since 1992. He succeeds Michael D. Darcy, MD, a professor of radiology, in his new role.

An alumnus of the MIR interventional radiology fellowship program, Duncan’s clinical work involves using minimally invasive, image-guided procedures as an alternative to surgery. He also completed his diagnostic radiology residency at MIR and was the department’s first research resident.

Since 2008, Duncan has led interventional radiology services at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where he has managed a team of nurses, technologists and physicians.

“Given the strength of the interventional faculty, as well as the section’s history of teamwork and exemplary leadership, I am confident that Jim will build on this tradition of excellence,” said Richard L. Wahl, MD, the Elizabeth E. Mallinckrodt Professor and head of radiology, and director of MIR.

In 2012, Duncan completed the Improvement Advisor Professional Development Program at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, an independent nonprofit organization based in Boston. The intensive, 10-month program cultivates leaders invested in improvement within health organizations.

Earlier this year, he helped secure a two-year grant to help close the loop on radiology follow-up recommendations for patients, specifically those with lung nodules discovered incidentally during unrelated imaging studies.

Duncan earned his medical degree and PhD in cellular and molecular biology from Washington University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.