DUKE STARS — Delbert Wigfall
 Name: Delbert Wigfall, M.D.
Years of service: 20
Title: Associate Dean for Medical Education & Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
Department: Duke University School of Medicine
According to Dr. Delbert Wigfall, a good physician does more than make the right diagnosis.
"The more diverse students are in their perspectives, the better they'll be able to serve a wide range of patients in the future," said Wigfall, who has taught students in the Duke School of Medicine for 20 years.
In the 1990s, as more students from various backgrounds and other nations came to the school, Wigfall wanted to find a way to engage them and encourage them to learn from each other — he wanted faculty and staff to do the same. So, he proposed the creation of a Multicultural Resource Center in the School of Medicine.
The idea, which became a reality in 1999, aims to promote greater diversity and cultural exchange among medical students so they could engage and learn from each other.
"You don't appreciate what you have until you see how others live and work in the world," said Wigfall, who is currently physician director of the center. "The center helps medical students, faculty, and staff to work and learn together in an increasingly diverse environment."
The center offers various programs, including cultural competency education, and support for a minority faculty development program, and a Spanish emersion program in Mexico. It provides scholarships for students to study and do research abroad. Wigfall said the center's impact has been tremendous on students.
"The students who get it really get it," said Wigfall, who in addition to his work at the center and as a faculty member, helps children suffering from chronic kidney diseases at the Duke Children's Health Center. "I hope it's allowed students to develop their personal sides which will make them more effective in the community and with patients."
Wigfall has found that Duke is the type of place that not only encourages serious discussions on sensitive topics and meaningful goals, but also is a place where actions can be taken, too.
"There are some institutions where such discussions and subsequent actions wouldn't happen," he said. "It was partly being in the right place at the right time, but I do hear envy sometimes from peers in other institutions."
Part of the reason Wigfall has stayed at Duke for 20 years is because he knows that no matter how good things are, there's always room for improvement and he believes his colleagues share his same high expectations.
"Duke is a place where you can take advantage of everything offered, but you can also improve upon it, and you're encouraged to do that," Wigfall said.
Click here to see more stories about what it's like to work at Duke.
|
