Our institutional culture is built upon our history and values.  Our shared values — respect, trust, inclusion, discovery and excellence — are more than aspirations.  They are the beliefs and behaviors that we expect of ourselves and our colleagues.  These are the ideals that we must uphold in order to earn and maintain our reputation for quality and integrity, and to inspire confidence with each other, and the world which we both serve and rely on for our future viability.  Our values dictate our conduct and drive our culture.

Respect: We are a community of leaders, students, scholars, health care providers and staff who affirm and encourage open expression, academic freedom, regard for others and respect for laws and regulations.

Trust: We are honest, credible and reliable in our words, behaviors and actions.

Inclusion: We seek to welcome and fully engage people of diverse backgrounds, abilities and perspectives to advance our work.

Discovery: We seek to be an innovative community, to improve our individual capabilities and to share knowledge with one another.

Excellence: We perform high quality education, research, patient care and community enhancement, and are always mindful of the enduring value of safety and continuous improvement.

Putting these values into practice requires that we accept our responsibilities to one another—to think and act in ways that are ethical, legal and just, and that demonstrate courage, compassion, service, accountability and commitment in all we do on behalf of Duke.