Diana B. McNeill Oral History Interview, 2021

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Summary

Creator:
McNeill, Diana B. and Duke University. Medical Center. Department of Medicine.
Abstract:
Dr. Diana B. McNeill, MD, has had a 30 plus year carrer at Duke focused on clinical treatment of diabetes, teaching and mentoring trainees as a Professor of Medicine, and galvanizing resources for faculty development. In addition to her clinical work and teaching, McNeill served as the director of Duke's Internal Medicine Residency program (2001-2011) and directs Duke AHEAD, an initiative for faculty development. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on March 1, 2021 by Joseph O'Connell as part of the Department of Medicine's Oral History Project. In the interview, McNeill discusses the treatment of diabetes and the idea of "Type 3" support people surrounding people with diabetes, McNeill's experiences related to work-life balance for physicians, her leadership of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and the work of Duke AHEAD to support faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. The themes of this interview includes diabetes and diabetes in pregnancy, maternity leave policies in medicine, mentorship, and faculty development.
Extent:
1 interview (1 transcript) and 666 MB
Language:
English
Collection ID:
OH.MCNEILLD

Background

Scope and content:

Includes 1 oral history interview conducted on March 1, 2021 with Dr. Diana B. McNeill by Joseph O'Connell as part of the Department of Medicine's Oral History Project.

In the interview, McNeill discusses the treatment of diabetes and the idea of "Type 3" support people surrounding people with diabetes, McNeill's experiences related to work-life balance for physicians, her leadership of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and the work of Duke AHEAD to support faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. The themes of this interview includes diabetes and diabetes in pregnancy, maternity leave policies in medicine, mentorship, and faculty development.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Diana Bures McNeill, MD, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1956, and is the oldest of 8 daughters. At the time of her birth, her father, John Urick Bures, was a resident intern obstetrician gynecologist at Marquette, and her mother, Mary Poupalos Bures, was a registered nurse. Her mother was Greek, and her father was Czechoslovakian; both were first generation and both had parents who owned grocery stores.

From a young age, McNeill wanted to become a doctor. She received her MD from Duke University School of Medicine (1982) and completed her Residency in Medicine at the University of Arizona (1982-1985) where she was Chief Medical Resident (1985-1986).

McNeill joined Duke in 1991 as an Assistant Professor in Medicine. Throughout her career at Duke, McNeill has held appointments in Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as being the Vice Chair for Medical Education in the Department of Medicine. McNeill's 30-year career at the Duke has focused on the clinical treatment of diabetes, teaching and mentoring trainees, and galvanizing resources for faculty development. McNeill's intellectual interests first turned to diabetes as a college student. At that time, she learned of David McNeill's, her future-husband, experience with the disease. Observing his ability to live a healthy life, and the importance of his supporting network in that life, McNeill grew determined to have an impact in the lives of other diabetes patients.

During her career at Duke, McNeill's orientation to clinical care was further cemented by the influence of a mentor--the late Dr. Mark Feinglos, a chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition. "He taught me how much fun endocrine was, and how much you could help people," she says "He also took care of a lot of patients with diabetes and made me realize very quickly, you don't look at these patients as the disease, you just really don't." Instead, McNeill seeks to understand patients' personal experiences. "You've got to know the lives that your patient is living every day, so that you can actually understand some of the challenges that they have in managing this disease that they didn't ask for," she says. For many years she has collaborated with Dr. Elizabeth Livingston in Duke's high-risk OB clinic related to the management of diabetes in pregnancy, eventually receiving an Associate Professorship in OB-GYN for this work.

In addition to her clinical work and teaching, McNeill has held several leadership roles. She served as the director of Duke's Internal Medicine Residency program (2001-2011). In this role, she mentored numerous trainees who went on to assume leadership roles at Duke. Building on her legacy of paving the way for others, McNeill directs Duke AHEAD, an initiative for faculty development. Through Duke AHEAD, McNeill has responded to the unique needs of faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, she says, Duke AHEAD programs became a source of community during a time of relative isolation.

Acquisition information:
Accession A2021.027 (transferred by Joseph O'Connell, March 2021)
Processing information:

Processed by Lucy Waldrop: April 2021

Arrangement:
Organized into the following series: Interview, March 1, 2021.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Contents

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Restrictions:

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Terms of access:

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Diana B. McNeill Oral History Interview, Duke University Medical Center Archives.