William "Terry" Joseph Kane, MD, former Duke Family Medicine Residency Program Director, passed away May 21, 2024. He was 80 years old.
Dr. Kane was recruited to Duke in 1973 by then-chair E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, to lead the new Duke-Watts Family Medicine Residency. Kane succeeded Lyndon Jordan, MD, who led the program for about a year.
In a 2016 interview, Dr. Estes cited the hiring of Dr. Kane as the single most important factor in the success of the new residency program, a partnership with Watts Hospital, and the department’s new clinical practice. Estes said Kane came recommended to him by a colleague at a family medicine program in Rochester, N.Y. Kane was a recent graduate of family medicine residency himself and was described as a natural leader. Kane and an administrator were effective in gaining financial support from available state and foundation sources, in addition to attracting superb residents, Estes said.
An obituary in the Greensboro News & Record states: “After medical school at Temple University, Terry had a distinguished and varied career. He practiced family medicine, was instrumental in launching the Family Medicine Residency Program at Duke University in the early 1970s, ran HMOs, healthcare systems, and start-up healthcare companies, and served on the faculty at Duke, in addition to other roles. Terry was always willing to try something new and put his natural leadership skills to use.”
A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. June 3, at Saint Pius X Catholic Church in Greensboro. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Durham Nativity School, 1004 N Mangum St, Durham, NC 27701.