Kate McDaniel, PhD, MSW, has been named the new director of Duke AHEAD, the Academy for Health Professions Education and Academic Development.
Duke AHEAD is a nationally recognized academy for interprofessional health professions education, advancing faculty development, mentorship, and fostering a culture of educational excellence.
McDaniel is an associate professor of neurosurgery and Duke Neurosurgery’s director of educational initiatives. She works with the department’s clinical faculty to develop cohesive curricula and assessments across the resident and fellowship programs. Her research focuses on medical education, learner assessment and evaluation, faculty development, coaching and mentorship, and advancing culture, wellness, and inclusion.
Before becoming a Duke Neurosurgery faculty member, she led faculty development at Duke University Hospital and Health System as GME educator. McDaniel was a GME education specialist at St. Louis University School of Medicine for five years before coming to Duke. She holds a PhD in higher education administration, a masters in higher education, and a masters in social work.
As director, McDaniel will build on Duke AHEAD’s strong foundation by expanding mentorship opportunities, fostering community, and supporting innovative educational programming. She is committed to maximizing resources, developing novel initiatives, and promoting scholarship that benefits faculty, staff, and learners at all stages.
The mission of Duke AHEAD is to promote excellence in the education of health professionals by creating an enterprise-wide community of education scholars, fostering innovation in health professions education, supporting outstanding teachers, providing faculty development programs, and facilitating quality education research.