In Memoriam: Michelle Parthenia Winn-Pigford, 1966-2014

Michelle Winn, an associate professor of nephrology at the Duke University Medical Center, died on July 23 after battling pancreatic cancer for a year. She was 48 years old.

Dr. Winn was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the medical school at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She first came to Duke University for her residency in internal medicine and psychiatry. She joined the Duke University faculty in 1999. She was a founding member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute.

Throughout her career, Dr. Winn was a strong advocate for advancing the careers of women and underrepresented minorities in medicine and science. She chaired the Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee for the department of medicine at Duke and won the university’s Blue Ribbon Diversity Award.