The medical accomplishments of Dr. Jerry Reves, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, have been celebrated by numerous honors and awards. A gentleman of Southern virtues, unfailing leadership, and an insatiable drive for excellence, Dr. Reves continues to make a mark on patient care worldwide.
As the Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke, Dr. Reves left an indelible impact on the practice of anesthesiology. During his 17 years of service, Dr. Reves founded the Duke Heart Center and saw it acquire international fame as its first Director.
An avid advocate of excellence in education and quality of care, Dr. Reves revamped the culture of anesthesiology at Duke. He used his remarkable gift of recognizing talent and empowering people to create an environment that values academic fulfillment in every sphere. He was also determined to ensure that medical residents have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
During his distinguished tenure at Duke, Dr. Reves transformed the Department of Anesthesiology into one of the nation’s preeminent departments. A great visionary, Dr. Reves strived constantly to achieve a higher standard for quality anesthesia care. He wanted to create a department that would become a world leader in both the clinical and research settings. “The amazing thing was that we were able to do it and we did it so quickly,” says Reves."
At Duke, Dr. Reves fostered stronger medical education, cultivated the development of subspecialty anesthesia programs, and promoted an emphasis on research in molecular and clinical pharmacology and neurobiology. Dr. Reves recognized that resident education was an opportunity to develop both the individual and the field of anesthesiology. “I believe that our next generation can be even better than the teachers of this generation.” He was inspired by the talented residents and fellows he recruited and by the faculty who skillfully grew with the department under his tutelage. “All along, resident education was important to us. I never believed that there was any distinction between residents and faculty. Residents were just at a different point in the continuum of their career development.”
Dr. Reves built a successful career for himself by entering the field of anesthesiology at a time when very few physicians opted for it. Consequently, he faced numerous new challenges and was part of the original vanguard of people who had to break down barriers to prove themselves. Propelled by his philosophy of optimism and guided by his dream of academic fulfillment and research, Dr. Reves transformed the practice of anesthesiology. Today, as the Vice President and Dean of the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), he continues to play a respected role in the world of medicine, but he calls his Duke years “the defining moment in my career.” “Duke believes it is about producing leaders, not just great doctors,” says Dr. Reves.
Patient safety always came foremost for this pioneer in neurocognitive outcomes research as he aspired to discover ways to optimize the management of patients. “I have felt so terribly disappointed when I gave the perfect anesthetic and the operation went well, yet the patient was not the same patient afterwards. We needed to find better and safer ways to care for patients.” The legacy of Dr. Reves is still with us at Duke as we continue to reap the fruits of his dream in the pursuit of excellence in patient care, quality education in the medical disciplines, and the continued promotion of Developing Research Excellence in Anesthesia Management (DREAM). However, we have a long road ahead of us in spite of the advances that have been made on all fronts of neurocognitive outcomes research. Every philanthropic gift to the Dr. Jerry Reves Professorship will put us one step closer to fulfilling the goal of achieving excellence in areas cherished by Dr. Reves.