Dr. Alden B. Maier

With over 20 years of experience as a busy general thoracic surgeon, I am referred patients with cancers in the chest and other difficult problems involving all the organs of the chest that are not from cancer. One of the things that attracted me to the field is the long-term relationship with my patients. I tell all my patients that I’m their doctor for life. I see patients for many, many years. Back in 2000, when we had a 26-inch snow here -- it was a Tuesday -- on my clinic day, everyone said no one would come to clinic. But I actually had 23 or 24 patients show up in four-wheel drives. It’s not that I’m such a fabulous doctor that they came to see me. It’s that they are cancer patients and this was their annual visit or their follow up. It was important to them. So we were here for them, and they came. I enjoy seeing my patients back 12, 13, 14 years later and learning what they’ve been up to and what their families have been up to. That’s a bond you get in oncology that a lot of other fields don’t have that treat patients then turn them back over to their primary care physicians. We as a team follow people, and I like that. Dr. Harpole is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Endoscopy, and Advanced Bronchoscopy.

I have the privilege of treating patients with both benign and malignant conditions of the chest. While in college at Georgia Tech, I envisioned a career as a biomedical engineer. What I quickly learned, however, was that I was more interested in patients and their medical problems than developing the technology to care for them. During my medical education and training, I learned not only how to become a surgeon, but also learned the value of teamwork and family in caring for patients. As a thoracic surgeon, one of the best and most important aspects of my job is being able to establish a relationship with my patients and their families, working together to help them through their illness. Dr. Tong is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Her top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Lung Nodules, Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Vagotomy, and Advanced Bronchoscopy.

I graduated from Harvard University (BA) and the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University (MD). I received training in General Surgery and Thoracic Surgery at Duke University Medical Center. After completing a Fellowship in Thoracic Surgical Oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, I joined the faculty at Duke University Medical Center. I am currently Professor and Vice Chairman of Surgery, Chief of the Section of General Thoracic Surgery, Director of the Training Program in Thoracic Surgery, and Chief Medical Officer of the Duke Cancer Institute. I specialize in the surgical management of lung cancer and esophageal cancer, with a focus on minimally invasive thoracic surgery. As Vice Chair of Surgery, I am responsible for the development of technology and innovation in the Department. As Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program of the Duke Cancer Institute, I supervise the clinical and research programs in lung cancer and esophageal cancer. I am also involved in improving safety and quality in cancer care, as a member of the Duke Safety and Quality Committee. Dr. D'amico is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). His top areas of expertise are Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, Lung Cancer, Lung Adenocarcinoma, Endoscopy, and Gastrectomy.