Dr. Christopher R. Brown

A significant portion of my practice involves advanced minimally invasive techniques in thoracic surgery to treat diseases such as lung or esophageal cancer. Another part of my clinical practice is spent taking care of patients with severe lung disease, especially those needing lung transplantation. Patients from all over the world come to Duke for lung transplantation. Research demonstrates that experience is very important in taking care of complex medical problems, both on the surgical side and on the medical side. We have one of the largest transplant centers in the world with excellent survival statistics, as well as the shortest wait list time. Instead of the national average which may be four to six months, our patients wait an average of about two weeks. One of the best aspects of being a patient or working at Duke is the people who work here. No matter how challenging the medical problems may be or what problems may arise, I know there’s a world’s expert a phone call away who can help intervene and I know that my patients will be cared for by committed Duke staff from across the hospital. Dr. Hartwig is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Endoscopy. His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Hiatal Hernia, Thymic Epithelial Tumor, Endoscopy, and Heart Transplant.

I am a shoulder, knee, hip, and sports medicine surgeon at Duke Health and am heavily involved in minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques and the prevention of sports injuries. I cultivated these interests during my time in the military. My areas of interest and expertise are in shoulder and knee injuries in athletes and techniques and treatments to return these patients back to high levels of function or sport. I treat conditions, such as shoulder dislocations, rotator cuff tears, and shoulder arthritis with a joint replacement.  My knee expertise is in ligament, cartilage, and meniscus injuries. I am involved in research, technique, and product development for each of these conditions to better help my patients. Dr. Dickens is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Endoscopy. His top areas of expertise are Hypermobile Joints, Frozen Shoulder, Tendinitis, Osteotomy, and Endoscopy.

The impact I have on my patients is what I enjoy most about being a weight loss surgeon. It is amazing that we can do an operation that not only helps a patient lose weight, but also fixes their diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol, along with giving them a better quality of life. There are a lot of options these days for people who are considering weight loss surgery. It’s important for patients to take into account each institution and what resources they have available. Duke is fully equipped to take care of complex cases in a safe manner. We have a multi-institutional team that’s been around the Triangle the longest and has the most experience. Almost every patient comes back after surgery and we see some of their previous medical conditions go away. That’s a good definition of success. Dr. Portenier is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Endoscopy. His top areas of expertise are Obesity, Hernia, Short Bowel Syndrome, Gastric Bypass, and Sleeve Gastrectomy.