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Keith Whitfield Named Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

His 'great talent and commitment' will serve faculty and university, Lange says

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Keith Whitfield

Keith Whitfield, a psychologist and expert on
aging among African Americans, will become vice provost for academic affairs at Duke University, effective
immediately, Provost Peter Lange announced Wednesday.

Whitfield is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, a research
professor in the Department of Geriatric Medicine and co-director of Duke's
Center on Biobehavioral and Social Aspects of Health Disparities. He has been
serving since August as an administrative fellow in the provost's office.

"I am pleased Keith has agreed
to become vice provost for academic affairs," Lange said. "He has
distinguished himself through his teaching and his research and service to Arts
and Sciences since coming to Duke. He brings great talent and commitment to
this new opportunity. He will provide the kind of broad leadership the position
demands, working closely with faculty and administrators on the extensive
number of projects and initiatives under way across the campus."

Sally Kornbluth, who was set to assume the vice provost position,
will instead resume her position as vice dean for basic science in the School
of Medicine, which she held from 2006-09, Lange and medical school dean Dr. Nancy
Andrews said.

Kornbluth said she had "considered the vice provost position
an ideal way to expand my areas of interest and to pursue my aspirations for a
broader role in university administration. However, as I began to transition to
the vice provost role and to become more deeply involved in the work of the
provost's office, I came to realize that my true interest in academic
administration is inextricably linked to my passion and love for biomedical
research.  I feel at this point I can make the most meaningful contributions
to Duke within the School of Medicine on behalf of its scientific
community."

Lange and Andrews both praised Kornbluth, with Lange calling her "a
uniquely talented scientist and administrator with great passion for her work."
Andrews said, "It is an honor and a privilege for me to work with someone
with Sally's remarkable abilities, and I am delighted that she will assume her
former role."

Whitfield succeeds John Simon, who held the position previously
for six years before leaving Duke to become provost of the University of
Virginia in October.  

Whitfield brings a broad range of experience to his new role,
having taught students in large introductory psychology classes and other
settings, leading research projects, publishing widely and serving in national
leadership positions. Born in Japan and having worked with research partners
around the world, he also shares Duke's increasingly global perspective.

"It's been great for me to see all of the things that go on
at a university, which you don't always know about as a professor," he
said of his recent experience working with Lange's team on governance,
budgeting, fund-raising and other activities in the provost's office. "I
have such great colleagues at Duke, and I've been wanting to make more of a contribution
here."

Whitfield earned a bachelor's degree in psychology
from the College of Santa Fe and a Ph.D. in lifespan developmental psychology
from Texas Tech University, followed by post-doctoral training in quantitative
genetics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has published more than 130
articles, books and book chapters on individual development and aging, with a
focus on African Americans.  His
current research project is a longitudinal study of cognition among older
African Americans in Baltimore. His "Handbook of Minority Aging" is
scheduled to be published by Springer in 2012.

Whitfield has also served as a reviewer and editor for
professional journals and in leadership roles with organizations such as the Gerontological Society of America, the American
Psychological Association and the National Institute on Aging.