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An Eye for Images

Jeff Kanters assesses medical images at work and acrylic painting at home

When he's not working as a project leader for the imaging program at the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Jeff Kanters paints landscapes as well as creating them in his garden. Photo courtesy of Jeff Kanters.
When he's not working as a project leader for the imaging program at the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Jeff Kanters paints landscapes as well as creating them in his garden. Photo courtesy of Jeff Kanters.
Interview by Marsha A. Green

Name: Jeff Kanters

Position: Project leader, Imaging Program, Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI)

Years at Duke: 8

What I do at Duke: I lead projects within the imaging program at the DCRI, which supports clinical trial sites across the world that rely on medical images to assess for drug or medical device effectiveness or safety.  We educate and train clinical trial sites on how to best take the images - whether brain scans, X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging or other types of images. We also store the images for them, and we can serve as an independent, unbiased lab to analyze the images using the specifications from the study. 

How I got to Duke: I'm a registered nurse, but I got into clinical research on HIV in Texas in the 80s when we were just figuring out what the disease was. I moved into study coordination and took on increasing responsibility with a special attention to the application of quality assurance. Duke originally hired me as a quality assurance associate at the DCRI.

What I do when I am not at Duke: I love to paint with acrylics. Every year, I take a painting and make it into a holiday card. Each one is different, but they always have a snowman somewhere in the picture. 

My first paid job: I was a lifeguard in Waukesha, Wisconsin, when I was 13. 

To start a conversation with me, ask me about: Landscaping. When I bought my newly-built house in Durham, the lawn was barren. I am a master gardener and I brought in soil and put in a lot of labor and love and now my garden is a certified natural habitat landscaped with native plants. I enjoy inviting friends and neighbors to tour it throughout the year.

My dream job: Living in a loft apartment in Paris and painting by the Seine each day, or being a gardening consultant for affordable landscaping with native plants.  

What I love about Duke: The thought leaders at Duke are fantastic. It is transformative to be able to listen to people at Duke discuss the next idea or technology, where it is going, and how we might evaluate it and build it into health care processes in the future.

The best advice I've received: When I was a young boy, my grandfather told me 'always give a firm handshake.' It gives the person receiving it a sense of comfort and ease. 

The book I am reading now: The third book in Dean Koontz' "Frankenstein" series.

Something most people don't know about me: I sang with the Turtle Creek Choral in Dallas, one of the most recorded men's choruses in the nation. In 1993, I sang with them in Carnegie Hall in New York. I toured Barcelona, Prague and Berlin performing with this group.

Something unique in my office: I have a 10-inch tall ceramic frog holding a fishing rod with a fish dangling from it. It reminds me not to take life or myself too seriously.