Duke Colleagues Share Career Goals and Growth Opportunities in 2025

An Educational Mindset

As a former teacher and the current Educational Coordinator for Professional Programs at the Duke Health & Wellbeing, Fleurztael Duckworth understands the value of learning.

That’s why she began working toward her doctorate in Organizational Learning and Leadership at the University of North Carolina in the fall of 2024.

Duckworth, who has been at Duke since 2022, is using Duke’s Employee Tuition Assistance Program to help cover the cost of the three-year program.

“I’m thankful for my current role and recognize the opportunities it presents for me to make an impact,” Duckworth said. “I’m also eager to embrace fresh challenges and explore avenues for continued growth.”

Learning Beyond Duke

In the coming year, Duke University Professor of Medicine Dr. Cameron Wolfe is looking forward to increasing his involvement with professional organizations beyond Duke.

Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist, will help the Transplantation Society in its work creating educational opportunities for infectious disease specialists. He will also continue learning from colleagues in his field from around the globe through his involvement with the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Wolfe said it can be difficult to manage responsibilities that come with working at an institution like Duke and priorities outside of work with professional development. That’s why it’s important to always be aware of the growth opportunities that are available, wherever they may be.

“Balancing responsibilities to, and caring for the institution, is just very different than balancing responsibilities and caring for myself and my colleagues,” Wolfe said. “It can be tough, and it's an evolving process in order not to splay yourself thin. I have had to take concrete steps to focus on my development this last year, so it's helpful to rediscover balance outside work.”

Investing in Her Future

Yoshi Stanford, a Certified Medical Assistant at Duke Cancer Center Wake County’s Oncology Infusion Center at Macon Pond, is a mother of four children between the age of 15 and 4.

Stanford said she’s long wanted to advance her health care career, but it was tough to balance professional development with the needs of her family.

With her children growing older, Stanford, who joined the Duke staff in the fall of 2024, said the time is now right to invest in herself. She’s enrolled in a program at Wake Technical Community College to earn her Certified Nursing Assistant credentials. After that, she plans to pursue nursing school.

“I want to be able to inspire them,” said Stanford, who occasionally does her schoolwork alongside her kids. “No matter how hard life gets, if there’s a goal you want to achieve, keep working toward it.”

Staying Fresh

Through several years of work experience, Duke Global Health Institute Program Coordinator Alicia Gonzalez knows plenty about how to keep budgets. But she knows she can always learn more.

After joining the Duke staff in the fall of 2024, Gonzalez is taking advantage of the no-cost access Duke staff and faculty have to more than 4,000 online courses through Coursera to dive into a an online course about financial management so she can refine her approach to working with grant-funded projects.

“You’ve got to keep finding ways to grow,” Gonzalez said. “Especially as you get older, work environments change, so staying on top of new things, or learning a little more about different processes, becomes extremely important.”

Building on Experience

Robin Goodwin joined the Duke Eye Center staff 43 years ago as a Medical Secretary. Since then, she’s taken on new roles, gained wisdom from several managers and colleagues, and sharped her skills through L&OD courses.

Now 63, Goodwin, a Duke Eye Center Administrative Coordinator overseeing a team of 12, is still hungry to learn.

Starting this month, she will take part in the Duke Management Academy, a year-long leadership development program for promising middle managers.

“It makes me even prouder that I work for Duke because they’re still investing in me,” Goodwin said. “Duke provides you with so many opportunities, but you have to be an ambassador for yourself if you want to take advantage of them. I wanted to do this so I could continue to give back to Duke because Duke has given me a lot.”

Always Excited to Learn

During a health care career that began in 2001, Wilmana Best has been guided by a simple philosophy.

“Always be open to learning new things,” said Best, a Certified Medical Assistant at Durham Gastroenterology Consultants.

In 2025, Best plans to put that approach into action by learning more about working with lab specimens, reviewing medical charts and helping patients schedule appointments.

Getting trained on these tasks, among others, is part of the clinical ladder used by caregivers to grow in their roles. And it’s also consistent with the curiosity and enthusiasm Best brings to her work.

“Health care is really complex and it can be overwhelming, but if you pace yourself, focus on learning one thing at a time, one day at a time, you’ll get through it,” Best said.