Scott Michael Palmer Jr.

Dr. Palmer is physician investigator, clinician, and academic leader. He is a Donald F. Fortin, MD Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Duke University, Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine, Director of Medicine Plus Therapeutic Area at the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and Director of Clinical Research in the Duke Transplant Center. He is an expert in the care of patients with advanced lung diseases and lung transplantation.

Dr. Palmer’s successful research career includes over 20 years of continuous NIH funding and over 300 publications. He has held key leadership roles in national and international pulmonary and transplant societies, has chaired many sessions at national and international meetings, served on the editorial board for prominent journals, and serves regularly on NIH study sections. He has received numerous honors including election into Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).  During his career, he has led numerous multicenter clinical trials, data coordinating centers, and observational networks in lung transplant, pulmonary fibrosis, and other lung diseases.

His research has transformed current clinical practices in lung transplant, including prevention of infections such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and management of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). His work in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has advanced novel clinical treatments, discovered prognostic biomarkers, and identified disease genetic risks.  Dr. Palmer’s clinical research also includes studies of patient centered outcomes and analysis of real-world data across different lung diseases. Dr. Palmer’s translational research includes studies of lung innate immunity, airway cell biology and human immunology. His recent translational studies use single cell and spatial transcriptomic approaches to discover novel lung disease mechanisms. 

Dr. Palmer is a dedicated mentor to trainees and junior faculty, having personally mentored over 40 pre- and post-doctoral trainees, many of whom are now engaged in their own successful research careers. He also co-leads multiple institutional training programs including two R38 awards supporting dedicated resident research and a T32 training program in pulmonary medicine, reflecting his deep commitment to training the next generation of academic investigators.