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Farr A Curlin

Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care
3040, 108 Seeley G Mudd Bldg, Durham, NC 27710
3040, 108 Seeley G Mudd Bldg, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


Farr Curlin, MD, is Josiah Trent Professor of Medical Humanities in the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities, & History of Medicine and Co-Director of the Theology, Medicine and Culture Initiative (TMC) at Duke University. Dr. Curlin has worked to bring attention to the intersection of medicine, ethics, and theology. In 2012 he helped to found both the University of Chicago’s Program on Medicine and Religion and the annual Conference on Medicine and Religion. Since 2015, through Duke Divinity School’s TMC Initiative, he and colleagues have brought graduate theological training to those with vocations to health care. Starting in 2023, Dr. Curlin also is working with colleagues across North America to develop the Hippocratic Society, an association of students and practitioners dedicated to fulfilling the profession to heal. He is co-author, with Chris Tollefsen, of The Way of Medicine: Ethics and the Healing Profession (Notre Dame University Press, 2021), as well as more than 150 articles and book chapters addressing the moral and spiritual dimensions of medical practice.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Medicine · 2024 - Present Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Medicine
Professor of Medical Humanities · 2014 - Present Divinity School
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2017 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published July 9, 2019
A Summer Seminar Exploring Central Ethical Questions in Contemporary Medical Care
Published July 9, 2019
Helping Churches Face Down the Opioid Epidemic in Appalachia
Published May 23, 2018
In Appalachia, the Fight Against Opioid Abuse Comes to the Pulpit

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Recent Publications


Abortion is healthcare: In what sense?

Journal Article Nurs Outlook · 2025 In the wake of Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization, many nursing organizations asserted that "abortion is healthcare" and access to it must be protected. Such a phrase makes clear claims about the meanings of "health" and "care." How one defines ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Opioid Epidemic and Faith-Based Responses in Southern Appalachia, USA: An Exploration of Factors for Successful Cross-Sector Collaboration.

Journal Article J Relig Health · August 2024 This study aimed to identify factors for successful cross-sector collaboration with faith-based responses to the opioid epidemic in southern Appalachia. In-depth interviews were conducted with representatives from organizations responding to the opioid epi ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Seminars on Faith and Science

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Foundation for Excellence in Education · 2019 - 2022

Arete Initiative at the Kenan Institute for Ethics

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Foundation for Excellence in Education · 2019 - 2021

Training Research-Literate Chaplains as Ambassadors for Spirituality and Health: Phase I

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Rush University Medical Center · 2015 - 2019

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 1998 M.D.