The Akwari Society: Humanism in Surgical Practice
December 2, 2022 • 4 min read
By Michelle Antoinette Macalino
Onyekwere E. Akwari, MD
In September 2022, Duke Surgery celebrated the establishment of a new society honoring the legacy of Dr. Onyekwere Emmanuel Akwari. The society’s foundation is built upon placing humanity at the center of our surgical practice.
The Akwari Society honors its namesake by embodying Service to the surgical profession in the form of excellence in bench and clinical research, Service to learners at all levels in teaching, mentoring, sponsorship, and advocacy, and first and foremost, Service to individuals in caring for patients.
Humanism in Surgery
The newly established Akwari Society, created in partnership with Anne Micheaux Akwari, MD, JD, Dr. Akwari’s wife, is led by Associate Professors of Surgery Linda Cendales, MD, and Bradley Collins, MD. As leaders, both Drs. Cendales and Collins believe that the Akwari Society is a vehicle to guide its core value of humanism in surgical practice.
Linda Cendales, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Similar to the mission of the Department of Surgery, the society comprises academic, clinical, and administrative spheres that interconnect. The society will be an honorific community and an action-focused organization of individuals devoted to excellence in all aspects of surgery.
“The Akwari Society will be a local, a global, an active, and a generative society,” says Dr. Cendales. “The society will be an intellectual force in advancing humanistic principles and their application in surgery, and ultimately, to the practice of medicine in all its forms. Consistency in compassion, empathy, integrity, respect, and generous behaviors will be traits of members of the society.”
The society envisions that the members will carry those values in their everyday lives to have a positive impact not only in professional settings, but also in their communities.
“We want this society to be a highly diverse composition, by drawing our understanding and dissemination of the elements of humanism from the knowledge and skills from multiple perspectives,” says Dr. Collins. “It would mean drawing wisdom from different institutions, students, mentors, and people that also knew Dr. Akwari and can provide insight.”
Leading the Legacy
Dr. Cendales’ dedication and background in Service within and outside surgery makes her a compelling leader. She has led initiatives by serving on the Duke School of Medicine Inclusion Council and the Care for Each Other team at Duke University Hospital (DUH).
Drs. Linda Cendales and Bradley Collins give a speech at the Akwari Society inauguration gala on September 13, 2022.
Within the department, Dr. Cendales was the inaugural chair and director, respectively, for the Duke Surgery Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Academic Success Through Surgical Education and Training Program (ASSET Program), which partners with schools and programs in the Durham community to provide career mentorship and educational assistance in surgery to students who come from financially-challenged backgrounds.
She has also led initiatives not only in the Durham community, but internationally. The latter through volunteer work to reconstruct congenital hand deformities in Vietnam, and by leading programs with the Children’s International Summer Villages (CISV), an official partner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Europe, South America, and North America.
“Service has been significant to me for a long time, perhaps since I was a girl scout growing up.” says Dr. Cendales. “The Akwari Society honors the many forms of service of Dr. Akwari including surgery, research, caring for patients, caring for each other, and all levels of mentoring and teaching. That is significant to me, and I feel honored to continue his legacy.”
Bradley Collins, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Dr. Collins has been a longtime member of the Duke Medical School Admissions Committee and has served as an equity, diversity, and inclusion advisor for departmental reviews, where he would make suggestions for improvements in diversity and inclusivity. He also personally worked with Dr. Akwari when he first joined Duke Surgery as a resident, eventually working as a faculty member and colleague of Dr. Akwari.
As a friend and colleague of Dr. Akwari, Dr. Collins feels he has the opportunity to introduce Akwari’s ideals to a new generation of surgeons and trainees.
“During my early years as a faculty member, I leaned on Dr. Akwari for advice. Because I knew him, I thought I could help folks who didn’t know him learn more about him and realize why the Akwari Society’s mission is an important initiative,” says Dr. Collins. “Dr. Cendales and I have worked together before, and as leaders I think our two perspectives and experiences are a good match in leading the society.”
Hopes for the Future
While the Akwari Society is currently in its early stages of development, the leaders are enthusiastic about the possibilities that the society will bring to Duke Surgery. It will continue to grow with the commitment to excellence in surgery centered around what is common to us all humankind.
“As a Society, we want to place humanism at the forefront of our everyday work in Duke Surgery,” says Dr. Cendales. “If you look at the traits of our membership, they are inseparable from surgical excellence and are desirable to be practiced consistently. The Akwari Society is a vehicle for that, and it will be a signature of Duke Surgery.”
Give to the Akwari Fund
The Akwari Fund was established in honor of Onyekwere Emmanuel Akwari, Duke’s first African-American surgeon, who arrived as Duke struggled with its identity as a segregated institution. With kindness, dignity, scholarship, and love of community, and impervious to the conduct of others, Akwari worked to make Duke a richer, more humane institution. This endowment was established in recognition and furtherance of Dr. Akwari’s sustained efforts to make Duke and Duke Surgery Beloved Communities.