Q&A with Dr. Marino

The following is a Q&A with Dr. Brad Marino, the new chair of the Department of Pediatrics.

What excites you most about joining the department?

What excites me most about joining the department is collaborating with exceptional clinicians and nationally recognized leading scientists and educators at one of the nation’s top pediatric departments, health systems, and medical schools. Duke Pediatrics has earned its reputation the right way – through excellence, integrity, and a real commitment to improve child health and impact the lives of the children and families we care for in the Raleigh-Durham area, North Carolina, the Southeastern United States, and beyond.

I am also genuinely impressed by the people here. Faculty, advanced practice providers, and staff create a supportive, thoughtful, and grounded culture. People look out for one another – and that matters.

On top of that, the opportunity to partner with UNC Children’s and UNC Health to build North Carolina Children’s is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity. Creating the only freestanding children’s hospital between Washington D.C. and Atlanta and using it to raise the bar for pediatric care across North Carolina and beyond, is something I am incredibly proud to be a part of.

What will be your primary focus in your first 6 months?

My early focus is simple: listen, learn, and build relationships. I want to meet people, walk the patient care areas and research and educational spaces to meet our team. My goal is to visit every space where we care for kids – clinics, inpatient units, operating rooms, diagnostic suites, and laboratories.

As I get my bearings, I will ask direct questions: How can we improve the patient and family experience? How do we make your clinical, research, and educational work easier and more sustainable for your teams? If we remove obstacles and let our teams do their jobs well, everyone wins.

What do you value most in a team or workplace culture?

I believe in what I call Quadruple A: people who are affable, available, able, and accountable. Be kind, be present, know your stuff, and own your work. If we get those four things right, we build trust, and that is the foundation of any great team and culture.

What do you do in your free time?

I spend as much time as I can with my family. That is what matters most to me. My wife Judi and I are big walkers, and we are usually out with our two dogs, Daisy and Georgie, getting miles in whenever we can.

I also stay closely connected to our three children, Max, Zach, and Gracie, whether that is talking about school, careers, or whatever is going on in their lives. I also enjoy sharing my love of sports with them, especially through fantasy leagues, which keep things competitive and fun.

When I am not with family or the dogs, I am following Ohio State Football, Duke Basketball, and the New York Yankees because of my New York roots.

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?

People are often surprised that I was an a cappella singer in college at The University of Virginia and even sang with Duke’s Pitchforks and Out of the Blue.

If I had not gone into medicine, I might have been a history professor or a TV weather person. I have always loved both.

What is the best way for team members to approach or connect with you?

I am approachable. I mean that genuinely. Team members can reach out by email, text, phone, or just stop me in the hallway. No formal agenda or big issue is required.

I will hold regular Chair’s Hours, with time on my schedule each week for anyone in the department who wants to meet. These are open, no-pressure conversations for sharing ideas, concerns, questions, or a simple introduction.

If something is on your mind, I want to hear it. My door and calendar are open.