The Department of Emergency Medicine at Duke is proud to announce the appointment of John D. Purakal, MD, MSc as the department’s first Director of Health Equity & Community Engagement.
In this newly established role, Dr. Purakal will lead the department’s strategy to strengthen health equity, social emergency medicine, and community partnerships across Duke’s emergency care network. His work will focus on operational excellence and evidence-based programs — including ParallelED (HelpDesk), the DUH Violence Recovery Program, and DukeWELL — to improve how the department identifies and responds to patients’ unmet social needs.
“Duke Emergency Medicine is committed to advancing health not only within our hospital walls but across the communities we serve,” said Dr. Purakal. “This role represents an opportunity to create meaningful partnerships, enhance patient outcomes, and train the next generation of physicians to be leaders in our field.”
Dr. Purakal serves as an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine and holds appointments with the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and the Samuel DuBois Cook Center for Social Equity. In addition to his leadership in health equity and social emergency medicine, he mentors multiple Duke student organizations that focus on addressing social needs and improving health for the Durham community. His work has been recognized with several honors, including the ACEP National Junior Faculty Teaching Award and the Duke University Presidential Award.
This appointment marks a significant step forward in Duke Emergency Medicine’s mission to advance health together — combining clinical excellence with compassionate, community-anchored care.