The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and Duke Health mourn the passing of David H. Murdock, a visionary philanthropist and the namesake of the MURDOCK Study, who died at the age of 102.
Murdock’s transformative $35 million gift to Duke University led to the creation of the MURDOCK Study (Measurement to Understand Reclassification of Disease Of Cabarrus and Kannapolis), a pioneering research initiative based in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The study was named in his honor by Robert Califf, MD, former principal investigator of the study and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, in recognition of Murdock’s extraordinary commitment to advancing health research.
“Mr. Murdock touched many with his generosity in creating the North Carolina Research Campus and starting the MURDOCK Study nearly two decades ago,” said Svati Shah, MD, current principal investigator of the study and the Ursula Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Cardiovascular Diseases at Duke University School of Medicine. “His legacy lives on through the thousands of lives impacted by this research.”
The MURDOCK Study Community Registry and Biorepository is a longitudinal cohort of 12,526 participants from a 20-zip code region centered on Kannapolis and Cabarrus County. Participants contributed health data, biospecimens, and ongoing engagement to support research aimed at reclassifying disease and improving health outcomes.
The study was launched with funding from the David H. Murdock Institute for Business and Culture and continues with support from the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) and CTSI.