Adrian Hernandez

Adrian F. Hernandez, MD is a cardiologist, clinical trialist, and academic leader at Duke University. He serves as Vice Dean of the Duke University School of Medicine and is Executive Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), one of the world’s leading academic clinical research organizations, where he oversees a broad portfolio of clinical trials and evidence-generation initiatives spanning cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, and other major public health challenges.

Dr. Hernandez is internationally recognized for his contributions to clinical research, pragmatic trial design, implementation science, and the development of innovative approaches to generating real-world evidence. Throughout his career, he has led and collaborated on numerous large-scale national and global studies that have informed clinical practice guidelines, regulatory decision-making, and health policy. His work focuses on improving the quality, efficiency, and applicability of clinical research through novel trial designs, digital health technologies, artificial intelligence, and learning health systems. He has published over 800 publications and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and chairs the board of directors of the Reagan-Udall Foundation.