Rivers 2007 Alumni Excellence Award Winner: Dr. William A. Christmas ’57

That testimonial, delivered by a Duke University colleague in 2005, perfectly defines what has made Bill Christmas a national leader in the field of college health. For over thirty years, Bill not only tended to the immediate concerns of the college students he served, he also ensured the future of this specialized area of public health by training and mentoring physicians and nurse practitioners to continue his work.

Bill retired in 2004 after 10 years as director of the Duke University Student Health Center as well as an attending physician at Duke’s Medical Center and professor in their Department of Community and Family Medicine. He is currently Clinical Professor Emeritus at Duke and a consultant at a number of college and university health centers in the United States.

“The initial draw for me was the infectious disease and public health aspects of college health. But I had also considered going into psychiatry and liked helping patients with emotional and social problems,” said Bill in a recent interview. “What kind of surprised me was that I related very well to young adults, who respond well to personal attention given in a non-judgmental style. I think I have that kind of “laid-back” style.”

Adept at multi-tasking, Bill found that his position at Duke, and prior to that at the University of Vermont and University of Rochester, allowed him the flexibility to pursue a number of interests, including teaching medical students the fundamentals of clinical medicine. While at Duke, he also established student health as a separate medical division, designed a new medical facility on campus, implemented an electronic medical record system, and supervised student wellness programs.

Bill has also been involved at the national level through the American College Health Association (ACHA), from which he received their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. The award noted, “Bill’s commitment to college health is illustrated not by the longevity of his career but his contributions to the body of knowledge and development of the specialty of college health.”

“I have really been humbled by the young physicians whom I taught in medical school who tell me that I had a major influence on their decision to enter the field of college health full-time,” admitted Bill who himself graduated from Bowdoin College and Boston University’s School of Medicine.

Clearly, Bill has always enjoyed having his hand in a number of things, both figuratively and literally. “I even taught a course at the University of Vermont for several years entitled ‘Bread Baking for Health and Exercise.’ I still bake half a dozen loaves at a time,” he said. Now living in Taos with his wife Polly Raye, Bill spends his leisure time traveling abroad, cross country skiing, camping, and visiting children and grandchildren.