Shekinah Elmore, MD, MPH, passed away on July 24, 2024 at the age of 42. She was a pioneer in global oncology, a stellar physician, visionary in humanity, a wife, mother, sister and beloved friend to many.
Dr. Elmore was a remarkably talented radiation oncologist who obtained her medical degree from Harvard where she received a Fulbright scholarship to work with Partners in Health in Rwanda, a radiation oncology residency also at Harvard, and an MPH at Columbia University. She joined the UNC Radiation Oncology faculty in 2020, where she has had an indelible impact already. In addition to being a radiation oncologist for patients in the U.S., she has been strongly and consistently involved in global challenges to cancer care, working in Rwanda during medical school, then with UNC Project Malawi after joining our faculty.
Dr. Elmore brought a firsthand understanding of the cancer journey to the care of her patients and their families, those with interest should watch her TEDtalk about treading the line between being a patient and being a provider (Shekinah Elmore: The courage to live with radical uncertainty | TED Talk). The UNC community will miss her passion for providing excellent care and advocating for her patients, and will certainly miss her wonderful laugh and wicked sense of humor.
In 2023, Dr. Elmore shared her perspective as a physician and a patient on a NEJM podcast, explaining how her experience with illness shaped her as a physician and patient advocate in the first episode of the podcast “Not Otherwise Specified.”
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 10th 2024 at 10:00 AM at the Mt. Calvary United Church of Christ (1715 Athens Ave, Durham, NC 27707).
A GoFundMe page will directly support her family.