Dr. Deborah Burnet, after three decades of visionary leadership, mentorship, and service, will be retiring from the University of Chicago, leaving an impact and legacy that has shaped internal medicine, medical education, and health equity.
Dr. Burnet’s journey began in 1989 when she received her MD at the Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed her resident in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medicine from 1989 to 1993, launching her career where it would eventually shape the approach to patient care and education.
In the 1990s, she developed Pritzker’s first cultural competence curriculum for medical students, earning the Society of General Internal Medicine National Award for Innovation in Medical Education in 2001. Dr. Burnet demonstrated her commitment to equitable care with two decades dedicated to addressing childhood obesity and diabetes through community based interventions like REACH-OUT, Power-Up, and the Pilot Light program in Chicago Public Schools.
Dr. Burnet has served numerous leadership roles, one being Section Chief of General Internal for 22 years, 2003 to 2025. Through her leadership, the section grew to include 42 core faculty members and transforming a small team into a nationally recognized academic power house. She also held the position of Vice Chair for Faculty Development in the Department of Medicine from 2005 to 2025, nurturing generations of academic physicians, researchers and leaders.
A champion of leadership development, Dr. Burnet founded and directed numerous training initiatives that have shaped healthcare leaders across the country. These include:
- Society of General Internal Medicine’s LEAD Program (2014–present), which has trained over 150 national leaders in academic General Internal Medicine
- University of Chicago’s Foundational Leadership Program (2016–2019), which developed 200 faculty and executive leaders
- The BSD Senior Leadership Academy (2018–present), a year-long intensive for senior faculty now in its sixth cohort
- LUCENT (2015–present), a transformative primary care leadership program for residents, with over 80 alumni leading across academic and community settings
Her mentorship has been widely recognized, most notably with the Arthur Rubenstein Mentorship Award in 2012, a reflection of the countless students, residents, and faculty whose careers she has touched. In 2017, she was honored as National Chief of the Year by SGIM for her exemplary leadership.
Reflecting on her time as General Internal Medicine Section Chief, Dr. Burnet said, “When I became Chief in 2003, we had just two full Professors and a handful of senior faculties. Today, we are a vibrant and diverse team of Instructors, Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors, leading nationally in research and education, and serving more than 30,000 patients on Chicago’s South Side.”
As she steps into retirement, Dr. Burnet leaves behind an indelible legacy of leadership, innovation, and compassion. Her work has changed lives, not only in Chicago but across the country, through every patient treated, every student mentored, and every program built in her visionary image.