A native of central Pennsylvania, Galen first came to Duke in 1957 and has remained at Duke since. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a medical degree, and he later served as a resident under Eugene Stead, M.D. After cardiology training, Galen’s early work at Duke included serving as director of the Cardiac Care Unit and having seminal involvement with the Myocardial Infarction Research Unit (MIRU) and with the creation of the Duke DataBank for Cardiovascular Disease. He also was one of the first of the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) outreach attendings, spending several decades traveling to Cabarrus County and teaching many staff members there.