Abbas Benmamoun, who has served as Duke University’s vice provost for faculty advancement since 2017, has been reappointed to a second term beginning July 1, 2022, Provost Sally Kornbluth announced today. Benmamoun leads the Office for Faculty Advancement, which was created in 2017 to support faculty excellence and promote an equitable and inclusive academic environment. Read more on Duke Today. read more about Text Dr. Abbas Benmamoun Reappointed as Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement »
As a member of an independent antiracism task force of bioethicists, Kenan Senior Fellow Patrick T. Smith co-edited a recently published Hastings Center report, “A Critical Moment in Bioethics: Reckoning with Anti-Black Racism through Intergenerational Dialogue.” Read more here read more about Dr. Patrick Smith (Divinity) call on bioethics to address racial inequalities in health care »
Cells are stressed by factors that may damage them, such as extreme temperatures, toxic substances, or mechanical shocks. When this happens, they undergo a range of molecular changes called the cellular stress response. DURHAM, N.C. – A gene that has been associated with severe learning disabilities in humans has been found to also play a vital role in cells’ response to environmental stress, according to a Duke University study appearing May 24 in the journal Cell Reports. Read more on Duke Today read more about GENE LINKED TO SEVERE LEARNING DISABILITIES GOVERNS CELL STRESS RESPONSE »
Each year, the Arts & Sciences Council honors outstanding faculty members for their teaching, service, mentoring and research. Since her arrival, Dean Valerie Ashby has also bestowed honors on those who distinguished themselves through leadership and the advancement of diversity. Drs. Shaundra Daily and Nicki Washington (CompSci) were awarded the Dean's Diversity Award. The professors designed the Cultural Competence in Computing Fellows Program – known as 3C – to… read more about Washington, Daily, and Powell receive Trinity Dean's Awards »
Four faculty members have been named 2022 Bass Chairs and inducted into the Bass Society of Fellows in recognition of their demonstrated excellence in both teaching and research. President Vincent Price and Provost Sally Kornbluth recognized the 2022 Bass Chairs, as well as those named in 2021 and 2020, during a reception at the J.B. Duke Hotel Tuesday evening. Dr. Deondra Rose, Kevin D. Gorter Associate Professor of the Sanford School of Public Policy, was awarded for her true excellence in both research and… read more about Dr. Deondra Rose Among Four Faculty Named 2022 Bass Chairs »
A group of Black college graduates from various institutions, ranging from Howard University to Oxford University to Duke University, believe there is power in connection and the collective voice of Black alumni to make change. The Black Alumni Collective is a national network of Black alumni committed to unifying and empowering Black alumni, individuals and groups, through civic engagement, economics, and advocacy. Speakers included Dr. Eugene Washington, chancellor for health affairs at Duke and… read more about Black Alumni Collective Holds National Conference at Duke University »
Provost Sally Kornbluth has appointed a committee to conduct the national search for Duke University’s next dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, succeeding Valerie Ashby, who has been named president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Committee members will include Profs. Abbas Benmamoun (Asian&MiddleEastern), Adriane Lentz-Smith (History), Mark Anthony Neal (AAAS), and Deondra Rose (Sanford). Read more about this committee on DukeToday read more about Search Committee Named for New Dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences »
Faculty and university staff will soon have access to a full-time, professional ombudsperson – a neutral and confidential consultant who can guide them in navigating work-related concerns. Members of the search committee will include Lee Baker, Abbas Benmamoun, Kim Hewitt, Antwan Lofton, and Trina Jones. Read more about this position here read more about New Ombuds Office to Support Faculty, Staff, and Students »
The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), the academic home of the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) pilot funding program at Duke University, is partnering with NC State’s Office of Research and Innovation (ORI), as well as NC State's Comparative Medicine Institute (CMI), to support inter-institutional collaborative research teams. This pilot program is designed to facilitate novel clinical and translational research that applies or… read more about Duke-NC State Collaborative Translational Research Grant »
Funding Agency: Golden Leaf Foundation The Open Grants Program allows applicants to apply for Golden LEAF funding throughout the year. Eligible applicants are governmental entities and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. The Golden LEAF Foundation is committed to using the funds entrusted to it for projects that show the most potential for strengthening North Carolina’s economy, especially in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and/or rural communities. Golden LEAF has identified quantitative… read more about Open Grants (for North Carolina Long-term Economic Advancement) »
Dinachi, mentored by Dr. Gustavo Silva (Biology), was among three juniors who were named Faculty Scholars, the university’s highest honor for students presented by faculty. Learn more about the award and Dinachi's research exploring the molecular basis of the cellular response to stress and other biological research related to medical disorders. Read more here. read more about Dinachi Okonkwo selected as Faculty Scholar for Excellence in Research »
By probing the fundamental neurobiological, genetic, and molecular causes of major depression in a multidisciplinary approach, Dr. Kafui Dzirasa is providing fresh insights into mental disorders and devising new ways to treat and perhaps cure them. As a role model and mentor to the next generations of scientists and engineers, he is also a major force for the diversity of the scientific and medical enterprise. See his full feature here. read more about Congratulations to Dr. Kafui Dzirasa (SoM) for winning the Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award for exceptional discovery and innovation in sciences. »
Black in Blue: The Duke Sports and Race Project critically studies race and sports at Duke, within its geographic placement, and beyond. This faculty-led project has three pillars, with each examining the politics and histories of intercollegiate athletics and athletes, particularly in revenue-generating sports. Check out the work, students projects, events, and courses led by Drs. Mark Anthony Neal (AAAS), Jennifer Nash (GSFS), Martin Smith (Education), Javier Wallace (AAAS) and colleagues. read more about Black in Blue: The Duke Sports and Race Project »
In a Zoom call this spring with 19 leaders of A.M.E. Zion church congregations in North Carolina, Dr. Opeyemi Olabisi, a kidney specialist at Duke University, asked a personal question: How many of you know someone — a friend, a relative, a family member — who has had kidney disease? The anguished replies tumbled out from the assembled pastors: A childhood friend died, leaving a daughter behind. A father and sister felled by the disease. Uncles and sons lost. Three cousins and a brother-in-law on dialysis. None of… read more about Dr. Opeyemi Olabisi (SoM) contributed to the New York Times on how to Target the Uneven Burden of Kidney Disease on Black Americans »
Mark Anthony Neal: Black Ephemera: The Crisis and Challenge of the Musical Archive (New York University Press) Access to the music, film, and visual art in the archive of contemporary and historical Blackness is just a YouTube search away. While Black Ephemera celebrates this easy access, it also argues that the cultural DNA of Black America has become obscured in the transformation from analog to digital –and points out the continued exploitation and commodification of Black culture. Mark Anthony Neal is the James B… read more about FROM ANCIENT ROME TO SMALL-TOWN MISSISSIPPI, NEW BOOKS BY DUKE AUTHORS CAPTURE THE IMAGINATION THIS SPRING »
Meet Dr. Chantell Evans (SoM), a Researcher Supporting the Inclusion of More Women of Color in Sciences Dr. Chantell Evans (SoM) is an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and a Duke Science and Technology Scholar in the School of Medicine. Evans’ most recent research inquiries are characterizing a novel repair mechanism for mitochondria and understanding when and where these diverse pathways are activated in the neuron… read more about Changing the Narrative: Chantell Evans Aims to Set an Example »
There were plenty of commencement weekend highlights away from Wallace Wade Stadium as schools and departments held their own ceremonies bringing in outside speakers, alumni and faculty to share last words with their graduating students. Speakers included Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, U.S. District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs, New York state public health official Sonia Sekhar and Harvard Professor Tomiko Brown-Nagin, who chaired the committee that reported on Harvard’s historical connection to slavery this month.… read more about FINAL WORDS FROM SCHOOL, DEPARTMENT GRADUATION CEREMONIES »
Congratulations to Dr. Anne-Maria Makhulu for receiving the Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring! Learn more about her work and passion for supporting students here. read more about 2022 Dean's Awards: Anne-Maria Makhulu »
Congratulations to all faculty that were awarded the Provost Office Racial Inequality Grants The Office of the Provost has selected 18 projects for funding through The Duke Endowment that engage topics related to the issue of racial inequality. These research projects will be led by Duke faculty members during the 2022-2023 academic year. Learn more about the awarded projects from Profs. Tyson Brown (Sociology), James Coleman (Law),… read more about Racial Inequality Research Grants Awarded to Duke Faculty »
Among the Duke University faculty who come from diverse backgrounds, 31 professors have identified themselves as the first member in their family to attend college and/or come from a low-income background. For 20 percent of Duke students with a similar background, those faculty members serve as role models, said Dr. Abbas Benmamoun, Duke vice provost for Faculty Advancement. “The students see you as a successful faculty member and say, ‘I can do it myself. I can succeed,’” said Benmamoun. “There… read more about Prof. Mark Anthony Neal (AAAS) shares with DukeToday his journey to faculty as a first generation college student »
A growing number of educators are overwhelmed, overworked, underpaid and their discontent is visible in the labor force. They’ve been forced to drastically pivot their classroom structure to accommodate shelter-in-place mandates, but the administrative expectations have held steady. The article lists four Black women educators that are worth celebrating! Read more here. read more about Prof. Anne-Maria Makhulu (CulAnth&AAAS) named by Essence as one of 4 Black Women Professors to Watch »
Congratulations to Professor Stephanie Ibemere (Nursing), assistant professor, who has received an award from Augusta University for the Programs to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged (PRIDE) in Health-Related Research — Functional and Translational Genomics of Blood Disorders (FTG) application entitled: “Assessing Advanced Practice Provider Disease Management, Knowledge Skills and Practice." This award is for a one-year period with a project start date of January 1. Read the full article on Duke School of… read more about Congratulations to Professor Stephanie Ibemere (Nursing) Receiving Award from Augusta University »
Dr, Sherilynn Black (SoM) will give a plenary address to NORDP conference attendees entitled Examining Barriers and Identifying Solutions Toward Achieving Equity in STEM. In her remarks, she will explore the ways in which research development professionals can empower themselves and their colleagues to promote equity within their institutional environments and offer practical and easily adoptable steps toward changing systems and structures in academic organizations. Read more on NORDP news read more about Dr. Sherilynn Black (SoM) Identifies Solutions and Spurs Action Toward Achieving Equity »
'A Pandemic in Slow Motion’: Duke Cardiologists Call for a New Approach to Prevent a Looming Global Crisis in Heart Health Cardiologist Gerald Bloomfield, MD, an associate professor in the Duke School of Medicine and Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), saw the trend firsthand in Kenya during the early 2000s. Now he helps direct a cardiology research collaboration between Duke and Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. “In the 1970s, there was a prevailing thought in medical literature Africans were immune to… read more about Cardiologists Drs. Gerald Bloomfield and Titus Ng'eno (SoM) discuss new approaches to prevent a global health crisis in heart heath »
The 2022 Edison Award committee has named Professor Ayana Arce (Physics) part of the inaugural cohort of Lewis Latimer Fellows. Named after Lewis Howard Latimer, the Latimer Fellowship Program is a new platform designed to Celebrate, Connect and Commune a community of innovative Black thought leaders. Lewis Howard Latimer (1848–1928) was an African-American patent draftsman and inventor who worked with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison in the post-Civil War era. Read more at the Duke… read more about Congratulations to Professor Ayana Arce (Physics) Named a 2022 Lewis Latimer Fellow »
The article discusses how the racism which is endemic in our political system leaves Black Americans choosing between being ignored and taken for granted. Read more here. read more about Dr. Candis Watts Smith (PoliSci) quoted on FiveThirtyEight on the catch-22 facing Black voters on the midterm »
Professor Keisha Cutright (Fuqua) was featured on Duke Fuqua for publishing in the Journal of Consumer Research suggests people who are spiritual or religious are less likely to purchase such self-improvement products when they are thinking about God. Read more on their research. Read more on Duke Fuqua Article: Loved As-Is: How God Salience Lowers Interest in Self-Improvement Products Lauren Grewal, Eugenia C Wu, Keisha M Cutright Journal of… read more about Professor Keisha Cutright (Fuqua) featured on Duke Fuqua for Publication »
Professor Samira Musah (Engineering, SoM) showed that SARS-CoV-2 can infect kidney cells via multiple binding sites and hijack the cell’s machinery to replicate, causing injury and COVID-19-associated kidney disease. Read more at Pratt: COVID-19 Can Infect and Damage Human Kidney Cells Article: SARS-CoV-2 Employ BSG/CD147 and ACE2 Receptors to Directly Infect Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Kidney Podocytes Titilola Dalejaiye, Rohan Bhattacharya, Morgan Burt, Tatianna… read more about Professor Samira Musah (Engineering, SoM): COVID-19 Can Infect and Damage Human Kidney Cells »
Congratulations to Dr. Chantell Evans (SoM), Dr. Jamila Minga (SoM), and Dr. Wilton B. Williams (SoM) being the recipients of the 2022 Whitehead Scholars Program Award. The Whitehead Scholars Program, supported through a gift from the Whitehead Charitable Foundation, helps attract and nurture the most promising biomedical researchers to the faculty at Duke University School of Medicine. Read more at Duke SoM read more about Congratulations to Dr. Chantell Evans (SoM), Dr. Jamila Minga (SoM), and Dr. Wilton B. Williams (SoM) for receiving the 2022 Whitehead Scholars Program Award »