Duke professors Shaundra (Shani) B. Daily and Nicki Washington were among the people recognized Tuesday by NC Gov. Roy Cooper as Black leaders and organizations in the science, technology, engineering and math fields who are doing critical and innovative work that is helping communities across the state. “North Carolina is a stronger state thanks to the contributions of many talented Black leaders, including those who work in STEM fields and who deserve recognition,” Governor Cooper said. “As we celebrate their… read more about NC GOVERNOR HONORS TWO DUKE FACULTY AS BLACK LEADERS IN STEM »
Duke Faculty Advancement Seed Grants support efforts to build inclusive campus communities Improving Departmental Climate and Building Community at DUSON Through Increasing Cultural Intelligence Lead: Michelle Webb, Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Nursing Co-Lead: Brigit Carter, Clinical Professor, Associate Dean of Diversity & Inclusion, School of Nursing Building on work done within the Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) community as part of its Racial Justice Task Force… read more about 13 Faculty Led Projects to Foster Equitable Communities in Departments and Schools »
When Michaeline Crichlow moved from her native St. Lucia to upstate New York, she had a lot to learn — and not just in the graduate program she attended at Binghamton University. “I became a Black person not in the Caribbean, but in the United States,” said the professor and interim chair of African & African American Studies. Race wasn’t often discussed in St. Lucia, where the vast majority of the population is Black. The rare times it was, the conversation wasn’t about Black and white, but the Indo-Caribbean peoples… read more about Dr. Michaeline Crichlow: WHAT DECOLONIZATION MEANS »
From China to modern Palestine, from Renaissance Europe to Reagan’s America of the 1980s, new books by Duke faculty will take you on a fascinating journey through time and space. We present a selection of books published in late 2021. Many of the books, including new editions of previous titles, can be found on the “Duke Authors” display shelves near the circulation desk in Perkins Library. Some are available as e-books for quick download. Most can also be purchased through the Gothic Bookshop. View them all here. read more about DANCE, SPIRITUALITY AND BLACK ARTISTS: BOOKS BY DUKE AUTHORS WARM THIS WINTER »
The Franklin Humanities Institute’s Faculty Book Manuscript Workshop Program provides support for the development and completion of scholarly monographs. It provides a structure for generating constructive, informed criticism on near-final book manuscripts, at a moment in the writing process when authors can most effectively utilize feedback. The aim of the program is to transform already excellent scholarly projects into superior published works. The deadline is February 8, 2022 by 5 pm. Learn more here. … read more about CFP: Faculty Book Manuscript Workshops (Spring 2022) »
In the spirit of Woodson, Working@Duke is showcasing the contributions of six Black staff and faculty at Duke — Samuel DuBois Cook, Mary Lou Williams, John Hope Franklin, Brenda Armstrong, Oliver Harvey, and Phail Wynn — all of whom blazed a trail during their time that resonates in communities today. Learn more about them here. read more about BLACK HISTORY MONTH: SHOWCASING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF SIX FACULTY AND STAFF »
Sidney Poitier, who was the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best actor, has died at age 94. Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies, says the actor was a “trusted racial interlocutor” who provided a “template” for other Black men. Read more here. read more about Dr. Mark Anthony Neal: SIDNEY POITIER ‘CARRIED A UNIQUE BURDEN OF REPRESENTATION,’ »
Dr. Kevin Saunders, associate professor of surgery and director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, speaking on CNN about efforts to create a vaccine that will cover all coronavirus variants. read more about Dr. Kevin Saunders featured in CNN »
Journalist and Sanford professor Stephen Buckley joins Sanford School Dean Judith Kelley to discuss his Atlantic article about January 6th. Listen here. read more about Dr. Stephen Buckley: The Termite Coup [Podcast] »
Dr. Lee Baker, professor of cultural anthropology, sociology and African and African American Studies, quoted in CNN Business about why he's still enjoying his Peloton workout and how it keeps him connected to former students. read more about Dr. Lee Baker featured in CNN Business »
One of the leading explanations for the Black-white academic achievement gap might need updating. Stereotype threat, the fear of confirming negative stereotypes about the group to which one belongs, has long been identified as a contributing factor, with past researchindicating that Black students do worse on tests when they are first reminded of their race. But a new study co-authored by William A. "Sandy" Darity Jr., a professor of public policy and economics at Duke, found that threat to have no effect on a… read more about RESEARCH: STEREOTYPES MIGHT DO LESS DAMAGE AT HBCUS »
Racism in the United States has created an enduring wealth gap between Black and White Americans. This gap is rooted both in slavery itself and in the systematic exclusion of Black people from government assistance and social safety programs beginning after the Civil War and continuing through the Jim Crow era and after. Although it’s not easy to capture the magnitude of this injustice, paying reparations to Black Americans is one way to begin to correct it. This week on EconoFact Chats, Professor William (Sandy) Darity Jr… read more about The Economic Case for Reparations: Dr. William Darity, Jr. »
At Duke, we can’t begin to count ourselves among the greatest without changing the systems that prevent all of us from rising. Computer science professor Nicki Washington is developing a new formula for equality in the tech industry: Disrupting the policies, practices and points of view standing in the way of marginalized computer science students. Making sure we all count, now that’s an algorithm for a better world. Watch the full video here. read more about Dr. Nicki Washington with Duke Science and Technology: An Algorithm for a Better World »
Congratulations to our Duke faculty who have been promoted or appointed to the rank of full professor. Promotion and appointment to full professor is the culmination of a rigorous review by the faculty’s academic peers inside and outside Duke and by the academic leaders at the department, school and campus levels. The review process looks for distinction and impact in research, teaching, service and engagement, and for leadership in the faculty’s area of expertise nationally and internationally. All these… read more about Congratulations to Faculty Promoted or Appointed to the Rank of Full Professor on the Campus Side! »
Troubling Terms and the Sex Trades A Call for Proposals from the Radical History Review Issue number 149 Abstract Deadline: February 1, 2022 Co-Edited by Julia Laite, Rachel Schreiber, and Judith Walkowitz The Radical History Review seeks contributions to a special issue to be titled “Troubling Terms and the Sex Trades.” Prostitution, sex work, trafficking, and decriminalization are not only contentious feminist issues, but… read more about Troubling Terms and the Sex Trades – Call for Proposals from the Radical History Review »
The RTI University Scholars Program will continue to prioritize applications for the 2022-2023 academic year from tenured or research-track faculty members at the Associate Professor level or higher with a commitment to collaboration and a research project related to racial equity and policy, broadly construed. RTI’s vision for achieving racial equity is to lead with compassion, execute with science, and transform by sharing what we learn. The RTI University Scholars Program is open to faculty from Duke University and the… read more about RTI University Scholars Program: 2022-2023 Call for Applications Prioritizes Racial Equity & Policy »
ACNP is pleased to announce that Dr. Kafui Dzirasa has received the Daniel H. Efron Research Award. See the rest of the recipients here. read more about Dr. Kafui Dzirasa: 2021 ACNP Honorific Award Recipient »
Congratulations to Dr. William A. Darity, Jr. for receiving the Raymond Gavins Distinguished Faculty Award! The presentations will be made at the annual awards ceremony at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. Founded in 1997, The Samuel DuBois Cook Society was established in the spring of that year to honor Dr. Cook, a retired Duke University professor who was the first African-American professor to hold a regular faculty appointment at a… read more about Congratulations to the 2022 Samuel DuBois Cook Society Award Winners! »
Duke pediatricians from the ABC Science Collaborative outline how a more focused COVID-19 “test-to-stay” approach can keep kids in school without overwhelming the system Over the course of a six-week duration, more than 880 tests were performed among more than 360 participants. “There were no instances in the ABC Science Collaborative ‘test-to-stay’ study where an exposed child became infected and went on to infect other children or adults within the school building,” said Kanecia Zimmerman, MD, MPH, co-chair of the… read more about Dr. Zimmerman: WITH ‘TEST-TO-STAY,’ CHILDREN AND STAFF CAN SAFELY REMAIN IN SCHOOL AFTER COVID EXPOSURES »
Dr. Nathaniel Mackey's three-part poetry collection Double Trio was featured on this list of favorite poetry books of 2021 in Hyperallergic Read their analysis here. read more about This Be the Verse: Our Favorite Poetry Books 2021 (Mostly) »
Read about the connections between race and health from Dr. Damon S. Tweedy, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, in The New England Journal of Medicine here. See excerpts below. "Twenty-five years ago, H. Jack Geiger — physician, civil rights activist, founder of community health centers — implied in an influential editorial that racism within the medical profession was contributing to health inequities between Black and White Americans.1 He… read more about Dr. Damon S. Tweedy: Race and Health — A Persistent American Dilemma »
"We increasingly trust artificial intelligence to make decisions ranging from mundane to life-altering, yet these decisions are often opaque or suffer from biases that are difficult to identify. What is the current state of the technology? How is it being applied in critical spaces like health care, national security, and your personal life? And what are researchers and implementers doing to address the negative potential? Join us for a trio of conversations where we pair faculty and alumni experts to discuss these… read more about Forever Learning: AI Capabilities, Liabilities and Responsibilities »
In a time of rampant misinformation, Duke faculty members spent the year bringing some much-needed fact, coherence and historical context to many of the great public issues of the day. In 2021, Duke experts in myriad scholarly disciplines were featured in more than 35 award-winning virtual media briefings. Duke utilizes these briefings – held via Zoom – to connect scholars with journalists and help inform the public debate on important issues. About 70 different faculty members took part in these briefings in 2021, several… read more about THE YEAR IN REVIEW: DUKE FACULTY BRIEFINGS ON COVID, CLIMATE CHANGE, CONGRESS & THE ISSUES THAT SHAPED 2021 »
In August 2020, the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences received a $50,000 unrestricted gift from an anonymous donor through the Rhode Island Foundation. Department leadership decided to use the gift to support pilot research projects focused on health disparities and work led by faculty members who are underrepresented in medicine, as well as other departmental initiatives to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and dismantle racism. “This gift gave us a much-needed boost to expand our… read more about $50K Gift Enables New Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Opportunities »
In her nearly six years as an assistant professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke, Sarah Gaither has become an influential voice in diversity scholarship. Now, she can add a prestigious National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to further her research on the way individual identities motivate social behaviors. The highly competitive grant is awarded to early-career faculty who serve as academic role models in research and education and who lead advances in their department… read more about How your sense of self affects the choices you make: Sarah Gaither awarded NSF CAREER grant to study how considering multiple identities can lead to flexible thinking »
About 38 million people worldwide are living with AIDS. Pharmaceutical treatments can keep the disease in check, but a vaccine remains elusive despite decades of concerted effort. However, a recent discovery at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) brings the goal of an effective vaccine within reach. “By the time the immune system realizes the virus is an invader, it’s too late,” says Wilton Williams, Ph.D., director of the DHVI Viral Genetic Analysis Core Facility and associate professor of … read more about Dr. Wilton Williams: Discovery of I-Shaped Antibody Opens New Avenue to HIV Vaccine »
Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal joins host Tavis Smiley on KBLA TALK 1580. The two discuss the legacy of Black Studies and Neal's essay on "Copaganda" in the collection Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing & Prisons, edited by Colin Kaepernick. Listen here. read more about Mark Anthony Neal Talks 'Copaganda' and Black Studies on KBLA TALK 1580 with Tavis Smiley »
Amid the omicron surge, there is understandable anxiety among parents, particularly those with kids under 5 who can't yet get a COVID-19 vaccine. Ibukun Kalu is a pediatric infectious disease doctor at Duke University and says her hospital has already seen a rise in children being admitted. "Unfortunately, more of the children that are in the hospital are unvaccinated. However, we have younger children that are not eligible for vaccination also end[ing] up in the hospital with COVID," she said. As the world enters… read more about Dr. Kalu: A pediatrician's advice to parents of kids under 5 on omicron, travel and day care »
In January 2020, former APSA President, Dr. Paula D. McClain, assembled an APSA Presidential Task Force on Examining Issues and Mechanisms of Systemic Inequality in the Discipline. The task force conducted research in the following four areas of concern, lead by four co-chairs: Tenure and Promotion Standards: Burdens of Faculty of Color: Cathy Cohen, University of Chicago Citation Patterns and Inequities, John A. Garcia, ICPSR … read more about APSA Presidential Task Force on Systemic Inequality in the Profession Issues Recommendations »
Dr. Mark Anthony Neal writes on "Soul Train and the Desire for Black Power" in The Nation. See excerpts below. View here for the full article. Don Cornelius’s faith that Black culture would attract a mass audience—and his devout belief that Black culture should be in the hands of Black people—make the program he created a radical touchstone 50 years after its debut. There’s likely no single Black-owned brand that elicits a collective smile more than Soul Train, the nationally… read more about Dr. Mark Anthony Neal: Soul Train and the Desire for Black Power »