As we close out the 2020-2021 school year, Black Think Tank would like to highlight the 10 most-viewed news stories in the spring of 2021 on the BTT website. We were proud to see how the Black faculty at Duke continued to share their voice, deepen their knowledge, and connect with their fellow scholars throughout the year, whether it was learning more about faculty and the scholarship they are producing or recognizing the exciting initiatives they are leading. Check out the 10 most-viewed news stories on BTT'… read more about Top Ten BTT News Stories of Spring 2021! »
Congratulations to Dr. Thavolia Glymph on receiving the following honors for her book The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation. The Darlene Clark Hine Award The Mary Nickliss Prize in U.S. Women's and/or Gender History The Civil War and Reconstruction Book Award View the full awards ceremony here. read more about Congratulations to Thavolia Glymph on her awards from the Organization of American Historians! »
Faculty members in myriad fields began gathering real-time data about the pandemic, including several scholars who analyzed various aspects of its psychological impact and are working to bring help to those most affected. This includes PROJECT ROUSE , which looks at mental health effects within the university community. Listen as Dr. Tyson Brown discusses the research here. Learn more about all the researchers here. read more about Get to know the Eight Duke Scholars Examining the Mental Health Effects of the Pandemic »
On this episode, Dr. Celine Gounder speaks with Dr. Kafui Dzirasa, a psychiatrist and NIH-funded brain researcher at Duke University, about his journey climbing to the heights of biomedical research in the United States as a first-generation immigrant and a black man. We’ll hear how the legacy of slavery continues in science and medicine, Kaf’s advice on finding mentors, and how he’s handling the pandemic as a scientist and an African American. Listen here. read more about A Black Man in Science Part I: The Pursuit of Truth / Kafui Dzirasa »
Two respected scholars -- one of African literature and one of the political economy -- will join the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences faculty this year. Grace Musila has been named associate professor in the Department of English, and Eric Mvukiyehe has been named assistant professor in the Department of Political Science. Read more about their research here. read more about Two Experts on Africa to Join Trinity Faculty »
Congratulations to Professors Maggie Lemos, Guy-Uriel Charles, David F. Levi, and Walter Dellinger on being appointed to the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. The Commission’s purpose is to provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform, including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals. Read more about it here. read more about Congratulations to Law Professor Guy-Uriel Charles on being appointed to the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States! »
Dr. William A. Darity was quoted in the New York Times on the building of the racial wealth gap. Read more here. read more about Beyond Pandemic’s Upheaval, a Racial Wealth Gap Endures »
The Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute is launching a new Center for Pathway Programs to support professional development programming that enhances career opportunities for underrepresented students and early-career trainees. The Center will be led by Dr. Tony Fuller and Dr. Charles Muiruri. Read more about the new center here. read more about Dr. Tony Fuller and Dr. Charles Muiruri to lead new Center for Pathway Programs »
In a new paper in Advanced Genetics, Dr. Charmaine Royal and colleagues say an array of factors — including environmental and social conditions — shape the course of illness. Royal's newly-published article in Advanced Genetics — with colleagues from Duke, the University of Cape Town and the University of the West Indies — focuses on the idea of looking at sickle cell disease in a more global context, as a prototype for integrative research and health care. read more about Sickle Cell Disease: More Than A Genetic Condition »
Duke University School of Medicine is proud to acknowledge the faculty members who were selected as recipients of this year’s School of Medicine faculty awards. Find all the awardees here. Kevin L. Thomas - Excellence in Professionalism. Kafui Dzirasa - The Ruth and A. Morris Williams Faculty Research Prize. Maria J. Small - The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award Kimberly S. Johnson - … read more about School of Medicine Celebrates 2021 Faculty Award Recipients »
Dr. Opeyemi Olabisi hopes to change that. Olabisi is the principal investigator of the Duke APOL1 Study, based in Durham and now Kannapolis. His research could pave the way for innovative prevention and treatment of APOL1-associated kidney disease. He partnered with CTSI’s Translational Population Health Research group and the MURDOCK Study, Duke’s landmark research study based in Kannapolis, to recruit people with African ancestry living in and near Cabarrus County. Read more about it here. read more about Duke-Kannapolis launches kidney disease study for people of African descent »
Vascular Cures is pleased to announce Kevin Southerland MD, an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Duke University as the 2021 Wylie Scholar. His research work is on the “Transcriptional Dynamics and Heterogeneity of Macrophages in Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia.” Read more about the award and his research here. read more about Dr. Kevin Southerland Announced as 2021 Wylie Scholar »
Learn more about the poet and professor Dr. Nathaniel Mackey in this feature in the New Yorker here. read more about Nathaniel Mackey’s Long Song »
Recently Dr. Jennifer Nash presented at the The Thomas Langford Award and Lecture Series. This series is a tribute to the memory of Thomas Langford who served as Divinity School faculty member, Dean, and Provost at Duke University. The award provides Duke faculty an opportunity to hear about the ongoing scholarly activities of new or recently promoted colleagues. Read more about the program here. read more about Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Nash for receiving the Thomas Langford Award »
Stephen Buckley, a veteran editor and educator who worked at The Washington Post, Tampa Bay Times and the Poynter Institute, has been chosen as one of two new Eugene C. Patterson Professors of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Buckley will join the other new Patterson professor, New York Timescolumnist Frank Bruni, whose appointment was announced Monday. They will begin July 1 in the DeWitt Wallace Center for… read more about Veteran editor and educator Stephen Buckley to join journalism faculty of Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy »
New Cook Center analysis shows that for Black students, school integration was no panacea. Integrating the American classroom has long been a goal of many who seek to eradicate racial discrimination. But a new paper from four economists, including Duke University’s William A. “Sandy” Darity Jr., suggests that Black students do not always benefit from attending racially balanced schools. Read more here. read more about For Some Black Students, Discrimination Outweighed Integration's Benefits »
The first-ever university-wide climate survey will be foundational to establishing new policies and practices to build a more equitable campus community, survey organizers said. But as comprehensive and as important as the survey is, it’s only going to be as effective as the number of faculty, staff and students who participate, they add. “The survey will be foundational for our anti-racism and equity work in the future,” said Kimberly Hewitt, vice president for institutional equity. “This will set the baseline for how we… read more about First University Comprehensive Survey on Anti-Racism & Equity Issues Distributed »
Join us in congratulating Dr. Kafui Dzirasa of Duke Psychiatry & Duke Neurology on winning the Duke Medical School 2021 Ruth & A. Morris Williams Faculty Research Prize. Hear Dr. Dzirasa talk about the groundbreaking research that earned him this award here. read more about Congratulations to Dr. Kafui Dzirasa on winning Faculty Research Prize! »
Duke Health leaders have selected ten high-potential innovation projects to be implemented as part of the Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI)’s annual call for project ideas in the areas of novel strategies to improve value of care delivery, advance health equity, amplify digital solutions for care and monitoring, strengthen provider and staff experience and well-being and enhance patient engagement and experience. Dr. Lisa McElroy is the Principal Investigator and is joined by collaborator Dr. Julius… read more about Congratulations to Dr. Lisa McElroy and Dr. Julius Wilder on receiving a DIHI 2021 Innovation Award »
BTT welcomes new faculty member Dr. Chantell Evans. Dr. Evans joins Duke as an Assistant Professor and Duke Science & Technology Scholar in Cell Biology. read more about Welcome to new faculty member Dr. Chantell Evans! »
Julius Wilder, MD, PhD, has been named Co-Faculty Lead of the Community Engaged Research Initiative (CERI). Dr. Wilder will join Leonor Corsino, MD, and Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda PhD, MPH, RN, CPH, FAAN, as part of the core’s faculty leadership team. Dr. Wilder will help support initiatives within CERI focused on engaging our community partners in research projects addressing social determinants of health. He is honored to join CERI and contribute to this tremendous successful program. Learn more here. read more about Congratulations to Dr. Julius Wilder on joining Community Engaged Research Initiative as Co-Faculty Lead »
The Presidential Awards program, organized by the Office of the President in partnership with Duke Human Resources, recognizes individuals and teams from the University and Health System who best demonstrate the values that define and shape Duke as an institution. The awards are the highest honor given by Duke to staff and faculty members. In addition to doing groundbreaking research using neuroscience, bioengineering and computational approaches to examine the roots of mental illness, Dr. Kafui Dzirasa is a… read more about Dr. Kafui Dzirasa featured among Duke's Presidential Award Winners »
Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery honors women who have made an impact in his life during women's history month in an op-ed. Read more here. read more about Luke Powery: If it wasn’t for the women »
Duke University scholar Dr. Mark Anthony Neal discusses the Third Reconstruction, Civil Rights legacy, and contemporary culture of movement making on the Open Mind TV podcast with Alexander Heffner. Listen here. read more about Dr. Mark Anthony Neal discusses The Making of Movements on The Open Mind Podcast »
Dr. Sherilynn Black and Dr. Gustavo Silva discuss the barriers that exist in academia with Science Magazine. It’s the responsibility of academic institutions to use results like these to inform interventions that will help people from every background thrive in academia, says Sherilynn Black, associate vice provost for faculty advancement at Duke University. “It’s really important not to look at this data and say, ‘I didn’t have a parent with an advanced degree—maybe that means academia is not for me,’” says… read more about Academia is often a family business. That’s a barrier for increasing diversity »
The HistoryMakers’ 2021 Faculty Innovations in Pedagogy and Teaching Fellowship is awarding up to eight (8) Faculty Innovations in Pedagogy and Teaching Fellowships ($7500). The fellowship period is June 2021-January 2022 and the fellowship awards will center around significant incorporation and use by faculty of The HistoryMakers Digital Archive in faculty curricula and classroom… read more about 2021 Faculty Innovations in Pedagogy & Teaching Fellowship Opportunity Now Accepting Applications »
The Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School rejoices to celebrate Women's History Month by highlighting four accomplished Black women who continue their vocational formation through higher theological education. “We celebrate dynamic Black Christian women and rejoice to share in their ministry formation, particularly during March, Women’s History Month,” says Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, research professor of theology and Black Church studies; director of the Office of Black Church Studies; and associate dean… read more about Accomplished African American Women Continue Their Journeys at Duke Divinity School »
Dean Ashby spoke about leading with CARE (courage, authenticity, responsibility, empathy) at the recent service-learning event series: “We often say on my team that what we do is important but how we do it is even more important. Leadership is not doing, it’s being.” Read more about the whole event here. read more about Service-Learning hosts discussion on ‘our shared humanity’ with Dean Valerie Ashby »
“I Cannot Write My Life: New Perspectives on the Life and Writings of Omar ibn Said" Dr. Mbaye Lo’s project offers new perspectives on Omar Ibn Said’s life in North Carolina from 1808 through his death in 1863, and his Arabic writings that encompass 17 documents held in local and national repositories. It also examines Omar’s condensed references, omissions, quotations and Qur’anic verses to reflect a complex background in his West African and Islamicate culture. Over the course of the fellowship term, Dr. Lo will… read more about Congratulations to Mbaye Lo, the new 2021 ACLS Fellow! »
William Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen share why the new local housing program in Evanston, IL should not be considered a reparations program for African-Americans in this opinion piece in the Washington Post. Read the full article here. read more about William Darity publishes Op-ed in the Washington Post about the complexities of a local 'reparations' program »