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 »
The Graduate School has announced recipients for the 2021 Dean’s Awards. Dr. Makeba Wilbourn, Associate Professor of the Practice of Psychology and Neuroscience, was among three professors to received the honor of Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring. See full list of all honorees here. Read her personal interview about the joys of mentoring and how she herself learns from her mentees here. View the ceremony here. read more about Congratulations to Dr. Wilbourn on receiving a Dean's Award! »
The 2021 Museum of African American History Stone Book Award is now open for submissions until April 15th, 2021! The Winning Prize has been increased! Thanks to the generosity of the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation, the 2021 MAAH Stone Book Award winning prize has been increased from $25,000 to $50,000 and finalists prizes have been increased from $5,000 to $10,000 each. Dr. Gary Bennett also sits on the review board… read more about The 2021 MAAH Stone Book Award is now open for submissions! »
Wake County is the latest to ban hair discrimination, citing research from Prof. Ashleigh Shelby Rosette that demonstrates bias against Black women who wear their hair in its naturally curly state. Durham, Carrboro and Greensboro have all added protections against hair discrimination and Raleigh is considering a similar ordinance for city employees. Ashley Rosette conducted her research at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. The study, which was co-authored by Rosette and Christy Koval, was published in… read more about 'Don't take this for granted.' Wake County bans hair discrimination, cites Duke Research »
On the fourth episode of The Ways & Means podcast series “The Arc of Justice – From Here to Equality” Dr. William Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen are joined by Duke professors Deondra Rose and Adriane Lentz-Smith discuss the impact of education on success and advancement. Education is a doorway to prosperity. Yet, time and again in American history, that door has been shut for African American people. Consider the GI Bill, which provided college education and housing benefits for veterans after World War II… read more about The Arc of Justice Episode 4: Education, the Great Equalizer? featuring Deondra Rose and Adriane Lentz-Smith »
Please join us in congratulating Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences faculty members Ernestine Briggs-King, PhD, Jeremy Grove, PhD, and Sarah Wilson, PhD, on receiving departmental grants to support underrepresented minority faculty members and/or health inequities research! Find out more about their projects here. read more about Three Faculty Receive Departmental Pilot Grants »
On March 20th, 2021, Professor Andrea E. Woods-Valdes joined The Hayti Heritage Center and Souloworks in presenting the Wimmin@Work 2021 virtual celebration for a wimmin’s herstory month celebration. This year’s wimmin's herstory celebration brought a range of eclectic performances from dance, and original song and music to the art of healthy eating, spoken word, and krav maga. It included three virtual/online wimmin@workshops in songwriting, self-defense… read more about Professor Andrea E. Woods-Valdes joined The Hayti Heritage Center and Souloworks in presenting the Wimmin@Work 2021 Virtual Celebration »
Community Outreach & Engagement at Duke Cancer Institute comes of age as team expands. Cancer epidemiologist Tomi Akinyemiju, PhD, MS, was named DCI’s new associate director of the COE team. (how to say her name). DCI senior leadership is excited to welcome a new leader to the COE team to continue efforts to expand Duke Cancer Institute’s community outreach and engagement matrix of research, programs, and strategic partnerships to reduce the cancer burden and close the cancer disparities… read more about Congratulations to Toni Akinyemiju for being named new associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement at DCI »
Tomi Akinyemiju joins a robust core team of community outreach and engagement (COE) leaders at DCI that includes Patierno; medical sociologist Nadine Barrett, PhD, MS, MA, founding director of the Office of Health Equity and current director of Equity, Community and Stakeholder Strategy at both DCI and the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute; and Angelo Moore, PhD, MSN, RN, who currently leads the DCI Office of Health Equity (OHE). Duke Cancer Institute COE leaders and staff, together with DCI… read more about Community Outreach & Engagement at Duke Cancer Institute Comes of Age with Strong Team »
Lauren Haynes has been named senior curator of contemporary art, Nasher Museum Director Trevor Schoonmaker announced. She will begin her position as the Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Senior Curator of Contemporary Art on June 7. Haynes comes to Duke from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she has been curator of contemporary art since 2016. Read more about the announcement here. read more about Nasher Museum Names New Senior Curator of Contemporary Art: Lauren Hayes »
Rochelle Newton shares about how she got into STEM and reflects on the challenges she's faced over the course of four decades of experience working in information technology. Read more here. read more about Women in STEM at Duke: Working for Change »
Dr. Gaither is the Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neurology at Duke University and sits down with Joan Green to shed incredible insight around how being biracial effects individuals based on her research, her work and her personal experience. She leads the Duke Identity & Diversity Lab where she and her students work with interracial families to study relationships among various social identities. She has been published in numerous professional publications and also on social platforms like vox.com and the… read more about Dr. Sarah Gaither: Being Biracial - Research and Empowerment »
Darrell Miller, Melvin G. Shimm Professor of Law at Duke, joins professors around the country to affirm the constitutionality of background checks to Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun regulation. Read the statement here. read more about Darrell Miller joins Network of Professors in Statement on the Constitutionality of Background Checks »
BME's Samira Musah’s lab at Duke University focuses on a prevalent, but understudied problem: kidney disease. Her lab uses organ-on-a-chip models to explore the mechanism behind the damaging disease. Read more here. read more about Unlocking the Mysteries Behind Kidney Disease »
Dr. Norbert Wilson reflects on celebrating his 50th birthday during the COVID-19 pandemic. This op-ed was started as a part of the workshop series ran by the Duke Communications team and hosted by Black Think Tank. Read his op-ed here. read more about Dr. Norbert Wilson: Celebrating A Pandemic Birthday »
Building on 60 years of strategic collaborations, Duke University and RTI International have launched a new partnership to jointly develop research projects that address the critical challenges of today and tomorrow. The $5 million partnership, called Forethought, will seed collaborations that showcase the different yet complementary capabilities of the two campuses and also align with external funding and market opportunities. RTI is looking for innovative and compelling research projects that meld… read more about Duke and RTI International Partner to Seed $5 Million in Research Collaborations »
Dean Ashby refelcts on a recent talk called "The Hard Work of Culture Change" at the Association of American Universities. Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Valerie Ashby explained that the only way to foster a diverse, inclusive community is to change the way people relate to each other. “Culture change happens at the speed of trust,” she said. Read more here. read more about Dean Ashby: On Diversity, We Must Lead with Care »
Faculty say that since Donald Trump’s election in 2016, they have seen a rise in students’ interest in reforms that can improve democracy. These include policies shaping voting rights and elections, the distribution of income and wealth, and access to quality education, says Deondra Rose, assistant professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy and director of Research in Polis: Center for Politics. Read more about her comments here. read more about Seeking Answers for a Stronger Democracy »
The NAACP Mystic Valley Area Branch in Massachusetts recently sent every member of Congress a copy of the book “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century.” Written by reparations scholars William Sandy Darity and A. Kristen Mullen, “From Here to Equality” is considered the preeminent book and argument for reparations. “It is our hope by sending this really important book to our congress it would give us the opportunity to educate them and engage them,” said Schiffon Wong, chair of… read more about NAACP Chapter Is Sending Every Member Of Congress ‘From Here To Equality,’ Book On Reparations »
Dr. Luke A. Powery reflects on the Gospel of Mark as talk about healing grows as more people get vaccinated and the virus metrics move in a better direction. He shares, "As we look forward to these positive developments, it’s worth remembering something less obvious: the newness and change of healing come with costs." Read more here. This is part of a column series that runs on alternate Mondays. read more about Dr. Powery looks to the Bible to explore the cost of healing »
The Office for Faculty Advancement has awarded seed grants to 14 faculty-led projects exploring new ideas and expanding existing initiatives to promote an equitable and inclusive academic environment at Duke. The theme for this cycle was "Confronting Racism and Bias: Fostering an Inclusive Community." Faculty Advancement Seed Grants provide a financial head start for novel faculty development initiatives within academic units. Among the projects, professors Beverly McIver (Art, Art History, Visual Studies),… read more about Seed Grants Help Faculty Lead the Way in Confronting Racism and Bias »
Dr. Gaither (Psych & Neuro) speaks from a very personal place as she comments and unpacks the recent interview Oprah had with Megan Markle and Prince Harry. She shares "as a biracial person in an interracial marriage, I recognized so much of myself while watching Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah." Read her full op-ed here. read more about Dr. Gaither comments on the recent interview with Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Oprah in Vox »