Paula D. McClain is James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Professor of Public Policy, Dean of The Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education. Dr. McClain is the Director of the American Political Science Association’s Ralph Bunche Summer Institute hosted by Duke University, and funded by the National Science Foundation and Duke University. She has numerous accolades to her name, that shows the passion that she brings to her profession. In an interview with the Office of Scientific… read more about On Systemic Inequalities in Academia with Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education Paula D. McClain »
When it comes to sensitive issues such as sexual harassment and other misconduct covered under Duke’s newly revised Title IX policy, something more was needed to ensure that students, staff, faculty and others in the Duke community can understand the nuances of the definitions and have clarity on how the process operates. That additional step is a new Frequently Asked Questions page, written with feedback from students to ensure that they can get the answers they will need in a situation involving sexual… read more about VP Kimberely Hewitt Discusses New FAQ on Revised Title IX Policy Changes »
We’d like to continue our welcome of new Black faculty at Duke by highlighting Dr. Olanrwaju Akande (SSRI), Dr. Angelica Leigh (FUQUA), Dr. Daisy Lovelace (FUQUA), Dr. H. Timothy Lovelace, Jr. (Law), and Dr. Boyla Mainsah (PRATT). These professors have brought their unique talents and diverse interests to campus and we are excited to welcome them to Duke University. Olanrewaju Akande Dr. Olanrewaju M. Akande is an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Social Science Research… read more about BTT Welcomes New Faculty at Duke »
Sarah Gaither, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience has received the prestigious 2020 Sage Young Scholar Award. The Sage Young Scholar Awards recognize outstanding achievements by young scholars who are early in their research careers. The awards are intended to provide these scholars with funds that can be flexibly applied in extending their work in new and exciting directions. Previous recipients of this award have gone on to positions of intellectual leadership in the field.… read more about Sarah Gaither receives 2020 SAGE Young Scholar Award »
Duke Professor Mbaye Lo writes about his reflections on the killing of George Flyod at the hands of officer Derek Chauvin for the official Medium publication for Duke University. Lo shares that what needs to change in this country needs to first start with an ethical deficiency within law enforcement, not just institutional policies and practices. Read more here and read more on his research on Muslim history in the United States here. read more about “I Can’t Breathe” is About Ethics, Not Politics: Professor Mbaye Lo speaks on the need to change the culture of policing »
In this groundbreaking study, Richard J. Powell, John Spencer Bassett Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History, investigates the visual forms of satire produced by Black artists in 20th- and 21st-century America in his book Going There: Black Visual Satire. Read more on his new publication here and listen to his discussion on a recent episode of Yale University's podcast here or read highlights on their conversation here. read more about Professor Powell Releases New Book "Going There: Black Visual Satire" »
As the semester winds down, Duke professors are as busy as ever. On November 12th, Dr. Patrick T Smith, PhD, M.Div presented at the 35th Annual Wiese Lecture in Ethics and Medical Humanities for Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital. His talk entitled “Racialized Imagination: What the Humanities Can Offer the Clinical Arena," explored how we can learn from art, literature, and music to overturn the inequities resulting from systemic racism. Dr. Smith serves as an Associate Research… read more about Dr. Patrick T. Smith speaks at the 35th Annual Wiese Lecture in Ethics and Medical Humanities »
Dr. Anne-Maria Makhulu, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies at Duke University, featured in John Hope Franklin Center's 'Wednesday at the Center' series. Her talk drew a comparison between a number of social movement struggles in South Africa and the U.S. linked by their common historical experience of settler colonialism, indigenous genocide, chattel slavery, and called to decolonize the university, the system of policing and incarceration, and society… read more about "A Luta Continua" (The Struggle Continues): Anti-Racism in South Africa and the US »
Dr. Keisha Bentley-Edwards serves as the Director of the Health Equity Working Group in The Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equity. They are currently managing three projects, including one examining intersections between Race, Religion & Health. Along with co-researchers, including Paul A. Robbins and William A. Darity, Dr. Bentley-Edwards's team released a new publication in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities looked at "Denominational and Gender Differences in Hypertension… read more about Recent publication from Health Equity working group examines hypertension among young African-American Christians »
The African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS) is pleased to announce the 2021 C.L.R. James Research Fellowship to support research towards the completion of a dissertation or publication of a book. All application materials should be received by December 15th, 2020. Find more information here. read more about AAIHS announces their 2021 C.L.R. James Research Fellowship »
Dr. Opeyemi Olabisi, MD, PhD brought his expertise to UNC Kidney Center's and discussed his research in “Why Do So Many African Americans Have Kidney Disease? Lessons Learned from Patient-derived Cells About Pathomechanism of APOL1,” on November 11th. read more about Dr. Olabisi joined UNC Kidney Center's Nephrology Grand Rounds »
Scientist Dr. Kafui Dzirasa has recently started an initiative to connect with Black academics in STEM with one another. His new website, Black in STEM, allows black academics from around the country and beyond to input their information to foster connection and collaboration on a national scale. Dr. Dzirasa has been a trailblazer in recent months for speaking on the need for biomedical research to confront the legacy and impact of structural racism. View his website here. read more about Dr. Dzirasa releases new initiative to connect Black academics in STEM on a national scale »
Dr. Tyson Brown (Sociology), Dr. Rachel Kranton (Economics), Dr. Donald Taylor (Public Policy), and Dr. Duncan Thomas (International Studies) are collaborating on an important research project to understand how members of our Duke community are coping with the stresses in our lives, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic. This confidential survey will take 10-15 minutes, asking both students, faculty, and staff about their experiences over the course of this past year. If you are interested in participating, more… read more about Project ROUSE: Faculty led team releases Duke survey on COVID and Wellness »
Among four new interdisciplinary faculty-led teams, Dr. Sarah Gaither, Dr. Makeba Wilbourn and others have been awarded seed grants of up to $40,000 by All Babies and Children Thrive (ABC Thrive). Their team, Race, Gesture, Learning and Teaching Effectiveness, will identify which gesture types are the most common and most effective for enhancing Black and white children’s learning outcomes. These findings will be used to develop a series of instructional videos for teachers on the effective use of gesturing… read more about Dr. Gaither and Dr. Wilbourn among faculty awarded ABC grants for new educational research teams »
We’d like to continue our welcome of new Black faculty at Duke by highlighting Dr. Dorlan Kimbrough (Medicine). Dorlan Kimbrough is an Assistant Professor of Neurology. Before joining Duke, he taught at Harvard Medical School in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His expertise includes Multiple Sclerosis, Transverse Myelitis, and Neuromyelitis Optica. For Dorlan Kimbrough, MD, neurology is both an intellectual challenge and a moral calling, or in his words, “a puzzle that matters.” Learn more on his work, passions, and… read more about Faculty Spotlight: Dorlan Kimbrough, MD »
In October, Dr. Jarvis McInnis (English) co-organized the first installment of the virtual "2020 Global Plantation Symposium" series. It was hosted by Princeton University, with ongoing plans for Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia and Duke University in Durham, NC to hold the later sessions. The conference delved deeply into representations of plantations and their implications. Deborah Thomas, an Anthropology Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, served as the Keynote speaker, and a… read more about Dr. McInnis co-organizes thought-provoking symposium on plantations »
Learning about belief systems and ideas about healing in Uganda helped Duke global neurosurgeon Tony Fuller improve epilepsy care there. He, along with other Duke medical scientists from the Duke Global Health Institute, have expanded Uganda's neurological care on a wholistic — whole country — level. He visits Uganda as often as 12 times a year, his work ranging from partnering with the health ministry there and the major power company to ensure that lights stay on during neurosurgical procedures and blood can be… read more about A Holistic Approach to Neurological Care in Uganda »
Brittany J. Green, a Duke PhD student in Music Composition, says her short work “Connected" was inspired by paradoxical feelings of isolation and mediated connectedness that many have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. She performs her piece for Castle of our Skins, a concert and educational series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music, in their 12th installment of their Black Composer Miniature Challenge (#BCMC) virtual world premieres! Read more here and view her performance here… read more about PhD student Brittany Green shares her feelings through music in her short work "Connected" »
The Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) is one of the largest communities of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students, research faculty, and program directs come together to present research, enhance professional development skills, explore graduate schools, network, and mentor. At this year's conference, Dr. Gustavo Silva and Dr. Sherilynn Black will be speaking about their research and experience at the following events. … read more about Dr Silva and Dr. Black speak on their research and experience at ABRCMS 2020 »
Scientist Dr. Kafui Dzirasa recently spoke at Incopix's DECODE Summit 2020 on November 9th. Dr. Dzirasa has been a trailblazer in recent months for speaking on the need for biomedical research to confront the legacy and impact of structural racism. At this conference he shared his research and reflected on efforts to make neuroscience accessible to all. In case you missed it, a video recording will be later released on their website. read more about Dr. Dzirasa speaks about "Translating Neuroscience" at Incopix's DECODE Summit »
President Trump has vowed to challenge the election results, which have declared Joe Biden as the president-elect. The legal challenges began well before Election Day with lawsuits over mail-in voting and which ballots were “legally” cast. Guy-Uriel Charles, professor of law at Duke and co-director of the Center of Law, Race and Politics, appeared on PBS NewsHour discusses what the president must prove to win in court. (Interview follows short ad.) Read more here at Duke Today and watch the discussion here. read more about Why President Trump's Lawsuits Face 'An Uphill Battle' »
Jesse McCoy, Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke Law, speaks to CNBC and NC Health News about fears of a coming eviction crisis amidst the COVID-19 crisis despite Governor Cooper's rental assistance program. Read more here and here. read more about Advocates worry about a coming eviction crisis as COVID-19 continues to worsen »
Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, Fogarty Global Health Fellow and OB-GYN was joined by Megan Huchko, MD, MPH, director, Duke Center for Global Reproductive Health and Nikki Mahendru, Neuroscience Major with minors in Global Health & Economics at the Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies’ October 20 panel “Impact of Race and Socioeconomic Status in Women’s Health and Gynecology.” The panel was moderated by Ashley Deans and Alexandria Da Ponte. Amidst the discussion, Dr. Mungo called attention to… read more about Trust in gynecology: the impact of race & socioeconomic status in women’s health talk »
As part of Duke’s anti-racism efforts, Provost Sally Kornbluth, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and The Graduate School, is offering three funding opportunities to support faculty and graduate students in research and development around topics of race, racism, racial equity, bias, inclusion and systemic inequalities. The three opportunities, with links to more information and deadlines, are: Faculty research: Reckoning with Race, Racism, and the History of the… read more about A Trio of Funding Opportunities to Address Race, Racism, and Systematic Inequalities »
Using a case study and sharing a wealth of research findings, Sherilynn Black and Kimberly Hewitt led an online workshop for nearly 100 Duke faculty members on October 22. “Your Role as Faculty in Confronting Racism and Fostering an Equitable Climate” helped participants understand the ways race influences their work and interactions with others and introduced strategies that can lead to more equitable practices. A group of faculty remained on the call after… read more about How Duke Faculty Can Help Create an Equitable Research and Learning Environment »
More than 100 faculty, staff and students paused amid the relentless pace of the fall semester to gather and reflect on finding purpose, the Duke academic experience and the challenge of systemic racism as part of an annual event hosted by Service-Learning. “The Fierce Urgency of Now” – its title a reference to a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. – featured more than an hour of frank discussion, frequently punctuated by student voices and featuring Dean of Students John Blackshear and Martin Smith,… read more about Deans Blackshear and Smith Talk Anti-racism, Finding Purpose and Life's Unexpected Paths »
Among 5 books on politics and public policy from Duke professors, DukeToday features "Citizens by Degree" by Public Policy Professor Deondra Rose and "Can We All Get Along" by Professor Paula D. McClain with coauthor Jessica D. Johnson Carew. Dive more into these great reads here. read more about Amidst election season, DukeToday features books on politics and public policy »
As part of its event series tgiFHI, the Franklin Humanities Institute is conducting interviews with its faculty speakers. In this edited and condensed interview, Dr. Cobb describes the enduring questions of what Black freedom means across time and visual media, the history of violence relating to Afro-textured hair and racial capitalism, and the weirdest (and grossest) thing she found in the archives. Read more here and check out Dr. Cobb's virtual tgiFHI talk titled Tactility and the Texture of Racial… read more about Meet Humanities Faculty Member, Jasmine Nichole Cobb »
In the wake of protests against police brutality and racial inequality the call for anti-racist action has rippled across the country. Duke neuroscientist Dr. Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, has addressed this in his own field. In a series of articles published in Cell magazine, he discussed his experiences as a Black neuroscientist striving for success, the need to confront the impact of structural racism on biomedical research, and the benefits of inclusion and diversity in scientific research. This past month he has… read more about Dr. Kafui Dzirasa on racism, inequality, and justice in biomedical research »
The Duke men's basketball program has unveiled plans for the Mako Medical Duke Classic Honoring Dr. Onye E. Akwari, a co-hosted multi-team event (MTE) with Howard University set for December. Dr. Akwari was a beloved Duke surgery professor who mentored many Duke basketball players. Read more here. read more about Mako Medical Duke Classic set to honor the late Dr. Onye Akwari »