Binita Chakraborty, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow Binita Chakraborty, PhD was intrigued: in published analyses of large numbers of patients with melanoma (skin cancer) treated with an immunotherapy that is becoming standard of care, the treatment worked better in men than in women.

Eric Dziuban, MD’07, with family

Eric Dziuban, MD’07 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s country director for the southwest African nation of Namibia, was enjoying a weekend at the coast with his family when the call came. A Romanian couple who had recently arrived in the Namibian capital of Windhoek from Spain had fallen ill. Tests confirmed everyone’s fear: COVID-19 had finally come to Namibia.

Claire Aldridge, PhD’96

Before Claire Aldridge, PhD’96, and her husband, Matt Burnside, took their daughter on a long-planned spring break trip to New York City, she checked travel guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she is associate vice president of commercialization and business development. The focus at the time was on surface transmission of the novel coronavirus: avoid touching doorknobs, wash your hands frequently, and don’t touch your face.

Charles Lucore, MD’83, P’17, MBA

When reports early last winter indicated that a mysterious new infectious disease had broken out of its point of origin in Wuhan, China, Charles Lucore, MD’83, P’17, MBA, began to prepare for its possible arrival in New York.

Hundreds of faculty and staff march in the Duke Health Walk for Solidarity, part of the national “White Coats for Black Lives” movement, on June 10, 2020.

Say their names. That’s the call made by many in reference to the numerous Black people who have been killed by police or civilian vigilantes in this country. It’s a call that some say represents the long-overdue need to address systemic racism in the U.S. And it’s a call that many students, faculty, and staff say must include Duke University School of Medicine.

Adapt and Innovate image from Duke Medical Alumni News Magazine, Fall 2020

Last spring, when Prince Boadi accepted an offer to attend Duke University School of Medicine starting in the fall of 2020, he knew the experience—leaving his family and friends in Chicago, learning his way around Durham, meeting new people, and taking on the rigors of medical school—would be different from anything else he’d ever done.

Neil and Denise Spector

For many years, the late Neil L. Spector, MD, who was a leading cancer researcher at Duke Cancer Institute, struggled with Lyme disease. Initially, he was misdiagnosed and when finally treated with antibiotics, some of his symptoms improved but his heart was irreparably damaged due to Lyme carditis, a condition that occurs when Lyme disease bacteria enter the tissues of the heart.

Donna Bernstein

As far back as Donna Bernstein can remember, the ethos of giving back has been as much a part of her as her name or the color of her eyes. She comes from strong Jewish roots, and her parents instilled in her and her sister and three brothers the Jewish principle that everyone has a responsibility to help others through charity and service.

A member of the Duke Nursing Alumni Council with the Duke Blue Devil mascot

Duke University School of Nursing celebrated its 90th birthday in 2020. In the time since its doors opened, much has changed. The School’s location on Trent Drive has expanded beyond its original small white building connected to Hanes House to today’s beautiful towering and awe-inspiring building with its open spaces and high-tech classrooms. Even its degree programs have grown and stretched over the years.

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