Meet Physicians and Scientists

Federal funding has provided crucial support for biomedical research at American universities for decades, fueling the innovation and discovery necessary to solve the biggest health challenges. This explainer video describes how research saves lives and how the process of research funding works.

Duke University Health System has established a new endowed clinical directorship to advance cancer care thanks to a $2.5 million gift from an anonymous couple with deep ties to Duke Health. The directorship will provide opportunities to innovate, mentor, engage in community health initiatives, build and enhance programs, and invest in technology.

Ever wonder what a day in the life of a researcher is like? Erica Washington, PhD, will show you around. She’s an assistant research professor in molecular genetics and microbiology at the Duke University School of Medicine, unraveling the mysteries of fungal biology that could yield new anti-fungal medications. But she’s also a dedicated mom and a star on the soccer field.

Stacy Waters, MBA, has been named the new vice president of Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs (DHDAA), effective November 4, 2024.

Clinicians, researchers, and educators at Duke University School of Medicine and across Duke Health are using artificial intelligence (AI) to schedule surgeries more efficiently, give students immediate feedback on academic writing, and help speed up drug discovery.

School of Medicine Dean Mary E. Klotman, MD, announced this week that Duke’s first Presidential Distinguished Chair will be named in honor of outgoing Chancellor for Health Affairs A. Eugene Washington, MD, and his wife, Marie.

The anonymous donor who established the inaugural Presidential Distinguished Chair in early 2021 said the gift was intended to support superb science and to honor the Washingtons. The professorship will be known as A. Eugene and Marie Washington Presidential Distinguished Chair.

This spring, 18 faculty members in the Duke University School of Medicine have been awarded distinguished professorships.

Diego Bohórquez, PhD, associate professor in medicine, has become known as a “gut-brain neuroscientist.” His team has shown that neuropod cells, a type of sensor cell in the gut, communicate with the brain and help influence decision making about food. This work opens up the possibility of targeting the gut to treat mental health disorders and has been recognized by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the New Yorker, and more.

In a daring yet successful experiment back in 1995, Matthias Gromeier, MD, discovered that genetic recombination of poliovirus with a distant relative, human rhinovirus type 2, eliminates the disease-causing capacity of poliovirus. Yet, the modified virus retains the ability to infect and damage cancerous cells, owing to their abnormal “wiring,” and—more importantly—provides powerful immune stimulation by inducing host antiviral defenses.

Gifts from generous donors have helped researchers who are working to answer basic questions about the human brain—answers that could lead to important discoveries in disease and improve patient outcomes.