Dane Whicker, PhD, grew up as a gay person in Arkansas during a time when marriage equality was a decade away, slurs were both common and accepted, and allies or members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities were hard to find or nonexistent. Those experiences taught Whicker the value of support, acceptance, and open communication while inspiring him to make a difference for other people growing up in difficult circumstances. 

When Sharena Ballard-Hart took over efforts to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center (BIAC) in 2016, she was the only person of color in her unit. The role allowed her the opportunity both to learn more about EDI efforts and resources that she could apply to the BIAC and to connect with other people of color within the School of Medicine. 

Our EDI Spotlight for April 2023 shines on fourth-year medical student (and 2022 Michelle P Winn Award recipient) Sonali Biswas, MPHS.

When Leonor Corsino, MD, MHS, came to Duke as an Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition Fellow in 2006, she had a clear vision of her future as a physician-scientist working to address care, health outcomes, and health disparities for Latino and Hispanic populations.

When Anthony Fuller MD, MScGH, came to Duke as a medical student nine years ago, he hit the ground running. He co-founded the first division dedicated to improving global care for neurology and neurosurgery in the United States. Since then, the Division of Global Neurosurgery and Neurology (DGNN) has provided care for thousands of patients, built infrastructure for sustainable care in multiple countries, and published more than 100 peer reviewed manuscripts.

Duke University School of Medicine is committed to creating a more equitable environment. Effectively assessing progress and sharing data are ways to help make sure leaders reach that goal. That’s where Rebecca Redmond, PhD, comes in. In this month’s EDI Spotlight, Redmond shares about her unique role as director of assessment and research in the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Our final EDI Spotlight of 2022 shines on Julius Wilder, MD, PhD, a gastroenterologist and  hepatologist and Chair of the Department of Medicine’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism committee (DEIAR). Wilder talks to us about balancing his oversight of efforts to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within his Department while still practicing clinical care.

Like many Americans, the murder of George Floyd in 2020 was a wake-up call for Taylor Abele, a PhD student in the Department of Immunology. Not only did the horrific event motivate her to get more involved in changing systems that lead to inequalities, but it also provided her with the courage to stand up for herself and other LGBTQ+ individuals.

Since 2015, Johnna Frierson has worked in various roles at Duke with one main goal in mind: creating a more diverse and equitable environment for students and trainees interested in careers in STEM and the basic sciences. She will now broaden that work, reaching more areas within the School of Medicine community, as the newly appointed associate dean for equity, diversity, and inclusion in the basic sciences.

In the summer of 2020 Black faculty, staff, and students came together from across Duke to discuss the impact racism has had on our country, and to share their stories of dealing with racism in their own lives for the Living While Black symposium. Listening to those stories, Coral May, MPA, SHRM-SCP, knew she had to make a difference.