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As the Fall 2025 semester begins, Duke Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student Alvin So shares his inspiring journey from international fencing competitions to the classroom and clinic. Featured in a conversation with Duke School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman, MD, Alvin reflects on how a serious injury—and the care he received during recovery—sparked his passion for physical therapy.

A recent study co-authored by David Virshup, MD, reveals a surprising new mechanism for how stem cells in the gut receive signals, challenging long-held assumptions and opening doors to potential new treatments for colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and other gut disorders.

The Duke University School of Medicine Office of Biomedical and Graduate Education (OBGE) and Precision Genomics Collaboratory awarded 13 pilot grants of $2,000 each to SOM Biomedical PhD students. The goal of these grants is to support our students in scientific and educational efforts to bolster their graduate training experiences. These awards will help further research in a broad array of topics including RNA sequencing for cancer and diseases, heart disease, obesity, fungus, as well as short courses, conferences, and training opportunities.

Our mission is to provide centralized services to support SOM students and others involved in the healthcare learning environment.  Check out our website.

Duke researchers, including Ben Goldstein, PhD, are collaborating on a new project that uses machine learning to recognize patterns in electronic health record data associated with children who are later diagnosed with autism.

As part of a broader effort to expand global health initiatives and establish new international partnerships, faculty members from Duke Orthopaedics and the Duke Global Health Institute traveled to Peru in May.

Congratulations to the following people who have successfully defended their dissertations and will graduate from the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Program.

Duke Physician Assistant Program Admissions Blog There is a lot that goes into the waiting period between submitting CASPA and getting an interview. Like we mentioned in previous blogs, the wait can seem extremely long, but it’s a great chance to plan ahead. Being prepared can make things less stressful and take some of the weight off your shoulders.

Registration is open for the annual School of Medicine Academic New Faculty Orientation (NFO)!  Join us on October 13, 8am-5pm in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center.  Who should attend? Orientation is open to all faculty, but we especially encourage those hired in the past 1-3 years to attend if they have not already. 

We are pleased to announce that, following a thorough national search and external review of the department and its leadership, Peter J. Allen, MD, has accepted the role of chair of the Department of Surgery in the School of Medicine, starting August 25, 2025.