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Photo: group of Duke’s women surgeons replicating cover of the New York Times. The Washington Post: Sometimes an artist, like a surgeon, triggers a surprise reflex by touching the heart of the matter.

On the eve of the March for Science in Washington, DC, Mary Klotman, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and dean-elect of the School of Medicine, joined Representative David Price and nine other local leaders from academia, pharma and government in the Research Triangle Park to discuss the impact of the proposed $6 billion reduction in federal funds to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY 2018.

Commitment from Alan and Carol Kaganov will enable new research, education initiatives to improve lung disease outcomes By Jeni Baker A generous gift from Duke Engineering alumnus Alan L. Kaganov, E’60, MBA, MS, ScD and his wife, Carol, aims to advance the diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of pulmonary diseases by fostering new collaborations across engineering and medicine at Duke University. (Photo Carol and Alan Kaganov)

Small, phase one trial of a dendritic cell vaccine supports further study in larger trials A phase one study of 11 patients with glioblastoma who received injections of an investigational vaccine therapy and an approved chemotherapy showed the combination to be well tolerated while also resulting in unexpectedly significant survival increases, researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute report.

Joseph G. Rogers, MD, will serve as interim chair of the Department of Medicine, effective July 1, 2017. Dr. Rogers will succeed Mary Klotman, MD, who will leave her role as chair of the department on July 1 to serve as dean of the Duke University School of Medicine. 

A standing-room only crowd turned out for the April 12 Lasker Lecture in the Trent Semans Center Learning Hall to hear Dr. William Kaelin Jr., a Duke University alumnus, graduate of the Duke School of Medicine, and recipient of the prestigious 2016 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award.

Tony Fuller, a fourth-year medical student who received his Master of Science in Global Health from Duke in 2015, has received the Bass Connections Award for Outstanding Mentorship. This new award recognizes the vital role that graduate students and postdocs play in mentoring undergraduate students on Bass Connections teams.

Junior faculty members are often faced with the critical challenge of jump-starting their careers at the same time that family/childcare obligations are least flexible. In recognition of this challenge, the School of Medicine is pleased to support the Faculty Flex Voucher Program. Faculty Flex Vouchers are designed to be used in a wide variety of ways by connecting junior faculty members with high quality academic services that facilitate their engagement in scholarly work.

Finding could lead to new approaches to fight cancer and slow the effects of aging Duke Cancer Institute scientists have described a previously unknown series of steps that cells undergo when stressed, adding crucial information to the understanding of DNA damage that is at the heart of research into aging and cancer. The finding is reported online in the journal Cancer Discovery.

Use of flame retardant chemicals coincides with increased incidence of thyroid cancer Higher exposure to chemicals used to reduce the flammability of furniture, carpets, electronics and other household items appears to be associated with papillary thyroid cancer, according to study conducted by the Duke Cancer Institute and the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.