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Dr. Mark Stacy, vice dean for clinical research at Duke University School of Medicine, remembers his special friendship with Muhammed Ali. Dr. Stacy served as the director of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix from 1998 – 2003.   

A research team at Duke University has discovered a potential new class of small-molecule drugs that simultaneously block two sought-after targets in the treatment of pain. These proof-of-concept experiments, published June 1 in Scientific Reports, could lead to the development of a new drug to treat conditions including skin irritation and itching, headaches, jaw pain, and abdominal pain stemming from the pancreas and colon.

Jun Wang received her Ph.D. from the Duke University School of Medicine this month. “My participation in this Bass Connections project is one of the most meaningful and rewarding Duke experiences I have had,” she writes. “It not only helped me land my first job, but also helped me find my true passion.” Jun is among four graduating Ph.D. students to be honored with the Duke Alumni Association’s Forever Duke Student Leadership Award.

The 2016 Duke Clinical Research Day, sponsored by the School of Medicine, in partnership with the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the Graduate Medical Education office, took place on May 19.  This event coincided with International Clinical Trials' Day (May 20), sponsored by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) to honor the contributions of clinical researchers around the world.

Congratulations to the 373 students in the Duke University School of Medicine who graduated on May 15, 2016, marking the successful culmination of their hard work and dedication. Students received degrees in the following programs:

The recombinant poliovirus therapy developed at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke Health has been granted “breakthrough therapy designation” from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has awarded fellowships to five Duke medical students and a renewal to a sixth.  Each medical fellow receives $41,000 in grant support, and first year fellows are eligible to apply for a second year in the program.  The program has funded more than 1,700 students since its launch in 1989, and is one of the few privately funded programs in the nation that sponsor year-long fellowships for medical, dental and veterinary students. HHMI received 195 applications for this year’s program, up from 187 in the previous year.

Four School of Medicine faculty were awarded distinguished professorships at a May 4th dinner. Distinguished professorships recognize both exceptional achievement and the potential for future achievement. They are awarded to our most distinguished faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health.  Charles Johnson, MD, Professor of Medicine James L. Abbruzzese, MD

Michael B. Kastan, M.D., Ph.D., executive director of the Duke Cancer Institute, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, an advisory organization to the president and Congress composed of experts in all scientific fields. Kastan is one of 84 new members, who are elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding contributions to research. 

An article in Nature details that fears are on the rise that US government and private funders are working at cross purposes.   “There’s a lack of overt leadership, and in the absence of a logical strategy we have a tendency to throw plates of spaghetti against the wall and hope it sticks,” says Ira Mellman, vice-president of cancer immunology at the biotechnology company Genentech in South San Francisco, California. Read More