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Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH, has been named associate dean for clinical and translational science and director of Duke’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH. Dr. Boulware replaces Robert Califf, MD, and will work as contact principal investigator with CTSA co-principal investigators Jennifer, Li, MD, MHS, and James McNamara, MD.

The School of Medicine’s Office for Faculty Mentoring, led by Mark Dewhirst, DVM, PhD, Associate Dean for Faculty Mentoring, launched the Academy of Mentors in the summer of 2014. This new academy provides a platform for senior faculty mentors in the School of Medicine to support junior faculty members as they embark on one of the greatest challenges to establishing oneself in a research field—obtaining independent funding.

Robert Califf, MD, vice chancellor of clinical and translational research at Duke University School of Medicine and a global leader in cardiovascular medicine, clinical and translational research and medical economics, has been named deputy commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco at the Food and Drug Administration. Califf will begin his appointment, which was announced today by FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, at the end of February.

Blake S. Wilson, adjunct professor of biomedical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and surgery at Duke University and co-director of the Duke Hearing Center, has been awarded the 2015 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize for “engineering cochlear implants that enable the deaf to hear.”

Theodore Slotkin, PhD, professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology in the Duke University School of Medicine, was awarded the 2015 Education Award from the Society of Toxicology. This prestigious award honors an individual who teaches and trains toxicologists and has made significant contributions to education in the field of toxicology. Slotkin has been teaching and mentoring future toxicologists at Duke for more than 40 years. Slotkin is also a professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and in Neurobiology.

As part of the Duke University Alumni Association’s “What’s Your Forever” campaign, Kimberly Blackwell, MD, a Duke University alumna and medical oncologist, described her “forever” passion and the role Duke played in helping her discover and pursue her “forever.”

Duke University School of Medicine has launched a new one-year professional master’s degree program, the Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS). The program prepares students to be highly competitive candidates for medical schools, related health professions, and other biomedical careers. The curriculum integrates graduate level human biological sciences with skill development in critical thinking, communication, and teamwork. What’s unique about Duke’s MBS Program?

More than 70 Duke University medical students gathered together today at 12:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center to take part in a nationwide  demonstration of medical students aimed at drawing attention to social injustice and racial bias. Students at more than 40 medical schools across the country were expected to take part in the “White Coat Die-In” protests.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has awarded the distinction of Fellow to 401 of its members this year.  Three members of the Duke University School of Medicine faculty are being recognized for distinguished scientific and societal efforts.