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The Web of Science recently released its ranking of the world’s most highly-cited scientists. Charles Gersbach, PhD, the John W. Strohbehn Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, was included in this prestigious list, recognizing authors whose influential papers are frequently referenced by other researchers in their work.

The Duke University School of Medicine Office of Biomedical and Graduate Education (OBGE) and Precision Genomics Collaboratory awarded 9 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 glioblastomas, multiple sclerosis and pancreatic cancer. They will also help fund sequencing work and professional conferences.

I’m currently working as a contractor for Therapeutic Solutions of NC, Dr. Tomeico Faison’s company, as an OT consultant. I'm based out of Durham with a hybrid schedule, seeing clients in the community and sometimes working from home. I provide OT consultation services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their care teams.

J. Kyle Covington, PT, DPT, PhD, associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and director of Post-Professional Education and Educational Innovation at the Duke Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program, has been elected as the next President of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Dr. Covington’s election is a significant recognition of his leadership, dedication, and contributions to physical therapy.

From the Durham VA daily newsletter: First-year students from the Duke Physician Assistant Program (DPAP) visited with Veterans in the CICU on Veterans Day. The Veterans were very appreciative of their visit and enjoyed the goodies and the time they spent with them. The CICU staff thanks the Duke Physician Assistant Program for their time and generosity.

The Department of Medicine hosted visitors from SingHealth and the Duke-NUS Medical School.

The human IRGM gene has been linked to inflammatory diseases including sepsis and Crohn’s disease. Decreased expression of human IRGM, or the mouse orthologues Irgm1 and Irgm2, leads to increased production of a number of inflammatory chemokines and cytokines in vivo and/or in cultured macrophages. Prior work has indicated that increased cytokine production is instigated by metabolic alterations and changes in mitochondrial homeostasis; however, a comprehensive mechanism has not been elucidated.

In this month’s spotlight, second-year medical student Samuel Ndukwe discusses his work as founder and president of Duke’s chapter of Black Men in White Coats. He shares how the organization is giving hope and inspiration to young Black men and his desire for the organization to help address the disparity in the number of Black men enrolling in medical school.

Katharine A. Sublett, SPT, has been accepted into the highly esteemed 2024-2025 NC Medical Society (NCMS) Academy for Future Healthcare Leaders cohort. This prestigious program is designed to support the next generation of healthcare professionals and provide them with the tools and resources needed to become leaders in an evolving healthcare landscape.

This fall, Duke University faculty launched the inaugural Alpine Genomics Institute Unconference, a three-day meeting, held in the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.