Leadership Transition at the Duke Microbiome Center

After more than a decade of exceptional service, John F. Rawls, PhD, will step down as director of the Duke Microbiome Center effective June 30, 2026, and Julia Oh, PhD, will assume the role beginning July 1, 2026.

We are deeply grateful to Dr. Rawls for his leadership, his commitment to building community, and the enduring foundation he has established for microbiome science at Duke. As we look ahead, I am pleased to share that Dr. Oh, professor of dermatology with additional appointments in integrative immunobiology and molecular genetics and microbiology at the Duke University School of Medicine, will lead the center into its next chapter.

Dr. Oh’s laboratory integrates computational and experimental approaches to understand how microbial communities interact with their hosts in the context of health, aging, and disease, with a focus on the skin and respiratory tract. By combining multi-omics analysis with experimental platforms such as CRISPR and organoid models, her work maps the characteristics of host–microbiome networks and advances strategies to engineer the microbiome for therapeutic purposes.

Dr. Oh has been recognized nationally and internationally for her innovative contributions, including the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, and honors from Business Insider and the Hartford Business Journal.

Since joining Duke, she has already played a central leadership role in the Center as co-director. In this capacity, she has overseen key seed funding programs, including the Development Grant and Rolling Voucher initiatives, strengthened cross-campus collaboration, and launched the DMC Red Team program to support proposal development and mentorship, particularly for early-stage investigators.

Since his appointment in 2014, Dr. Rawls has guided the Duke Microbiome Center through a period of remarkable growth and impact. Under his leadership, the Center expanded from approximately 20 to nearly 70 affiliated faculty members, bringing together investigators from five Duke schools and 18 departments. His vision helped build a vibrant, highly collaborative community supported by an expanding portfolio of research programs, seed funding initiatives, educational offerings, and shared resources.

A James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Dr. Rawls is widely recognized for his pioneering work on host–microbiome interactions. His research, which integrates zebrafish and mouse models within a comparative evolutionary framework, has helped uncover fundamental principles of symbiosis, earning him recognition as a Pew Scholar and fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Rawls will continue to lead his research program and remain an active and valued member of our faculty and microbiome community.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Rawls for his outstanding service and in welcoming Dr. Oh to this important leadership role. Her compelling vision for the future of the Duke Microbiome Center is grounded in scientific innovation, collaboration, and the translation of discovery into improved human health. I am confident that under her leadership, the Center will continue to thrive and expand its impact across Duke and beyond.