Duke Scholars in Molecular Medicine (DSMM) is a career development program for PhD candidates and postdoctoral associates who are studying basic sciences. Scholars gain hands-on experience in clinical areas related to their field of research.
DSMM is directed by physician-scientists with clinical and research expertise in the training focus area. The program historically included four tracks based on strengths at Duke University School of Medicine.
This year the program will start in January 2027 and will support only the Duke Scholars in Oncology and Cellular Therapies track.
Check back for information on the application due date in the fall of 2026. The following DSMM tracks are unable to accept applications for the 2026-2027 academic year: Duke Scholars in Infectious Diseases; Duke Scholars in Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Disease; and Duke Scholars in Neurosciences
Scholars have the unique opportunity to:
- Gain firsthand exposure to the clinical areas related to their field of basic research
- Learn about the bench-to-bedside translational process
- Understand key aspects of clinical trials
- Identify unmet clinical needs that may be addressed through their scientific expertise
Develop confidence in interacting with and engaging clinician partners
Program time commitment requires approximately 6-8 hours per month, to include:
- Approximately 4 hours of a clinical shadowing experience
2-3 hours of clinical conferences and/or journal clubs
Additional experiences may include:
- Specialty clinical exposure two-to-four times per year, each for approximately 1-1.5 hours. These may include clinical laboratories, clinical diagnostic centers, and diagnostic laboratories.
- Thinking Translationally presentations for two-to-three sessions per year, one each academic term. The sessions will each last approximately 1.5 hours.
The program provides a high-impact experience with a modest time commitment to dramatically enhance each trainee's laboratory experiences without detracting from their primary research mission. Therefore, the program does not provide additional financial support.
A New Generation of Scientists
Through the DSMM experience, we hope to prepare a new generation of scientists to better address critical problems in human health and to develop productive collaborations between basic scientists and clinical partners to achieve greater success in garnering research support.
By the end of the program, we hope DSMM scholars will have a new understanding of and perspective for clinically impactful research.
Contact the Cancer Research Training and Education Office (CRTEC) directed by Gerard Blobe at the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI): DCITraining@dm.duke.edu