Community Partnership
In alignment with Duke Health and Duke University, the Duke University School of Medicine is committed to serving others in our local community and beyond. Our faculty, staff and students make science-based decisions and seek to transform discoveries to improve human health through a variety of community initiatives, some of which are listed below.
Featured Partnership: Duke Early College of Health Sciences
A partnership between Duke Health, Durham Technical Community College, and Durham Public Schools has been awarded a transformative $29.5 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to establish an early college for high school students interested in pursuing health care careers upon graduation.
The Durham partnership will provide the preparation needed for careers in nursing, allied health, surgical tech, and clinical research. The key elements of the partnership are:
- Interested Durham Public Schools (DPS) students in grades 9-12 will attend the early college high school and simultaneously earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree or workforce credential for aligned health care occupations.
- The Middle College at Durham Tech will expand to an early college high school and will be housed at Durham Tech (DTCC) in a newly renovated space, with the school opening in the fall of 2025.
- Upon graduation, students will have an immediate pathway to jobs or research roles at Duke Health.
Duke in the Community
On February 25, 2026, North Carolinians took a shot at making history. Duke School of Medicine led a statewide effort to break the world record for the most people trained in hands-only CPR in a single day. While falling short of the 30,000 person goal, almost 20 thousand participants learned CPR – a benchmark day for trainings in the United States.
On February 25, 2026, North Carolinians have a shot at making history. Duke School of Medicine is leading a statewide effort to break the world record for the most people trained in hands-only CPR in a single day. The event is taking place in 30 counties in NC as part of the Randomized Cluster Evaluation of Cardiac Arrest Systems (RACE CARS) trial, led by Duke cardiologist and researcher Chris Granger, MD. Participants will learn how to provide CPR from volunteer trainers from Duke and volunteers across the state at select locations. Community volunteers are aiming to train 30,000 people in participating counties that day, and if they achieve it, that’ll be a new world record.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation across western North Carolina, families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities face heightened challenges accessing essential health care and support services. To address these needs, Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences is partnering with local organizations to provide resources and coordinated care for these vulnerable communities.
Monique Starks, MD, associate professor at medicine, is leading the nation's first clinical trial of an innovative approach to saving more people who suffer cardiac arrest by delivering automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by drone. Drones carrying AEDs are being dispatched during real 911 calls in Forsyth County, North Carolina, to see if drones can deliver AEDs to patients faster than traditional emergency services.