Magnify Magazine

Duke University School of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier training grounds for innovators and changemakers across the landscape of medicine, science, and health care. Meet four School of Medicine alumni who are creating the future in biotech and the delivery of health care.

Understanding intersecting cultural identities — and providing care that respects and affirms those identities — is at the heart of Tyson Pankey’s work as a clinician, educator, and researcher. Pankey joined the Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences faculty as an assistant professor in September 2021, and he wants to help flip the script on how health care providers talk to and care for people in the LGBTQ+ community.

Kevin Thomas, the School of Medicine’s first vice dean for equity, diversity, and inclusion, understands the magnitude of the challenge of leading meaningful change at an institution of this size. But he’s faced plenty of challenges before, and he’s embracing the opportunity.

Vandana Shashi, MD, and the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) site at Duke help patients with rare and mysterious illnesses find answers. The Duke team has the highest number and rate of diagnoses of any of the 12 UDN clinical sites nationwide.