Magnify Magazine

Have you ever wondered how physicians determine the amount of medication that is safe and most effective for a child? Duke physician-scientist and critical care pediatrician Kanecia Zimmerman’s research has focused on that exact quandary— appropriate and correct doses of medications for children. She is no stranger to seeking answers to new and challenging questions to help the youngest members of society.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in every part of American life, but it has taken a disproportionately heavy toll on people of color, including the Latinx community. By June 2020, Latinx people in North Carolina accounted for more than 40 percent of the state’s cases, despite comprising just 10 percent of the population, and they continue to be over-represented at the start of 2021, accounting for 23 percent of new cases, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Rick Bedlack, MD, PhD, is easy to spot from a distance. Instead of a white coat, the Duke neurologist wears distinct outfits when seeing patients at the Morreene Road Neurology Clinic in Durham, NC. A black leather jacket with mirrored studs and matching tie, burgundy crushed velvet suit and bow tie, a Hawaiian shirt festooned with Chinese dragons, or a pink, yellow, and green sweater vest with a Donald Duck pattern across his midsection are some of the dozens of entries in his growing wardrobe.

An immunologist, neurobiologist, virologist, and medical doctor join forces to study one of COVID-19’s stranger mysteries: the sharp loss of smell and taste.

A buttery, rosemary-infused turkey cooks in the oven. Fresh cinnamon rolls drip with vanilla icing. Tart, sparkling cider fizzes in a glass. Every holiday season, most people can enjoy these treats thanks to an intricately wired central nervous system which controls the ability to smell and taste along with other senses.