Five Duke University School of Medicine faculty members have been selected to receive 2025 Physician-Scientist “Strong Start” awards. The awards program, funded with a gift from the Nanaline H. Duke Fund, supports promising, early career physician-scientists at Duke as they develop independent research programs.
Each recipient will receive $120,000 annually for three years to support their research programs. Since 2017, 46 faculty have received Strong Start awards.
This year’s recipients are:
- Joshua Parsons, MD/PhD, assistant professor of medicine, infectious diseases
- Peter Hendrickson, MD/PhD, medical instructor in the Department of Radiation Oncology
- Lauren Covert, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, rheumatology
- Danielle Mebuge, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition
- Alexa Bramall, MD/PhD, assistant professor of neurosurgery
The Strong Start program is administered by the School of Medicine’s Office for Physician-Scientist Development (OPSD) and integrates with other physician-scientist development programs, including the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD-PhD students) and the Lefkowitz Society (clinical residents and fellows).
“This year’s cohort of Strong Start award recipients highlights the wide range of scientific disciplines and research areas where physician-scientists play such an essential role,” said Rasheed Gbadegesin, MD, associate dean for physician scientist development in the School of Medicine. "The Strong Start Program, funded by the Nanaline H. Duke Fund and supported by the School of Medicine, is an essential investment in early-career physician scientists. Our physician-scientist faculty form the foundation of discovery science, and their success is crucial for the future of medicine."