Four School of Medicine faculty members have been selected to receive 2022 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 $75,000 annually for three years to support their research programs. Since 2017, 31 faculty have been awarded a total of $6 million.
This year’s recipients are:
- Nicholas DeVito, MD, Medical Instructor, Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology
- Samuel Francis, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine
- Lindsay Rein, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematologic Malignancies & Cellular Therapy
- Jeffrey Russ, MD, PhD, Medical Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology
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).
“The Strong Start Program is a vital investment by the Nanaline H. Duke Fund and the School of Medicine in our junior physician-scientist faculty,” said Rasheed Gbadegesin, MD, associate dean for physician scientist development in the School of Medicine. “Our physician-scientist faculty are the bedrock of discovery science, and their success is vital for the future of medicine.”