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Carrie Brown, MD'04, HS'04-'08, MPH, credits her first clinical rotation as a Duke University medical student at John Umstead Hospital, a former psychiatric inpatient facility in Butner, North Carolina, with planting the seed for her future psychiatry career. That path eventually led her to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), where she now serves as chief psychiatrist and deputy secretary for facilities, behavioral health, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Duke researchers are exploring how we can not only survive longer, but thrive longer.

Duke University School of Medicine is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Dean’s Staff Awards. 

Study pinpoints a single brain connection in songbirds that helps turn practice into skill, offering one of the clearest explanations yet of how the brain learns complex behaviors like speech and music.   

Broken or disrupted circuits in the brain contribute to many neurological disorders.

The Faculty Awards honor outstanding contributions in teaching, research, clinical care, professionalism, and service.

Duke researcher Leah Acker, MD, PhD, is studying how repeated stress and inflammation in the body can quietly build up over time, creating an “inflammatory hangover” that may speed up brain aging and cause subtle issues like brain fog or slower thinking. Her team is exploring tools like wearable devices and gentle nerve stimulation to help the body recover better and protect brain function. The goal is to keep people thinking clearly and living independently as they age.

New weight-loss drugs that combine natural gut hormones are helping people lose significant weight and better control blood sugar, but scientists are still working to understand exactly how they work. Duke researchers are studying how these drugs affect metabolism and why some people respond better than others, with the goal of making them more effective and easier to use. This research could lead to improved treatments for obesity, diabetes, and related health problems while reducing side effects.

Congratulations to the students graduating from the School of Medicine’s education and training programs this year! Students in a few programs will receive their degrees or certificates later this summer, but we are taking this opportunity to celebrate all the 2026 graduates. Their success is a testament to their hard work and dedication, and we look forward to hearing about the great things they will accomplish in the years ahead.

Congratulations to the 464 students from the Duke University School of Medicine who graduated on Sunday, May 10, 2026.