Geriatrician Heather Whitson, MD, is the Duke School of Medicine Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience, the director of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and the co-director of the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “For me, the true north is to help people maintain function, independence, quality of life, and resilience,” she says.

Dr. Svati Shah, a leader in cardiovascular genetics at Duke, directs the OneDukeGen program, aiming to sequence 150,000 patients to identify actionable genetic variants. Her vision is a future where genetic sequencing at birth enables precise, equitable healthcare, potentially preventing diseases through advanced gene editing and personalized medical care.

Dr. Kevin Saunders, a leader at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, highlights the advancements in vaccine research, emphasizing the use of computational design, AI, and mRNA technology. Duke is at the forefront with significant progress in HIV, coronavirus, and cancer vaccines, and is developing pan-coronavirus and pan-influenza vaccines.

Dr. Raphael Valdivia, the Nanaline H. Duke Distinguished Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, emphasizes the need to understand the human immune system to address diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. His research focuses on leveraging AI and genetic engineering to guide immunity, highlighting Duke's strengths in transplant immunology and infectious disease research.

Dr. Aditee Narayan, a leader in medical education at Duke, spearheaded the Patient First curriculum, emphasizing modern, patient-centered care and interdisciplinary collaboration. She envisions future physicians as change agents, equipped with clinical skills and the ability to innovate and address health care disparities.

Tomi Akinyemiju, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences. She emphasizes the importance of prevention and health equity in epidemiology and advocates for personalized approaches, leveraging big data and AI for risk prediction, and ensuring equitable access to medical and policy solutions to address health disparities.

In a new study, scientists at Duke University School of Medicine have identified a potential new front in the battle against fungal infections, a growing health threat. By determining two structures of a crucial enzyme involved in fungal survival, scientists have pinpointed a pathway that could be key to developing new antifungal drugs.

Health experts at Duke University School of Medicine are scrutinizing the myriad ways in which shifting environmental conditions, from sweltering temperatures to severe storms, shape our well-being.  In university laboratories, North Carolina homes and on the coastlines of faraway places, they've learned not everyone is equally at risk. Their efforts involve pinpointing solutions to help those susceptible to environmental disruptions, which could affect respiratory and cardiovascular health, food security, infection resilience, and mental health.

Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Boston Children's Hospital and Professor in Residence in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She was Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Duke University from 2007-2017.

R. Sanders “Sandy” Williams, MD’74, HS’77-’80, is a professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine. He was Dean of the School of Medicine from 2001-2007 and Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs from 2001-2010. He currently serves in advisory roles on issues including Duke Science and Technology and research translation and commercialization.