Just a few of the outstanding mentors in the School of Medicine’s basic sciences departments shared their thoughts on their mentoring processes and why mentoring is important to them.

Technological advances such as artificial intelligence, big data, and gene editing have dramatically accelerated the pace of biomedical research and health care. It can be hard to predict what new developments will arise next week, much less in the next 10, 50, or 100 years.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, a head-to-head comparison of the two most common types of bariatric surgery found that both may be effective for reducing long-term health care costs.

UNC Health and Duke Health are uniting to create a new children’s health system in North Carolina, featuring the state’s first freestanding hospital dedicated to caring for kids.

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.

Dr. Michael Kastan, director of the Duke Cancer Institute, highlights the progress in cancer diagnosis and treatment, emphasizing prevention, screening, and personalized medicine. He envisions future advancements through genetic and biochemical discoveries, improved technologies, and targeted therapies, fulfilling DCI's mission to revolutionize cancer care.

Kimberly Johnson, MD, MHS’05, HS’00-’02, is the Brenda E. Armstrong, MD Distinguished Professor in medicine and geriatrics. She emphasizes the need to shift health care disparities research from documenting disparities to developing interventions that improve equity, particularly in serious illness care for African Americans.

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.

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.

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.