Duke University School of Medicine is the vibrant home for the next generation of discovery. Our capacity for innovation stems from knitting together our existing strengths in fundamental basic science and deepening our growing translational capabilities, our integration with Duke’s national recognized clinical enterprise, and our unique scale and depth in clinical research. The combined efforts of the school’s basic and clinical faculty members in 25 departments, and numerous centers, institutes and initiatives make Duke one of the largest biomedical research enterprises in the country with $1 billlion in sponsored research expenditures annually.
Duke Research and Discovery @RTP
In 2021, the Duke University School of Medicine opened its first research campus in the Research Triangle Park (RTP). Home to more than 300 businesses including Apple and Google, RTP is the largest research park in the United States and a premier global innovation center. Duke’s 273,000 square foot facility is home to researchers in the School of Medicine who are studying infectious disease and vaccine development. The expansion into RTP was precipitated by a surge in new federal research grants awarded to Duke to fund vaccine development.
Duke Research and Discovery @RTP
Federal Medical Research Funding
In 2022, Duke University received more than $527 million from the National Institutes of Health to advance medical research, ranking ninth in the country among universities, research institutions and teaching hospitals that are awarded the taxpayer-based research dollars, according to the 2022 Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research report. Additionally, 10 departments ranked in the top 10 (Orthopaedics, Surgery, Anesthesiology, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Neurosurgery, Genetics, Pharmacology, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology).
Duke Science and Technology
Duke University in 2019 initiated a university-wide effort to elevate and sustain excellence in the sciences with new funding for research, recruitment of nationally recognized scholars, and retainment of highly regarded scientific leaders at Duke. Launched with a $100 million investment from The Duke Endowment — divided equally between the university and the School of Medicine — Duke Science and Technology (DST) positions Duke to maximize the potential of revolutionary advances in fields such as genomics, data science, and artificial intelligence.
The effort focuses on three broad thematic pillars: Resilience: Fortifying the Body and Brain, which seeks to harness the body’s intrinsic mechanisms to fight disease; Computing, involving fields such as artificial intelligence and machine learning; and Materials Science, which seeks to engineer new materials to solve challenges in disparate fields.
School of Medicine researchers are leading in efforts to advance the Body and Brain Resilience pillar, focusing on four broad areas where Duke has significant strengths: brain, cancer, immunology, and viruses. Seven DST Scholars have been recruited as faculty in the School of Medicine.
COVID-19 Research
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Duke University School of Medicine researchers, students, and trainees in departments, centers and institutes including the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke Global Health Institute, and the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore have emerged as national and global leaders in research related to viral biology, therapeutic development, vaccine development, community engagement, policy development, and health disparities.
Research Operations
- Occupational & Environmental Safety Office Lab Safety Reopening Guidelines
- Tips for Wearing a Face Mask
- School of Medicine Building Coordinators
- COVID-19 Resources for Clinical Research
- Reporting Concerns
- Duke Speak Up Program 1-800-826-8109 Anonymous hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or use the online anonymous reporting form.
Please raise concerns with your supervisor, department leadership or the building coordinator. If that is not possible, or if you still have concerns, contact the Duke Speak Up Program.
- Duke Speak Up Program 1-800-826-8109 Anonymous hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or use the online anonymous reporting form.
Nobel Laureates
Duke University School of Medicine is proud to claim two Nobel Laureates among its faculty. Robert Lefkowitz, M.D., professor of medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, was recognized in 2012 for his work on a class of cell surface receptors that have become the target of prescription drugs, including antihistamines, ulcer drugs and beta blockers to relieve hypertension, angina and coronary diseases. Paul Modrich, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, was recognized in 2015 for mapping, at a molecular level, how cells repair damaged DNA and safeguard the genetic information.
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