Division News

DGIM Speakers at ACP’s Internal Medicine Annual Meeting

The annual American College of Physicians' Internal Medicine Meeting (IMM) was held in Boston, MA,  April 18-20, 2024.  Internal medicine physicians and subspecialists from around the world attend this premier event.  More than 170 educational offerings were available, including Pre-Courses (full-day courses convened the day before the IMM), Clinical Pearls, Case-based Learning, Clinical Workshops, Clinical Triads, Meet the Professor, and Panel Discussions.  The Clinical Skills Center sessions offer attendees skills-based, hands-on/interactive learning

Benefits of Referrals for Patients with Health-Related Social Needs

In a research letter recently published in JAMA Network Open, Eugenia (Genie) McPeek Hinz, Assistant DGIM Professor and Associate Chief Medical Information Officer for Duke University Health System and Physician Informatician, and colleagues developed a patient-centered metric known as the ‘successful connection rate’ (SCR) to assess meaningful outcomes for Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) referrals for patient needs across two time periods, one with federal funding for Communit

Precision Medicine Team Successfully Coordinates National Trainee Meeting

Led by Susanne Haga, a group of staff in DGIM’s Precision Medicine Program successfully wrapped up the third meeting supported under an U13 award from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).  The NHGRI Research Training and Career Development Annual Meeting was held on April 7–9, 2024 at the Westin Seattle Hotel in Seattle, Washington.  

Duke Hospitalists Well-Represented at Annual SHM Meeting

The Society of Hospital Medicine meeting (SHM Converge) was held in San Diego this past week (Apr 12-15). This is the largest conference for hospitalists annually, with several thousand attending nationwide.  Many Duke hospitalists and trainees attended the meeting, with several selected to give a platform or poster presentation.  Here are some of the presenters at this year’s meeting (compiled by Dr. Suchita Shah Sata). Abstracts will be published in an online supplement of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

DOC-Durham Tech Mobile Lab Wins IPE Award

The DOC-Durham Tech Mobile Lab was awarded the Duke AHEAD 2024 Interprofessional Education (IPE) Team Excellence Award on March 22 at the annual Education Day. This award recognizes the “exceptional achievements in the coordination of learners, faculty, or staff as a team within the realm of educational activities.”  The DOC-Durham Tech Mobile Lab is a partnership that enables monthly home visits of patients limited in their ability to visit a clinic.

Faculty Promotions February 2024

Congratulations to the following faculty members for their recent appointment or promotion in the Department of Medicine.

Covid-19: Lessons Unheeded

The direct and indirect repercussions, particularly the long-term consequences, of the pandemic on all facets of health and well-being continue to be investigated and reported.  DGIM Professor Keisha Bentley-Edwards has explored several areas impacted by the pandemic including contraceptive access and use among students, the impact of systemic racisms and pre-existing conditions for Black Americans, and access to behavioral weight loss interventions in Black adults.  Her latest publication caps off a special


COMET Team Examines Clinical Language Use Toward Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

Hospitalists and social workers with Duke’s COMET (Caring for Patients with Opioid Misuse through Evidence-Based Treatment) consulting service teamed on a recent interdisciplinary study that encompasses social work and inpatient medicine to understand providers' use of stigmatizing and affirming language in the electronic health records of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) hospitalized at Duke. 

Moving Medicine Forward: Department of Medicine Expands to 13 Divisions

The Duke University Department of Medicine (DOM) will expand from 12 to 13 divisions on September 1, 2024 with the creation of the new division of Hospital Medicine. The new division will include all hospitalists and nocturnists who oversee patients in the general medicine wards.  

Trainee Spotlight: Samantha Curtis

Senior resident Dr. Samantha Curtis has won the 2024 Med-Peds Program Director Association (MPPDA) Walter W. Tunnessen, Jr. Award honoring a graduating medicine-pediatric resident for innovative accomplishments in education, clinical care, and advocacy.

Continuing Medical Education: A Pathway to Collaboration and Inspiration

The Duke Department of Medicine (DOM) has long been at the forefront of advancing medical knowledge and fostering collaboration through its Continuing Medical Education (CME) efforts. With a focus on two pivotal programs— Medicine Grand Rounds (MGR) and the Learning Education and Discussion Series (LEADS) —the department not only ensures the maintenance of professional licenses but also cultivates an environment of shared learning, innovation, and inspiration. 

MGR: A Legacy of Innovation 

5 in DOM Complete ALICE Program

ALICE is an annual program that provides targeted development to mid-career women faculty leaders. Applications for the 2024 program are available now and are due November 3.

Drs. Wyatt and Bentley-Edwards Receive NIH Award to Reduce Kidney Health Disparities

Christina Wyatt, MD, associate professor in the Division of Nephrology, and Keisha Bentley-Edwards, PhD, associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, received an award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a project entitled “Interventions that Address Structural Racism to Reduce Kidney Health Disparities, Research Coordinating Center.”