Division News

Joanna Downer, PhD, director of research development for the School of Medicine, will lead a question-and-answer session about the Chancellor’s Program Project Accelerator on Monday, September 8, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the Chancellor’s Suite in the Green Zone of Duke South. This new internal funding source will accelerate development of large, multi-investigator research programs within the Duke Schools of Medicine or Nursing.

Laura Beskow, PhD, MPH, just received not one, but two NIH R01 awards! “Beyond Data Security: Promoting Confidentiality and Advancing Science” will examine the scope of confidentiality protections related to genome research, as well as how these protections relate to genome prospective participants. “Ethical Approaches to Research Use of Clinical Records and Data” will gather empirical data on patients’ perspectives and feelings on electronic health records.

[caption id="attachment_1442" align="alignright" width="150"] Your Photo Needed?[/caption] The School of Medicine has scheduled opportunities for faculty members to have their portraits taken on Tuesday, Sept. 23 and Friday, Sept. 26. These photos are an important part of both your and the Division's online reputation.

Have you ever wondered whether your research might be eligible to Department of Defense (DoD) funding, or wanted to know more about how to pitch your research? If so, attend the free workshop on Department of Defense (DoD) research funding will be held on Tuesday, September 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Congratulations to Courtney Van Houtven, PhD, who is giving a plenary address at the 3rd International Conference on Evidence-Based Policy in Long-Term Care, which will be held this coming weekend in London. Van Houten will deliver the lecture, “Economics of Informal Care: Do We Know Enough to Advocate for Policy Change?” This plenary session will review empirical findings about the economic impacts of informal care and discuss policies in the U.S.

The sixth annual American Hospitalist Academy will be held from October 20-23 in Englewood, Colorado.

The Department of Medicine Grand Rounds on Friday, Aug. 29 at 8 a.m., will feature a special presentation by U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald. Secretary McDonald will present VA: A Higher Calling in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center for Health Education. Nominated by President Obama as the eighth Secretary of Veterans Affairs on June 30, Secretary McDonald was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 29, 2014.

Our second staff spotlight shines on clinical research nurse Pamela Gentry, who talks to us about crafting successful telephone interventions to lower blood pressure, as well as changes at Duke over the past 30 years. How long have you been at Duke? How long have you been at the Division? I started at Duke in June of 1983. The exact date I joined the Division of Medicine is a bit trickier.

Duke AHEAD is sponsoring a free session on grant writing for health professions educators on Thursday, August 28, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. The event will provide educators with pearls and pointers on successful grant writing.

Proposals for research grants and fellowships in the area of cancer prevention and early detection are currently being accepted. For this cycle, the Prevent Cancer Foundation expects to grant a total of 3 awards, including both grants and fellowships. The award amount is $40,000 per year for two years. Applications are due August 27.