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.

Corrine Voils, PhD, and other Division faculty had their abstract “Predictors of Initiation of a Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention,” approved for a poster presentation during the annual meeting of The Obesity Society (TOS) during Obesity Week this November. Congratulations to Dr. Voils as well as the other faculty members who made this research possible!

Join other faculty, staff and students to kick off the opening day of TedMed on the 4th floor of the Trent Semans Center of Wednesday, September 10 from 1 to 2:45 p.m. Speaker Elizabeth Nabel, MD President of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, will share a personal story showing how the limits of knowledge can be a weakness and how accepting ignorance can be a strength. Refreshments will be served.

The Vice Provost for Research has announced the 2015 Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) Voucher Program. This program will offer vouchers in amounts ranging from $500 to $7,000, redeemable for SMIF fees. SMIF is an interdisciplinary shared resource providing researchers with high-quality and cost-effective access to advanced equipment and materials. For more information, email Nan Jokerst at nan.jokerst@duke.edu. Read more.

An abstract written by William Yancy, MD, and other Division faculty was selected for an oral presentation at The Obesity Society’s (TOS) annual meeting during Obesity Week this November. Yancy will present his abstract, “Improving Weight Loss: Is it a Matter of (Diet) Choice?” Congratulations to Dr. Yancy as well as the other faculty members who contributed to this research!  

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.

Congratulations to Matthew Maciejewski, PhD, who just received a sub-award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a National Committee for Quality Assurance project. “Disparities in Baseline Laboratory Monitoring” is a two-year project that will look for disparities in Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in baseline monitoring after initiation of metformin and statins.

[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.

The NIH invites U54 applications to implement partnership awards between Institutions serving communities with alcohol-use related health disparities and other institutions with extensive alcohol research programs, including NIAAA-funded alcohol research centers and consortia. Read more.