Division News

The Alzheimer’s Association is offering research funding for investigators who are less than 10 years past their doctoral degree. The program will allow newly independent investigators to develop preliminary or pilot data, to test procedures and to develop hypotheses. Up to $100,000 per year is available for up to two years. Letters of intent are due by September 24.

The American Heart Association is funding research for all disparities in cardiovascular disease to assist the AHA in reaching its 2020 Goals and overall mission of building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The School of Medicine will hold its orientation for new faculty on Thursday, October 9, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. This all-day event will include an introduction to the School of Medicine structure and key policies, information on academic integrity, and information on understanding appointments, promotion and tenure at Duke. To register, click here.

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.

Daniella Zipkin, MD, was the lead author of a recent systematic review of evidence-based risk communication in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Zipkin’s article, available here,  analyzed 84 studies to find the most effective strategies for provider-patient communication about health risks. Congratulations, Dr. Zipkin!

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.

For this week’s faculty spotlight, we talk to Rowena Dolor, MD, about her three decades at Duke, practice-based research networks, and Duke’s first national basketball championship.
How long have you been at Duke? How long have you been at the Division?

Congratulations to Corrine Voils, PhD, who was accepted into the Duke Science and Society SciComm Fellow's Program! This program, which will run this fall semester, will help scientists develop their communication skills and practice putting them into action. More information about the program is available here.

The AHA is funding research for all disparities in cardiovascular disease to assist the AHA in reaching its 2020 Goals and overall mission of building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Specifically, the AHA is funding networks comprised of three to four institutions, or centers, working on three projects each that are focused on the basic, clinical and population sciences.