Division News

Friday will be a particularly busy day in the Department of Medicine. The Department will host two conferences and two of its centers will mark anniversaries with seminars and celebrations.

Vance Fowler, MD, MHS, professor of medicine (Infectious Diseases), is part of a research team funded by Duke Translational Medicine Institute and the Duke CTSA that is exploring the efficacy of beating back multidrug resistant bacteria by using chemical compounds known as LpxC inhibitors. These chemical compounds disrupt the formation of Lipid A in the protective membranes around Gram negative bacteria - a novel way of destroying bacteria.

John Perfect, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, received notification today from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of a program project award (P01) for his proposal entitled “Transdisciplinary Program to Identify Novel Antifungal Targets and Inhibitors."  This award, effective 6/25/15, will last five years and, with its cores, total $9,277,000.

The Duke Human Vaccine Institute’s Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit has been awarded a $5 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to support further research on Valley Fever Pneumonia.

Valley Fever Pneumonia is caused by the fungal pathogens Coccidioides posadasii and Coccidioides immitis, which primarily live in soil. Valley Fever is endemic in certain parts of the southwestern United States, including Arizona and California.

John Perfect, MD, professor of medicine and chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases, is being honored by two organizations for his scientific contributions  to the field of mycology. 

Ephraim Tsalik, MD, PhD, and colleagues at Duke Medicine have determined that kidney function plays a critical role in the fate of patients being treated for sepsis, a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. 

At the School of Medicine's Spring Faculty Meeting on May 5, the following Medicine faculty were honored with awards:

Michael Blazing, MD, associate professor of medicine (Cardiology), received the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, which recognizes compassion and sensitivity in the delivery of healthcare.

The Medical Center Library & Archives will host a talk by John D. Hamilton, MD, professor emeritus of medicine (Infectious Diseases), at noon on May 14.

Dr. Hamilton will present "The History of Infectious Diseases at Duke in the 20th Century," based on his recently published book.

Wendy Prudhomme-O'Meara, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (Infectious Diseases) and global health, has received a supplemental award through Duke Translational Research. The award will provide supplemental funding for the project "Novel mHealth platform to ensure quality of community-based malaria diagnosis."

The research evaluates an innovative public-private partnership in Kenya using trained community health workers to target malarial medicines to those with confirmed malaria infection.

John Hamilton, MD, professor emeritus of medicine (Infectious Diseases), has recently published his book "The History of Infectious Diseases at Duke in the Twentieth Century."