Beyond Work

Our residents give back to Durham and the surrounding community through a number of activities.

In 2019, the Duke Med-Peds residency program hosted its first annual advocacy run to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in collaboration with other North Carolina med-peds programs. Since then, the program has organized an annual run to benefit local charities. Residents regularly volunteer through the Resiteering Committee at Lincoln Community Health Center. Through the Pediatric Residency, there is the Advocacy and Community Council for Trainees which is a resident-led committee focused on improving the health and safety of the children of Durham. Read more. In addition to these opportunities, faculty and residents volunteer at the Samaritan Health Center, a local free clinic in Durham and Habitat for Humanity, among other community engagement opportunities.

The Engagement and Inclusion (E&I) committee is a collaboration between Med-Peds residents and faculty to promote an inclusive training environment, community engagement, and dedication to lifelong learning. Events include group trips to learn about the community we serve, the annual advocacy run, a health equity book club, and Listening & Learning (L&L) sessions, quarterly meeting where residents and faculty engage in bidirectional dialogue about important health topics to learn from each other and provide better clinical care.

• Engagement and Inclusion Committee
  • Formed in June 2020 by residents and program core faculty
  • 20 Listening and Learning sessions, 5 community events, 4 book clubs to date
• Listening and Learning Sessions and Book Club
  • 3 Listening and Learning Sessions this year; 2 with guest speakers (1 clinic family; interpreter team)
  • Book club event
• Giving Back
  • Raised money through our annual advocacy run/walk for Project Access of Durham County
• Learning about our Community
  • City of Durham History trip
  • Integrated learning about patient needs through L&L invited speakers

Medicine-Pediatrics residents participate in social events in both categorical programs, including the Charity Auction, Humanities in Medicine events, ice cream socials, Durham Bulls baseball games, class retreats, hello-goodbye parties, and more. In addition, Med-Peds residents participate in a variety of other Med-Peds specific events, including switch parties, holiday parties, and senior end-of-year dinners. There are also two annual Med-Peds potlucks to which current and past residents and faculty are invited.

"Duke is a BIG FAMILY, which I believe is its biggest strength. It is a program where you feel supported, challenged, and encouraged to pursue all different avenues in medicine."

Sam Curtis, MD, Class of 2024, Pediatrics Chief Resident 2024-25

Journal Club and Business Meeting takes place three times a year.  Each class (except for the intern class) is responsible for selecting an article and “hosting” the Journal Club each year.  

Each year, one or two fourth year residents are peer-selected to act as Wellness Chief(s). This role is responsible for overall socialization and wellbeing of the residents. Other responsibilities include collaborating with program leadership to update and implement the Program Wellness Policy.

Durham is a friendly community with big-city amenities—minus the big-city prices and headaches. Located in the forested Piedmont of North Carolina, Durham is three hours from the mountains and the beach. We have four seasons, including beautiful fall colors and just enough snow that we get excited when it’s in the forecast. Durham is well known for being the City of Medicine, and has a population of 321,488.

Visit About Duke and Durham to learn more.