Anika Lucas, MD, MTS, a third-year fellow in the Division of Nephrology, has been recognized as a 2021 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award recipient at Duke University.
This award program, sponsored by the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation, recognizes one graduating senior and one member of the faculty, staff (House Staff included), or graduate student body of Duke University or Duke Health for their outstanding commitment to service. The award seeks to perpetuate the excellence of character and humanitarian service of Algernon Sydney Sullivan by recognizing and honoring such qualities in others, including: Recognition of selflessness; generosity of service; nobility of character; person of integrity; and depth of spirituality.
"Dr. Lucas is steadfast on developing a career that is rooted in selflessness, generosity, and spirituality. Anika has had a profound impact upon our nephrology fellowship program, division, and the Duke Community," wrote Matthew Sparks, MD, Christina Wyatt, MD, Ruediger Lehrich, MD, and Myles Wolf, MD, MMSc, in a nomination letter.
Lucas has been a champion of women and particularly women from underrepresented backgrounds since she was an undergraduate student at Wellesley College. She served as community service chair for the Temple University chapter of SNMA as a medical student. She also she engaged in coursework on spiritual counseling and developed programs to ensure that medical students had access to spiritual counseling. During her clinical years, she was selected for the Gold Humanism Honor Society as a testament to her compassionate, patient-centered care. After medical school she completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Connecticut, where she was awarded distinction in ambulatory care for her excellence and commitment to patient care.
As a fellow at Duke, Lucas has excelled in her clinical training and has developed a unique research focus on women's health and health disparities. At the same time she has continued to serve the community through impactful programs and has developed a national reputation as a leader in health equity. She was selected to serve on the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Diversity and Inclusion Committee, a competitive position awarded to only one fellow from around the country each year. As the fellow chair of the Women in Nephrology group, she has increased the number of outside speakers who are women and incorporated talks on topics that address women’s health.
"Dr. Lucas's commitment to serving the needs of the community as well as her dedication to the practice of medicine has positively impacted the lives of many people. Her generous and selfless spirit is evident when she is caring for patients. We are grateful to have Dr. Lucas in our Nephrology fellowship training program, providing inspiration to her fellow trainees, division and department colleagues, and the Duke community," said Kathleen Cooney, MD, MACP, chair of the Department of Medicine.
Lucas completed a BA in neuroscience from Wellesley College and a MTS degree from Harvard Divinity School. She earned her MD from Temple University and completed internal medicine residency training at the University of Connecticut before coming to Duke in 2018 for Nephrology Fellowship.