Neelima Navuluri, MD, MPH, has received the Duke Department of Medicine’s 2026 Rising Star Research Excellence Award, recognizing junior faculty for excellence in generating new insights into important biomedical problems through clinical, translational or basic research.
Navuluri conducts research spanning chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer and global health. Her work includes efforts to improve lung cancer screening and research addressing post-tuberculosis lung disease, chronic hypoxemia and pulmonary rehabilitation in East Africa.
Since joining the Duke faculty, Navuluri has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications. Her research has been supported by an NIH K23 Mentored Career Development Award, Parker B. Francis Fellowship, LUNGevity Foundation Research Scholar Award and National Comprehensive Cancer Network Young Investigator Award. Her current research funding totals more than $1.8 million, according to her award nomination.
Navuluri has also developed a significant research portfolio in post-tuberculosis lung disease. Her global health work includes a long-standing collaboration with Moi University and the AMPATH Consortium in Kenya, as well as leadership roles with the Post-Tuberculosis Lung Disease Prevention and Management Working Group and International Post-TB Symposium.
Her research in lung cancer screening has included the use of human-centered design to develop a patient-directed shared decision-making tool. According to her nomination, the project resulted in a threefold increase in lung cancer screening uptake at the Durham VA Medical Center.
In addition to her research, Navuluri has mentored more than 20 medical students, graduate students, residents, fellows and early-career faculty.
The Rising Star Research Excellence Award recognizes Department of Medicine junior faculty whose work demonstrates high-quality peer-reviewed scholarship, competitive external funding and the development of sustainable research programs that enhance Duke’s research enterprise.