The 2021-22 group of Duke Presidential Award winners were celebrated on April 27 in Page Auditorium.
The awards, organized by the Office of the President in partnership with Duke Human Resources, honor individuals and teams from the University and Health System who best demonstrate the values of respect, trust, inclusion, discovery, and excellence, which define and shape Duke as an institution. This year's awards concentrated on hard work and ingenuity of teams and individuals who kept Duke moving forward during the pandemic.
“I am thrilled to recognize this extraordinary group of staff and faculty with the Presidential Award, our highest honor for service and excellence,” said Duke University President Vincent E. Price.
13 faculty from the Duke Division of General Internal Medicine (DGIM) were among the awardees in two different team awards, listed below. Congratulations to all award winners!
ACTIV 3 Clinical Research Team
In the early days of the pandemic, when many of Duke’s research projects were paused, the ACTIV-3 Clinical Research Team sprang into action, turning its eyes toward fighting the deadly virus. The group quickly mobilized clinical research trials on an innovative stem cell therapy and five treatments involving monoclonal antibodies. In a span of 18 months, the team was responsible for enrolling more than 3,000 diverse patients across 139 sites, paving the way for live-saving breakthroughs.
DGIM faculty on this team were:
Employee Occupational Health and Wellness COVID Response Team
When the pandemic began, Duke’s workforce was called upon to provide life-saving care, conduct ground-breaking research and keep the university’s educational mission going. It was the job of the Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW) COVID Response Team to ensure that Duke’s staff and faculty to do that work safely.
Creating new service lines at a whirlwind pace, the team built five teams that served as the core elements of the response. The Contact Tracing Team talked with infected and potentially exposed employees to try to stay a step ahead of the virus. And, before vaccines were mandatory for employees, team members spoke with roughly 1,700 vaccine-hesitant employees, answering questions and providing resources.