News and Events

Sharla Rent, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology, was recently awarded a two-year career development grant from the National Palliative Care Research Center's Kornfeld Scholars Program.

Ashley Stark, MD, a rising second-year Neonatology fellow in the Duke Department of Pediatrics, was recently awarded a Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award for her project entitled, Pharmacokinetics of Clonidine Administered in the Infant Population.

A large randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial led by the National Institutes of Health with support from the Duke Clinical Research Institute shows that treating adults hospitalized with COVID-19 with infliximab or abatacept – drugs widely used to treat certain autoimmune diseases – substantially improved clinical status and reduced deaths.

Juneteenth, or June 19, marks the date in 1865 when word finally reached communities of enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended and they were freed from slavery—two and a half years following President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Mary E. Klotman, MD, Dean, Duke University School of Medicine recently announced that Mara L. Becker, MD, MSCE, Professor of Pediatrics, has been named Vice Dean for Faculty for the Duke University School of Medicine, effective July 15, 2022.

The national baby formula shortage has put infant nutrition front and center in the minds of patients and their families. A crucial aspect of women’s health is supporting mothers with resources to nourish their babies.

Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center continues to rank as the No. 1 children’s hospital in North Carolina by U.S. News & World Report, with nine pediatric specialties ranked among the best in the nation.

Edward G. Buckley, MD, vice dean for Education, School of Medicine recently announced that Aimee Chung, MD and David Gordon, MD have been selected as new advisory deans. In addition, Joseph Jackson, MD has accepted the role of director of the Office of Student Affairs.

Mara Becker, MD, MSCE, was selected as a member of the 2022-23 class of fellows for the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine. 

As many as 30 million Americans live with a rare or undiagnosed disease. Many spend years seeing doctors, undergoing tests, and scouring the internet in a desperate search for answers. Vandana Shashi, MD, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Medical Genetics, and the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) clinical site at Duke give these patients a new avenue of hope.