Jeffrey Russ, MD, medical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Neurology, has been selected to receive a 2022 Physician-Scientist “Strong Start” award. The School of Medicine created the awards program in 2016, funded with a gift from the Duke Endowment, to support promising, new physician-scientists at Duke as they develop independent research programs. He will receive $75,000 annually for three years to support his research program.
The Strong Start program is administered by the School of Medicine’s Office of Physician-Scientist Development (OPSD) and integrates with several physician-scientist development programs including the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD-PhD students) and the Lefkowitz Society (clinical residents and fellows).
“Physician-scientists play a central role in facilitating the critical connection between discovery and the translation to patient care,” said Mary E. Klotman, MD, dean, Duke University School of Medicine. “Through the Strong Start program, the School provides funding to our outstanding faculty to support the development and advancement of their research programs addressing important biomedical questions.”
“The Strong Start program has already demonstrated remarkable success, facilitating awardees’ transition to independence, with more than 95% of award recipients engaged in laboratory-based research," said Rasheed Gbadegesin, MD, associate dean for physician scientist development in the School of Medicine. “This success would not have been possible without the extraordinary support of Dean Klotman and her visionary leadership in establishing the Office of Physician-Scientist Development (OPSD). We also recognize the Duke Endowment for the generous investment they have made in the biomedical research workforce at Duke. Congratulations to the impressive Strong Start class of 2022! We look forward to following your exciting science and discoveries in the coming years.”