The following message was sent from Dean Mary E. Klotman, MD to all School of Medicine faculty and staff on July 22, 2021:
On June 29, Duke University announced that all University faculty and staff are expected to present proof of vaccination by September 1, 2021, or receive a religious or medical exemption.
Today, Duke University Health System and the PDC announced that Health System and PDC employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The DUHS/PDC deadline for vaccination or to receive a religious or medical exemption is September 21 at 10 a.m.
Both the University and Health System announcements have been made based on a shared principle that vaccination against COVID-19 will help keep our patients, faculty and staff, and the community safe and healthy.
Therefore, the School of Medicine will join the Health System and PDC in mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all faculty and staff, regardless of work location. The deadline to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation or have an approved medical or religious exemption is September 21 at 10 a.m.
Who in the SOM is required to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination?
- All faculty, staff and students in School of Medicine clinical and basic science departments, centers, institutes, and administrative units are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a religious or medical exemption.
- All School of Medicine Consulting, Adjunct and Emeritus faculty are expected to be vaccinated against COVID-19. If these faculty members physically come to a Duke facility, they will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a religious or medical exemption.
- Compliance with this policy is required for research and scholarship positions in job family 27 (including postdoctoral associates, postdoctoral scholars, research associates, research scientists, research scholars, associates in research, and visiting graduate/undergraduate students), students employed by the School of Medicine and paid/unpaid interns and volunteers in the School of Medicine.
- House staff must adhere to the Duke University Health System’s COVID-19 vaccination policy.
- Faculty and staff employed in the School of Medicine who are leased in any amount to the PDC also must adhere to the School of Medicine’s policy, which mandates vaccination by September 21 at 10 a.m.
- All students in the School of Medicine should adhere to the COVID-19 vaccination requirements specified by Duke University, which mandates that all students be vaccinated.
For employees, vaccination against COVID-19 or policy compliance through a granted medical or religious exemption is a condition of employment. For faculty, non-compliance with the policy could result in denied access to Duke Health EMR and clinical facilities, Duke email and internet (dhe).
Faculty and staff seeking approved medical or religious exemptions must submit their application by Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. Application forms are available at https://covid-19.dukehealth.org/vaccine-information.
To achieve compliance, you must complete and submit documentation of the two-dose series of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or receive an approved exemption by Tuesday, September 21 at 10 a.m.
If you received your complete vaccination series through Employee Occupational Health & Wellness (EOHW), you do not need to submit documentation. If you received your vaccination(s) in the community (such as a retail pharmacy or a Duke patient clinic), you will need to submit your vaccination documentation to https://covid-19.dukehealth.org/vaccine-information.
Students, faculty and staff can now check to ensure their vaccination status has been recorded by Student Health or Employee Health by logging in to the secured Status Check website at https://covidvaccine.duke.edu/. If your documentation has not been recorded, you can upload an image of your completed vaccination card at https://covid-19.dukehealth.org/vaccine-information.
Please see attached or visit our website to read frequently asked questions.
Thank you for taking this important step to keep yourself, your families, our patients and communities safe.
Attachments