Innovators
Innovators
The faculty, students, and alumni driving Duke innovation.
Innovators
View MoreHow two Duke PhD students built a regional biotech launchpad
Zack Weaver and Victoria Goldenshtein, the first PhD students in Duke's Tadross Lab, co-founded the Research Triangle Park chapter of Nucleate in 2021 to support early-stage life-science entrepreneurs; the chapter remains active in 2026 with ongoing programming and industry partnerships.
Innovators
View MoreDuke PhD student turns poo collection data into children's nutrition tool
Duke PhD graduate Ammara Aqeel adapted ecological DNA metabarcoding to track children's diets from stool samples, won $6,500 in a Duke accelerator, and filed an invention disclosure for a diet-tracking tool aimed at dietitians before completing her degree in May 2025.
Innovators
View MoreDuke five physician-scientists received $360,000 research awards as the field faces a national workforce shortage
Five Duke School of Medicine faculty have each been awarded $120,000 per year for three years through the 2026 Physician-Scientist Strong Start program, the first cohort funded under the Nanaline H. Duke Fund's expanded $11.45 million commitment.
Innovators
View MoreRetired Duke family medicine chief endows community health fund in honor of his late wife
J. Lloyd Michener, MD, a Duke University School of Medicine professor emeritus who chaired the Department of Family Medicine & Community Health for 22 years, has established the Michener Family Community Health Fund with a personal gift to deepen partnerships between Duke Health and the Durham community.
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