News

The Duke Department of Surgery now ranks third among surgery departments nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding received in 2019 according to the newly released Blue Ridge rankings. Duke Surgery has continued to rank in the top five nationally over the past 30 years, demonstrating the department’s long-standing commitment to investigate the impact of disease on patient health. With a diverse portfolio, including 78.7% of funding from the NIH, Duke Surgery faculty and staff perform a wide variety of research to improve the human condition.

Zachary Hartman, PhD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Sciences, has received an R01 award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his proposal "Enabling effective anti-tumor immunity from targeted antibodies through dual innate and adaptive immune checkpoint blockade in non-immunogenic cancers."

Georgia Beasley, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, has received a 2019 award from the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) for her pilot research project, “Oncolytic Poliovirus in Melanoma.”

Using an oncolytic poliovirus has already been tested at Duke as a treatment for recurrent glioblastoma, and in Dr. Beasley’s current research, the therapy will be used for treatment refractory melanoma, or melanoma that has not responded to other treatments. 

The Duke Transplant Center (DTC) of the Duke University School of Medicine aims to promote cross-disciplinary clinical, translational, and basic research with the ultimate goal of optimizing transplant organ longevity and improving quality of life of transplant recipients. This is the inaugural annual call from the DTC for proposals for pilot and feasibility studies.

Even before cancer is detectable, glow-in-the-dark cells show mutations driving malignancy
 

Duke Cancer Institute researchers have observed how stem cell mutations quietly arise and spread throughout a widening field of the colon until they eventually predominate and become a malignancy. 

Members of Dr. Gayathri Devi’s Cell Death Laboratory in the Division of Surgical Sciences presented four studies at the 12th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held September 20-23, 2019 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square in San Francisco, California.

The Department of Surgery held its 4th Annual Research Day April 17. The department holds this event annually to advance its mission of improving patient care through research and training the next generation of surgeon–scientists. The event recognizes the accomplishments of fellows, residents, and students engaged in clinical or basic and translational research through the department.

The U.S. News and World Report has ranked the Duke University School of Medicine 2nd in surgery among the best medical schools in the country. This 2nd place ranking is up considerably from the department’s 5th place ranking last year.

The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research has released its 2018 rankings of NIH funding for basic and clinical science departments, revealing that Duke Surgery ranks highest nationwide with more than $30 million in funding committed to research.

Bruce Sullenger, PhD, Joseph W. and Dorothy W. Beard Professor of Experimental Surgery, Division of Surgical Sciences, has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). An NAI Fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors.