By Lizzie Devitt
Amidst the great challenges presented by COVID-19, Duke University is standing strong to its essential missions of teaching, learning, research, patient care and service to our community. Duke continues to provide significant leadership locally, regionally, nationally, and globally in this time of great uncertainty. The next year will be a difficult one, and Duke is grateful for the support and leadership of policy makers at all levels of government.
Saving Lives
Last month Duke Health began the groundbreaking first trial of a COVID-19 treatment for patients already showing severe symptoms, and Duke is also piloting a study to decontaminate N-95 masks for reuse. Duke physicians and nurses have rapidly scaled up capacity in advance of the anticipated spike in cases by adding beds and moving non-clinical staff to clinical roles to ensure that we are well-prepared to continue serving patients from Durham, the immediate region, and throughout North Carolina. Additionally, Duke Health has developed its own internal models that have been extremely precise in predicting cases, numbers of beds needed, and more.
Discovering Treatments and Cures
Our researchers are hard at work seeking new treatments and a possible vaccine for the virus, and we are leveraging our innovation and commercialization resources to support more rapid vaccine production, repurposing of compounds as potential therapeutics, improved diagnostics platforms, and the development of ventilators that may be used simultaneously with multiple patients.
For instance, the Duke Clinical Research Institute was awarded up to $50 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute for an expedited study to evaluate hydroxychloroquine as a preventive drug for healthcare workers that are at a high risk for COVID-19 infection. The first phase is rapidly identifying and enrolling a large community of healthcare workers at high risk for COVID-19 infection, followed by the second phase of a randomized clinical trial. The Duke DARPA Pandemic Prevent Platform also continues work to rapidly develop countermeasures including diagnostic assays and development of human antibody countermeasures.
Anchoring Our Communities
The impact of this virus is felt far beyond the hospitals, and Duke is working hard to support the economic stability in North Carolina. Duke University and Duke Health employ more than 40,000 North Carolinians, making us the second largest private employer in the state. The university has offered additional medical coverage for telehealth programs for all employees at no additional cost. Duke also created several support funds, including a community fund to support non-profits, small businesses, and community-based organizations
Reinventing Education
Duke University is currently engaged in a great experiment in higher education: virtualizing curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. While minor disruptions have ensued, this transition has already been a remarkable success, with over 3,000 classes and over 30,000 students participating virtually in the first day alone. Our experience with transitioning DKU online also helped provide necessary infrastructure when Duke needed to move to virtual instruction and provided a model for universities across the nation.
Moving Forward
Duke is grateful for the flexibility Congress has given U.S. institutions in administering student aid programs, providing students and graduates with student loan relief, access to additional resources for research to help gain a better understanding of this virus and develop vaccines and therapies to attack it, and changes to tax provisions that may be helpful in addressing financial challenges in the coming weeks and months.
Given this time of increased economic volatility, Duke has had to make significant changes to its fiscal models, including the imposition of a blanket hiring freeze and significant spending limitations for our staff and faculty and many other great challenges remain. Duke, and many other colleges and universities, will count on additional resources to fight the virus and care for our patients, and provide support to our students, researchers, and all employees
Duke is proud to call North Carolina home, and is committed to helping this great state overcome these unprecedented challenges and emerge even stronger on the other side.