North Carolina congressional staffers from across the state were welcomed to campus recently for Duke’s State and District Congressional Staff Day. The gathering highlights Duke University and Duke Health expertise, research, and programs impacting communities across North Carolina. With a workforce of more than 45,000 employees, Duke is the largest homegrown private employer and the second-largest private employer overall in the state.
University-focused programming began with a visit to PreMiEr–Precision Microbiome Engineering, a National Science Foundation–funded Engineering Research Center led by Duke University in partnership with North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina State University, UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC-Charlotte.
PreMiEr’s research focuses on understanding and preventing the survival of harmful microbes, such as mold, in built environments to create healthier indoor spaces, with implications for public health and infrastructure resilience.
The session featured Anu Tripathi, PhD, co-director for strategic partnerships at PreMiEr, and Boyuan Chen, PhD, director of the Duke General Robotics Lab. They discussed the center’s collaborative approach and how engineering, microbiology, data science, and robotics come together to address complex challenges in environmental and human health.
Following the session, staffers had the opportunity to have lunch and engage with students from Duke’s military-affiliated community.
Duke University President Vincent Price joined the group to provide remarks and highlight Duke’s commitment to service, research excellence and support for communities across North Carolina.
The afternoon transitioned to Duke Health with a welcome and overview of the health system.
Greg Pauly, President of Duke University Hospital; Group President for Acute Care Services at Duke University Health System; and Vice Dean for Clinical and Academic Integration at the Duke University School of Medicine, outlined Duke Health’s integrated clinical and academic mission and its role in advancing patient care and innovation statewide.
Staffers then participated in a presentation and discussion on wearable technologies and health data led by researchers from the BIG IDEAs Lab.
The lab develops tools that leverage biomedical and health data for the early detection, intervention, and prevention of disease. Jessilyn Dunn, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering and principal investigator, along with Stephanie Sullivan, MS, MA, research project manager, and graduate students, shared how wearable technologies—like smart watches and other devices—and their data can be translated into actionable insights to improve health outcomes.
Attendees next toured Duke University Hospital with Jon Bae, MD, CPPS, Chief Quality Officer at Duke University Hospital; Associate Chief Medical Officer for Duke Health; and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine.
The tour provided insight into hospital operations, the expansion of Duke Health’s high-quality patient care across the state, and the systems that support that care.
The Duke Health portion of the day concluded with a visit to the Duke University Hospital Innovation Unit.
Led by Joanna Cavalier, MD, medical director of the Innovation Unit and associate medical director in the Digital Strategy Office, along with Donna Phinney, MSN, RN, director of the Duke Telehealth Office and Virtual Care Center, and nursing staff, the tour highlighted how digital tools, innovative care models and virtual services are being integrated into daily clinical practice to expand access and improve patient outcomes.
State and District Congressional Staff Day offered an opportunity for meaningful dialogue between Duke leaders, faculty, staff, students and congressional staff serving North Carolina.
The day showcased the breadth of Duke University and Duke Health’s work across research, education, healthcare delivery and innovation. We are grateful to all who participated and look forward to continuing these partnerships at future State and District Congressional Staff Days.
