Cell Biology Newsroom

Muscle injuries are one of the most common types of injuries: from sprains and strains to bruises and lacerations. Our bodies, though, have the remarkable ability to heal from these injuries, thanks to muscle stem cells, which take up residency in our muscles and mostly stay dormant until injury. In the face of an injury, some of the cells spring into action and mature into functional cells to repair the damage, while the remaining muscle stem cells remain immature and replenish the stem cell supply.

Warmer temperatures are known to make more turtle eggs become female hatchlings, but new research out of Duke University shows that those females also have a higher capacity for egg production, even before their sex is set.

The Leadership Development for Researchers (LEADER) Program is designed for junior faculty who are leading a research group and driving their own research agenda. The course provides insight into leadership and team building as well as direction on how to develop and manage a scientific laboratory or research program, how to improve productivity, and how to harness creativity and innovation. The program was developed to bridge the gap between the scientific expertise that led individuals to a career in academic medicine, and the management skills that will be required to succeed as the leaders of small business units. Congratulations to the 2023 LEADER participants!

The Ruth and A. Morris Williams Faculty Research Prize was established to advance research opportunities for early career faculty members and is awarded for research excellence demonstrated at Duke. The 2023 Williams Prize will recognize outstanding contributions in basic science research.

Medical students at Duke University School of Medicine selected John Roberts, MD; Jennifer Carbrey, PhD; and Kristen Rhodin, MD, for the annual Golden Apple Awards. The Golden Apple Awards are the highest teaching awards presented by students in the MD program This year, Rhodin, a general surgery resident earned the Clinical House Staff award. The Pre-Clinical Faculty award went to Carbrey, an assistant research professor in the Department of Cell Biology; and Roberts, a nephrologist and associate professor of medicine, received the Clinical Faculty award.

Chantell Evans is one of 31 inaugural recipients of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Freeman Hrabowsky Scholarships, a new award of up to $8.6M over 10 years for outstanding early career faculty dedicated to EDI

Amy S. Gladfelter, PhD, joined the School of Medicine faculty on April 13 and will be a full professor in the Department of Cell Biology after July 1.