The Duke Scholars in Molecular Medicine (DSMM) program is a nine-month program (September to May) during which PhD candidates and postdoctoral associates who are studying basic sciences gain hands-on experience in clinical areas related to their field of research.
The program comprises four tracks based on strengths at the Duke School of Medicine:
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Infectious Diseases
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Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Disease
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Neuroscience
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Oncology and Cellular Therapies
Each track enables 5–10 scholars to participate in clinical rounds, clinically relevant journal clubs, and clinical conferences where interesting patients are discussed.
The time commitment for each track is approximately 6–8 hours per month, to include:
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Approximately 4 hours of a clinical shadowing experience
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2–3 hours of clinical conferences and/or journal clubs
Additional periodic experiences include:
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Specialty clinical exposure 2–4 times per year, each for approximately 1-1.5 hours. These may include clinical laboratories, clinical diagnostic centers, and diagnostic laboratories. The specific experiences are customized to each track.
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Thinking Translationally presentations for 2–3 sessions per year, one each academic term. The sessions will each last approximately 1.5 hours.
The program provides a high-impact experience with a modest time commitment to dramatically enhance each trainee's laboratory experiences without detracting from their primary research mission. Therefore, the program does not provide additional financial support.
Applications
Applications for the 2024-2025 program are closed and will repost in April or May of 2025.
We simplified the application process and encourage you to review the 2024-2025 program flyer and application template in advance:
Application Requirements
Predoctoral students need to have successfully completed their preliminary examinations prior to the start of the program in the Fall of the application year (please contact us to inquire if your examination data will be close to the start of the program and you would like to apply).
Postdoctoral associates should anticipate being at Duke for the entirety of the program year.
Contacts
DSMM is directed by Neil Surana, Assistant Professor in Pediatrics, and coordinated by Molly Matlock.