Three Duke National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) fellows — Jeylan Close, MD; Gabriela Plasencia, MD, MAS; and Carri Polick, PhD, RN — have received Bass Connections awards for their research projects.
Bass Connections connects Duke students with research teams that draw on perspectives and methods from multiple disciplines, as well as robust engagement with communities, stakeholders and decision-makers. These Duke NCSP scholars will work with their teams on their proposed clinical research projects.
“Bass Connections provides a unique opportunity for Duke faculty and students to work together on cutting-edge research,” Polick said. “We want to share this exceptional opportunity with students and hope this exposure will positively influence their educational and career interests.”
The Bass Connections-supported projects are:
- “Economic Evaluation of School Mental Health System of Supports”
- Jeylan Close, MD
Medical Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy
Postdoctoral Fellow, National Clinical Scholars Program - Nicole Lawrence, PhD
Senior Research Scientist, Center for Child and Family Policy, Sanford School of Public Policy
- Jeylan Close, MD
- “Community-Informed Policy to Improve Latinx Health Outcomes in NC”
- Gabriela Plasencia, MD
Clinical Associate Faculty, Duke Family Medicine and Community Health
Postdoctoral Fellow, National Clinical Scholars Program - Andrea Thoumi, MPP, MSc
Health Equity Policy Fellow, Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy
Faculty Director, Health Equity Education
- Gabriela Plasencia, MD
- “Noninvasive Neuromodulation for Addiction: Treatment Development”
- Carri S. Polick, PhD, RN
Clinical Associate, Duke School of Nursing
VA Postdoctoral Fellow, National Clinician Scholars Program, Durham VA Health System - Jonathan R. Young, MD
Assistant Consulting Professor, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
Staff Psychiatrist, Durham VA Health Care System - Jean C. Beckham, PhD
Professor and Co-Division Director, Behavioral Medicine and Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
VA Senior Research Career Scientist, Durham VA Health Care System
- Carri S. Polick, PhD, RN
Drs. Close, Plasencia, and Polick are all members of the fourth Duke NCSP cohort. The Duke NCSP program has also had scholars from previous cohorts earn Bass Connections awards, with great success.
“We chose to continue our work through the Bass Connections program due to the emphasis on interdisciplinary teams and the opportunity to introduce new and prior students to community-engaged research methods and public policy,” Plasencia said. “Such collaboration has a greater potential for impact on complex health, social, and political issues."
Duke is one of six sites within the NCSP program, which aims to provide training for physicians and post-doctoral nurses as change agents for driving policy-relevant research and partnerships to improve health and health care. The Duke site’s focus on community-based and policy-focused research has additionally supported its scholars’ growth and effort on these projects.
“My time in the Duke NCSP program has allowed me to work with people in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Department of Health and Human Services, who have all been so warm, passionate, and motivated,” Close said. “I am truly excited to have the opportunity to work together on this meaningful project.”