News

RTI International recently welcomed Nina Sperber, PhD, an associate professor in Duke's Department of Population Health Sciences, and three other North Carolina senior academic colleagues as 2024-25 RTI University Scholars. The program supports senior academics who work with RTI researchers to drive growth, foster collaboration, build scientific stature, and develop opportunities for externally funded joint projects.

Natalie Ezem’s journey into healthcare began with a nudge from her mother during her teenage years. Initially skeptical that the field was for her, Natalie’s perspective shifted after volunteering at a local hospital in South Florida. Working in the geriatric unit and emergency department, Natalie engaged directly with patients, many of whom were from migrant ethnic backgrounds and/or low-income families. These experiences, coupled with managing chronic health conditions within her own Nigerian family, sparked a deep curiosity about the health challenges faced by vulnerable populations.

In a recent commentary published by the Brookings Institution, Gopi Shah Goda, PhD, and her colleague, Courtney Van Houtven, PhD, a professor in the Duke Department of Population Health Sciences, discuss the urgent need to expand in-home care coverage under Medicare. Their article, "Expanding In-Home Care Coverage is a Necessary Evolution of Medicare," highlights the growing financial risks that older Americans face due to long-term care needs and the burden placed on family members and other caregivers who often provide this assistance without compensation.

Drugs such as Wegovy may help reduce waistlines, but they do not lower medical costs, according to an analysis of U.S. health insurance claims shared with Reuters. These findings align with research by DPHS Associate Professor Valerie Smith, DrPH, published in the Annals of Surgery, which also revealed that bariatric surgery patients did not experience a decrease in overall long-term expenses despite having lower medication costs compared to matched controls.

Dr. Katie Collins ’15, the recipient of this year’s Pfeiffer University Presidential Merit Award, has begun uncovering some intriguing answers as a researcher in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the prestigious Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. The answers support a general philosophy proclaimed on her Duke web page: “The first rule of getting in shape: Don’t quit.”

Duke Department of Population Health Sciences Assistant Professor Charles Muiruri, PhD, has been honored with the 2024 Duke HIV/AIDS Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in AIDS (IRTPA) T32 Outstanding Leadership in Scientific Mentoring Award.

Ben Ncube, MBA, a first-year master’s student in the Duke Department of Population Health Sciences, has been honored with two prestigious awards in Zimbabwe for his groundbreaking work in men’s health and the development of a 9-point system to improve service uptake.  

Elizabeth Rojo's path to the DPHS PhD in Population Health Sciences program has been anything but linear. Born in Mexico and raised between Michoacan and the Bay Area, Elizabeth's diverse background and experiences have shaped her academic and professional journey. She has worked internationally, co-developing and growing projects in Mexico, Tanzania, Ghana, and the U.S. With over a decade of experience within the University of California system, her work has spanned areas such as HIV, emergency medicine, global health education, minority aging, and COVID-19 workforce development training.

Throughout her diverse career in nursing, information technology, and nonprofits, Iori Yamasaki developed a belief that the information contained in medical records could be utilized more effectively. This conviction fueled her journey to the DPHS MS in Population Health Sciences program, where she concentrated on learning methods to manage and analyze large data sets. Underpinning this focus was an interest in the health issues associated with an aging society, a particularly pressing concern in her home country of Japan. Graduating in May 2024, Iori now works for a company in Japan that develops various electronic systems, including electronic medical records. Prior to her MS degree, Iori earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Japanese Red Cross Kyushu International College of Nursing.

Meet Latesha K. Harris, BSN, RN, an alum of Duke University's Department of Population Health Sciences (DPHS) 2022 BRIDGE Program cohort. As a first-generation college graduate and the first nurse in her family to pursue a doctoral degree, Latesha's journey is a testament to her dedication, resilience, and passion for healthcare. Her story is one of breaking barriers and striving for excellence in nursing and health services research.