Doris Duke Foundation

Bias in medical tools have real personal consequences. Reporter Anissa Durham shows readers of Word In Black how one young man’s struggle with dialysis is part of an historical arc of medical injustice and outdated science that has led to inaccurate and delayed disease diagnosis and treatment for far too many Black patients: https://lnkd.in/dq85ExGh Durham also explores what is happening now to reconsider the medical inaccuracies underlying algorithms that treat Black and white patients as biologically distinct—when in fact all human beings are overwhelmingly genetically similar with more variation within socially defined racial groups than between them.

Congratulations to all! We are excited to welcome these incredible filmmakers into our growing community of Building Bridges fellows. 🎉 🎬

Scientists take nagging questions, and through relentless pursuit of the answers, make discoveries that can change lives, including their own. This trajectory is illustrated in a recent Medscape feature on hematologist Dr. Lauren Merz, whose curiosity about a condition flagged as “benign ethnic neutropenia” changed the course of her career. Despite the fact that this particular marker of a low neutrophil count has little clinical impact, it has kept patients out of clinical trials, made them ineligible for certain chemotherapies, and subjected others to needless invasive testing. Dr. Merz, assistant professor at Rogel Cancer Center at the University of Michigan has led the DDF-supported work of the American Society of Hematology to develop new reference ranges for patients with the phenotype that causes this low neutrophil count, and test them nationwide. Read the interview to see how her quick path from curiosity to action is changing medical understanding, and will improve patient care for millions.   https://lnkd.in/eyhUfT9w

Congratulations to Dr. Ross Boyce MD, MSc and the full research team on the publication of their landmark clinical trial in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM Group). In a randomized controlled study in Uganda, the team tested a new approach to malaria prevention: permethrin-treated baby wraps, based on common caregiving practices. The results were striking—children whose caregivers used the wraps had a more than two-thirds lower incidence of malaria, even when used alongside bed nets. This work demonstrates the power of culturally grounded, evidence-based strategies to strengthen prevention efforts. We’re proud to support research that meets communities where they are and explores new possibilities for impact. 📄 Read the full study: https://lnkd.in/eDUwWsUN 

Following World Patient Safety Day, we’re proud to share bold recommendations now shaping national conversations that stem from the “Advancing Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality Symposium”, hosted with the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and Patients for Patient Safety US. PFPS US has since filed public comments to NIH (1), testified before Congress (2), and—together with the Federation of American Scientists—published a report with Four Recommendations to Improve Healthcare Outcomes aligned with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ goal of zero preventable harm: https://lnkd.in/eYNkkt3M We’re honored to support this important work and look forward to building momentum together. #WorldPatientSafetyDay #PatientSafety #HealthcareQuality

With #ClimateWeekNYC around the corner, we’re reflecting on how climate investing is evolving in today’s market. Read insights from DDF Chief Investment Officer Leena Bhutta and Director of Investments Jennifer Katz drawn from our Forum on Climate Investing at Duke Farms earlier this summer: https://lnkd.in/ezf_tSKh

Remembering Robert Redford’s Legacy The Doris Duke Foundation joins so many others in honoring the life and legacy of Robert Redford. Through the creation of the Sundance Institute and Festival, Redford transformed the landscape for young and independent storytellers, opening a pathway for new voices to be nurtured, supported and celebrated on a global stage. That vision has also enabled foundations like ours to partner with Sundance to expand opportunities for artists whose stories too often go untold. Our past collaborations — including the Building Bridges Fellowship and Completion Fund — reflect a shared belief that storytelling has the power to foster understanding and connect communities. Redford’s legacy endures in every emerging artist who finds a platform at Sundance and in the countless stories that continue to shape culture because he built the space for them to be heard.

The McCourt School is pleased to announce the newest Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellows cohort. Established through a generous gift from the Doris Duke Foundation, the fellowship brings together high-level policy leaders to share their expertise with the McCourt community. Please join us in welcoming: Robert Gordon, former deputy assistant to President Biden for economic mobility at the Domestic Policy Council of the White House, with a focus on improving government performance and advancing economic mobility. Liz Ryan, a policy expert and advocate for social and racial justice, who most recently served as the administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention during the Biden Administration. Shalanda Young, who served as the 43rd director of the Office of Management and Budget, managing the federal government's annual $7 trillion budget. Learn more about the fellowship and this year's cohort: https://lnkd.in/ew4_2X3B