Elevate is a monthly newsletter from the Office for Culture, Engagement, and Impact that is distributed to faculty, staff, and students in the Duke University School of Medicine. In this issue, we feature Duke psychologist Bryan Sexton, PhD who offers simple, evidence-based tips to improve well-being. We also share recent news stories, resources, and coming events.

Registration is now open for “Celebrating Culture, Inspiring Careers,” hosted by the employee resource group ¡DALHE! in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. On September 22, hear Duke leaders share personal stories about their career journeys and lessons they've learned along the way. Come away with fresh perspectives, practical career advice, and inspiration from colleagues across the university and health system. All are welcome.

Erica Taylor, MD, MBA, Duke orthopaedic surgeon and vice president of health equity for Duke Health Integrated Practice, was featured in Becker’s Spine Review. She discusses why healthcare organizations should look beyond traditional metrics and focus on leadership, culture, and accountability to better support patients and communities.

A Duke University School of Medicine and UNC-Chapel Hill study turns an unlikely source — community sewer systems — into a data-rich tool to help track nutrition trends, identify gaps in food access, and determine whether food security programs are reaching the people who need them most.

The MaryAnn Black internship program is celebrating 10 years of introducing Durham-area students to healthcare careers. Through a partnership between Duke University Health System and Durham YouthWorks, the program has helped hundreds of young people explore careers at Duke, with many returning as employees.

The hematology and oncology publication, Healio | HemOnc Today, recognized Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, PhD, associate professor in head and neck surgery & communication sciences and population health sciences, with a 2026 Disruptive Innovators Award. He received the Health Equity Award, which recognizes a clinician or scientist who has made meaningful change by addressing social determinants of health in hematology/oncology.

In her new book, “America’s Health: The Community Is Now the Patient,” Duke Psychiatry's Leslie Bronner, MD, DrPH, calls attention to the outsize impact of community conditions on health and the need for policies and systems that better support well-being. The book weaves together research, fresh ideas, and engaging vignettes drawn from Bronner’s clinical experiences.