Off the Top...

One Year After Hurricane Helene, a Duke Employee in Asheville Looks Back

After living through the devastation of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, Duke IT manager Karen Bencke has reshaped how she prepares for future storms. The hurricane brought record flooding, widespread destruction and weeks without reliable power or water, forcing her and her husband to temporarily relocate while helping with local recovery. Throughout the ordeal, support from her Duke colleagues and the stability of her work provided a sense of normalcy amid chaos. A year later, she continues to see lasting damage in Asheville, but has turned her experience into resilience by creating a detailed emergency plan and finding gratitude in small comforts.

One Year Later

Federally Funded Research at Duke...

Using Iron to Destroy Multiple Myeloma Cancer Cells

Duke researchers have discovered a way to potentially save lives by targeting a key enzyme that helps multiple myeloma cells survive and resist treatment. By blocking this enzyme, STK17B, the team not only killed cancer cells but also made them more responsive to existing therapies, offering hope for patients who face relapse or drug resistance. In mouse models, an oral version of the inhibitor significantly reduced tumor growth, pointing to a promising new therapeutic strategy. The findings could also pave the way for improving treatments against other cancers that resist standard therapies.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Destroying Cancer Cells

More from Duke...

Durham Early College for Health Sciences Celebrates Opening With Ribbon Cutting

Duke joined Durham Public Schools, Durham Tech and Bloomberg Philanthropies in celebrating the opening of the new Durham Early College for Health Sciences. The school welcomed its first class of nearly 90 ninth graders this August, offering a rigorous program that combines high school and college coursework in health science fields such as nursing, surgical technology and clinical research. Students also gain hands-on experience through Medical Exploration days, preparing them for careers in health care. Duke Health has committed to hiring at least 60 percent of graduates, strengthening local workforce pipelines and building on Duke’s long-standing partnerships in the community.

Ribbon Cutting

Kara Lawson Named 2025-28 USA Basketball Women’s National Team Head Coach

Olympic gold medalist and Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson has been named head coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team through 2028. Lawson will lead the team at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, as well as at qualifying tournaments and training camps. A longtime USA Basketball veteran with 13 gold medals as a player and coach, Lawson has earned respect for her leadership, competitive spirit and success across multiple levels of the game. At Duke, she has compiled a 97-41 record, guided the Blue Devils to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and won the 2025 ACC tournament.

Coach Kara

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