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Each month, Duke in DC prepares a special edition of the Duke Digest to spotlight Duke's expertise and footprint in a particular area. In honor of Women's History Month, we are giving a special shout-out to the outstanding women who are consistently raising the bar at Duke.
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Women Breaking Barriers, Creating Progress and Influences Others
In honor of Women’s History Month, Duke highlighted the successes of several women who are currently serving in roles that men have historically dominated. One of the individuals sharing their story is Dr. Nimmi Ramanujam, the Robert W. Carr, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Ramanujam founded the Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies at Duke in 2013. The center works to develop transformative technologies to help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer for women in low-resource settings and has received substantial support from the National Institutes of Health.
“If you don’t know what the possibilities are, how do you know what you’re passionate about? You’ve got to give them a chance to do different things, and that’s where inherently failure comes in to play.”
-- Dr. Nimmi Ramanujam, the Robert W. Carr, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering
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Shining Light on the "Care Economy" and the Women Who Drive It
The "care economy" - the economic activity generated by providing care services like childcare, elder care and health care - is a foundational yet often undervalued institution. It includes both paid and unpaid work and can involve a range of sectors and industries, including education, health care and social services. Women disproportionately carry out all of these services. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the "care economy" industry as a whole - schools, daycares, nursing homes and more - was thrust into the spotlight, and researchers at Duke are hopeful that this signals an inflection point for recognizing the important work being done.
“I feel like we're on the cusp of a new economy of care that needs a lot of thought and infrastructure... There’s a new kind of attention to these issues, new kinds of policy energy around social security reform.”
-- James Chappel, the Gilhuly Family Associate Professor of History
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Duke's 2023 Leading Women Innovators
Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship's (I & E) theme for International Women's Day was "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality." Consequently, I &E gathered a group of exceptional Duke students and alums working to create powerful impacts in technology. These innovators are working in fields including ethical AI, STEM education, health tech and beyond to make the world safer, more inclusive, equitable, sustainable and fun.
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The Duke Community Honors the Late MaryAnn Black's Contributions to Duke and Durham
Former North Carolina State Representative MaryAnn Black was a career social worker in Durham, North Carolina, who served on the County Board of Commissioners and was the associate vice president of community relations at Duke University Health System. Above all else, Black was respected and adored by many, and the impact of her work continues to ripple through the community. While Black died of cancer in March 2020, she lives on in the thousands of lives touched by her work, as evidenced by the videos of the people of Duke Health sharing their appreciation of her and the legacy she leaves behind (linked below).
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Twelve Duke-Authored Books on Women's History
In honor of Women's History Month, the university gathered 12 Duke-authored books documenting women's contributions to history, culture and society. These books, along with many others, are available at Duke University Libraries, the Gothic Bookshop or the Regulator Bookshop.
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A Look Back on Duke's Women's Weekend
This past month, more than 500 trustees, faculty, current students and alumnae gathered for Duke's Women's Weekend to listen, speak and share fresh insights. The annual weekend aims to provide participants with ample opportunities to connect and offer life lessons and career advice from various backgrounds. This year, the weekend also had a particular focus on climate issues, underlying the priorities of Duke's Climate Commitment. Nicholas School of the Environment Dean Toddi Steelman spoke on one panel, discussing the threats to oceans and their ecosystems and how leaders can chart a more sustainable future.
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