People Who Benefit
Though we may not realize it, we all benefit from academic research. Learn about the people whose lives have been saved, changed, and enriched thanks to Duke research.
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Gerald Compton
A rare fungal infection nearly claimed Gerald Compton’s life before Duke’s expertise helped save him.
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Clay Adams
A Duke employee’s cancer diagnosis led to lifesaving care, lasting gratitude and hope for future patients.
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Quinn Mills
Through NIH‑funded research at Duke, a family finally found answers to their son’s rare and life‑altering condition.
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Kimberly Ross
Genetic testing rooted in Duke research helped a young mother catch aggressive breast cancer early and survive.
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Mei
After decades with breast cancer, a Duke‑discovered, federally supported drug gave Mei new control and quality of life.
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Lenny Santoro
When Lenny Santoro was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 59, his life quickly became defined by uncertainty. Surgery only helped for a few years, but clinical trials at Duke have now gotten him to remission.
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Spencer Laird
When diesel mechanic Spencer Laird was 30, he learned his colon cancer had returned—and spread. An immunotherapy trial offered hope.
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Mary Beth Humphrey
Mary Beth Humphrey knows Alzheimer’s disease personally and painfully. The 68‑year‑old Episcopal priest lost her mother and three aunts to the disease, and as she’s aged, she’s become increasingly aware of her own risk.
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Sabrina Lewandowski
She defied a deadly brain cancer through research‑driven care at Duke and is thriving more than two decades later.
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Creed Kolasa
A Duke clinical trial helped a boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy defy expectations.
