This spring, 22 faculty members in the Duke University School of Medicine have been awarded distinguished professorships. They will be honored at the university’s annual distinguished professorship event on May 18.
In total, 38 new distinguished professors across Duke University were approved by the Board of Trustees in February.
Distinguished professorships are awarded to faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health.
Nicholas Scott Heaton, PhD, a member of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, was named the Minnie Geller Distinguished Professor of Research in Genetics.
Heaton is a professor of molecular genetics and microbiology who also has appointments in cell biology and integrative immunobiology. He is an internationally recognized virologist whose pioneering research in influenza biology, host–pathogen interactions, and innovative vaccine engineering has significantly advanced the fields of microbiology and immunology.
Heaton’s research spans fundamental discovery, translational science, and cuttingedge molecular engineering approaches, focusing on how viruses such as influenza and SARSCoV2 infect and damage the respiratory epithelium, how host cells survive viral challenge, and how innate and adaptive immune responses can be harnessed or enhanced.
See the full list of newly-awarded distinguished professorships at Duke University.
Read the article highlighting School of Medicine faculty who were awarded distinguished professorships.