Dr. John Prakal, School of Emergency Medicine
Purakal said his efforts at the community and Duke are led by the belief that emergency rooms can be a powerful place to identify and connect people with social needs with them with resources.
Purakal, an assistant professor in emergency medicine, led the development of the project parallelDuke student volunteers were screening ER patients for unmet needs such as food insecurity, safe housing, and access to education. First study It was found that over 90% of the patients screened had at least one important unmet social need.
Prior to this project, the responsibility for connecting patients to social workers fell to doctors, nurses and other care providers, delaying their ability to concentrate on patient care. For this work, Prakal received the Presidential Award in 2023. This is one of the highest honors of the university given to community members.
His efforts go beyond Duke’s campus. Together with Duke students from the Bass Connections Project, Purakal helped strengthen its ongoing efforts to connect patients at the Lincoln Community Health Center with community-based resources. Together with three students at Duke University School of Medicine, he also raised Community Knowledge (ROCK), a public health education initiative to bridge the gaps in community knowledge about chronic medical conditions, in addition to screening for unmet social needs.
His community work coincides with his service as a mentor to a wide range of students from various schools, including students from various schools at the university. Duke junior Ashley Talwar, who launched the backpack project, said Prakal’s advice is essential to the growth of the program.
“His mentoring has shaped the next generation of caring leaders and instilled them in the values of continuous growth, service and social responsibility that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives,” Talwar said.
Any Oway from Sanford School of Public Policy
Owoeye, a second-year master’s degree in public policy student, had a busy year. For his research into international environmental policy and student leadership on campus, Owoeye was awarded the Samuel Dubois Cook Award.
Her work in the community, along with campus leadership as leader of Hope North Carolina and other groups and other students, has been awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.
“What sets Anyni apart is her humility and care, not just her achievements, but her approach to all acts of service,” said Dr. Afnan Siddig, a master’s student in Global Health. “Work as a TA for the environmental negotiation class, or Reconciliation Centre A spiritual formation cohort, Anni, creates opportunities and empowers others to step into them. ”
Owoeye’s services and mentorship will appear across campus, whether or not they support experiential learning opportunities at the Divinity School’s Center for Reconciliation. Prison engagement initiative Or as a member of the Duke Climate Commitment Advisory Council. Within her own Sanford school, she served as the chairman of the policy at the Sanford School of Living Color. Co-chairman of the school’s Africa Policy Group. Member of the Black Policy Conference Executive Committee.
Beyond campus, she marked Durham in Volunteer Leadership in North Carolina. Hope North Carolina is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding comprehensive housing options, particularly for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Hope volunteer coordinator Emma Herold said Owaey “shows her commitment to bridge the relationship between Duke and Durham underscores her belief that stronger communities are being built through meaningful partnerships.”
Sullivan Award-winning Owoeye noted many people who encouraged her with these efforts. “There are a lot of people walking by me,” she said. “I am grateful to be able to do this job not only to meet friends but strangers who have become friends. What’s important to me is to develop a beloved community where I have been home for the past two years.”
Velda Wang, Department of Public Policy and Neuroscience
Verda Wang came to Duke with a strong interest in the issue of health access, but even she was surprised when one topic continued to appear in private conversations. Why did students have a hard time finding basics like menstrual products?
Her reactions and organizing skills left one of the Sullivan Award nominees, believing that the King would be a force for change for years to come. “The Thompson Writing Programme’s faculty advisor to the Student Group’s Progressive Period Organization,” said Hannah Taylor of the Thompson Writing Programme:
“It’s rare to meet a student who is as passionate and engaged as Verda,” Taylor added. “She can not only turn that passion into change, but it also stimulates the desire for change in others.”
Duke’s Period of Progress Group has partnered with the National Group to raise awareness of access to menstrual products on campus and on communities, benefiting the lives of students and community members. Many low-income women need to choose whether to buy food or menstrual products. Wang said her investigation showed that a considerable number of university students, including Duke, were in the same situation.
On campus, Wang was now available in his residence, avoiding menstrual products, and piloting product distribution programs to his dorms. She also worked with administrators and academic leadership to gain support in increasing awareness of student needs related to menstrual products and increasing access.
In the community, the king organized North Carolina’s first menstruation almost alone
Equity Rally. In compliance with Menstrual Hygiene Day, she connected students, activists and state legislators, and introduced and supported NC Diaper Bank. She also led a social media campaign reaching over 98,000 people.
The Wang said the reaction she received from students and people in the community encourages her to do more. When she won the Sullivan Award, she quoted comments from a student who appreciated her progress to gain access to menstrual products.
