Earth Day is coming up on April 22. I have fond memories of celebrating Earth Day in elementary school. We’d all get our hands nice and grubby while putting new plants into the soil and tending to the flowers in our butterfly garden. What a sense of pride we felt when we saw our baby plants become vibrant blossoms that turned the ground into a tangible rainbow. 

If you’ve ever spent a winter in Minnesota, you understand two things very quickly: 1) the sun sets a little after lunchtime, and 2) light is not optional — it’s survival. My appreciation for light therapy started when I was in fellowship at Mayo Clinic, where winter days can feel impressively short and where many of us discovered that a well‑placed bright light could improve mood, energy and productivity. To be honest, my co-fellows and I looked like glow worms lit up in our cubicles.

As we near Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 19, I reflect on the enduring legacy of a leader whose vision for equality and justice continues to inspire us. Dr. King's commitment to civil rights and his dream of a fair and just society resonate deeply within our field of obstetrics and gynecology.

Patients who give birth at Duke University Health System now benefit from a unique inpatient physical therapy program specifically structured to address postpartum needs. Duke Health is one of a limited number of health systems in the country to offer this type of program, which was conceptualized two years ago by an innovative, multidisciplinary team of physical therapists and ob/gyns. The program launched in August 2023.

In August of 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a memo announcing major changes to how federally funded scholarly research is shared with the public. Starting in 2025, all federal funding agencies will require investigators to make their research articles and associated data openly available immediately upon publication, without an embargo by the authors or the publisher.

November 10, 2022 recognizes Genetic Counselor Awareness Day, which is sponsored by the National Society of Genetic Counselors (nsgc.org). Genetic Counselor Awareness Day is dedicated to raising awareness and utilization of genetic counselors in communities and institutions. The goal of the NSGC is to help consumers understand the importance of the supportive roles of genetic counselors in healthcare.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month/Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. Gynecologic Oncologist Angeles Secord, MD, MHSc, shares insight on ovarian cancer in this Duke Cancer Institute article, and is committed to conducting innovative research with nationally renowned colleagues to provide options for cancer patients through clinical trials and ongoing studies. 

Megan Huchko, MD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, describes her experience and motivation that led her to a career as an implementation scientist, what led her to conduct research in East Africa and the effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention.  How did you originally get interested in global health?

Jennifer Gilner, MD, PhD , Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, describes the experiences and motivations that led her to a career as a physician-scientist in high risk obstetrics, and current challenges she is leveraging Departmental and SOM resources to address. She serves as Medical Director of the Duke University Hospital Birthing Center. Describe your path to becoming a physician-scientist in obstetrics.

Susan K. Murphy, PhD , Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of the Division of Reproductive Sciences, describes how she became involved in this area of research and her most surprising discoveries to date. What kind of research are you engaged in?