Agents of Change: Portraits of Activism in the History of Duke Health (2023-2024)
This oral history project set out to document the work of activists and “change agents” throughout the history of Duke Health in conjunction with Duke’s centennial anniversary.
In Fall 2023, this team explored existing scholarship on the history of Duke Health and identified a variety of potential “change agents” from Duke Health and the Schools of Medicine and Nursing during the second half of the twentieth century. Team members also received training in oral history best practices, including consent, interviewing, ethics and documentation.
In Spring 2024, team members conducted 20 interviews to highlight 18 change agents from Duke Health and the Schools of Medicine and Nursing. The interviews were conducted by six undergraduate members and were transcribed for preservation in the Duke University Medical Center Archives.
The team created a video gallery and a digital exhibit to showcase the activists, organizing them around themes such as racial justice, community health, educational equality, reproductive justice, LGBTQIA+ and sexual health, and labor rights. The project aimed to represent diverse backgrounds and forms of activism.
Learn more about this team’s work by reading their team profile.
Timing
Fall 2023 – Spring 2024
Team Outputs
Profiles of Activism in the History of Duke Health (Team profile; 2024 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Virtual Showcase)
Agents of Change: Portraits of Activism in the History of Duke Health (Interactive display presented at Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 17, 2024)
Interview transcriptions preserved in the Duke University Medical Center Archives
This Team in the News
New Project Teams Will Delve Into Duke’s History to Mark the Centennial
Image: Sunrise at Duke Medicine Pavilion Circle, including the Cancer Center, Trent Learning Center and South Clinic, by Bill Snead/ Duke University
Team Leaders
- Jeffrey Baker, School of Medicine-Pediatrics
- Rebecca Williams, Medical Center Library-Archives
/graduate Team Members
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Jonathan Pyka, Masters of Public Policy
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Sara Spicer, Medicine MD Third Year
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Lucy Zheng, Medicine MD Third Year
/undergraduate Team Members
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Destiny Holland, Earth and Climate Sciences (AB)
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Ava Meigs
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Chioma Okotcha
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Fiorella Orozco, Biology (BS)
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Caroline Overton, Cultural Anthropology (AB)
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Anthony Zhao
/yfaculty/staff Team Members
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Russell Koonts, Medical Center Library
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Robert Korstad, Sanford School of Public Policy
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Neil Prose, School of Medicine-Dermatology
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Harris Solomon, Cultural Anthropology
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Damon Tweedy, School of Medicine-Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
/zcommunity Team Members
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Erin EC Campo, North Carolina State University