Re-Imagining Medicine - The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University

Passion, Purpose, and Practical Wisdom

The Re-Imagining Medicine Fellowship (ReMed) offers Duke pre-health students an interactive summer program exploring the intersection of medicine, virtue, community, and moral purpose.

About

What does it mean to be a good healthcare practitioner? How do we learn to care for people, not as containers of symptoms and illness, but as bearers of stories? How do we work for just, fair, humane, and equitable practices of health care? How do the arts, ethics, and history help us prepare to practice medicine with character and creativity, to develop a sense of meaning and purpose in our work, and to encourage and empower the communities whom we serve?

The Re-Imagining Medicine (ReMed) program is an interactive summer program for Duke pre-health students exploring the intersection of medicine, virtue, and moral purpose. Students are invited to imagine how those working in health-related fields can use their specialized knowledge and skills with humility to care for individuals, cure and prevent disease and suffering, flourish in their chosen profession, collaborate with other professionals, and work toward the greater good.

ReMed seeks to foster the character, imagination, and practices needed to work effectively in contexts of human suffering and healing. Fellows will join with healthcare professionals and faculty from a variety of disciplines to develop practices and skills that will help them to attend closely to their own stories, to the stories of the places where they live and work, and to the stories of the communities whom they plan to serve. ReMed engages the medical humanities, including ethics, spirituality, dance, visual arts, and expressive writing to help students explore themes often absent in traditional medical education.

ReMed is a program of The Purpose Project at Duke, the Kenan Institute for Ethics, and the Trent Center for Bioethics, Medical Humanities & History of Medicine. It is sponsored by a grant from The Duke Endowment.

Re-Imagining Medicine students explore the community garden at El Futuro, a local non-profit providing mental health services to the Latino community. Photo credit: Victoria Behm.
Re-Imagining Medicine students participate in a discussion with Dr. Damon Tweedy on mental health for healthcare practitioners. Photo credit: Summer Steenberg.
Dr. Sarah Wilbur leads Re-Imagining Medicine students in a movement session that prompts them to reflect on the role of embodiment in medical practice. Photo credit: Summer Steenberg.

Program Format

The ReMed program has three primary components:

Immersive Week: The ReMed program begins the week following commencement with an on-campus immersive week at Duke in May. This immersive week will feature shared meals and conversation, experiential learning at Duke Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital, engagement with creative writing and the visual arts, introduction to the medical humanities, and facilitated reflections on justice and equity in health care.
Weekly Virtual Sessions: Following this week, ReMed will meet virtually for eight weeks. Fellows and faculty will gather for weekly 90-minute ReMed Seminars online to reflect on their summer experiences and to engage in conversation with leading scholars and practitioners in the medical humanities. Readings, writing exercises, and reflective practices will be assigned between seminars. These seminars will take place on Zoom from 4:30 pm–6:00 pm ET on Thursdays.
Experiential Work/Service: ReMed is not a stand-alone program. To enable critical reflection on lived experiences and practices, Fellows are required to pair their participation in ReMed with an internship, employment, or service work related to health or health care over the summer. Fellows must arrange this parallel experience on their own. Practicum experiences must be at least twenty hours a week for eight weeks over the summer, and may include, but are not limited to:
- Formal Duke civic engagement or research programs, with permission from the directors of those programs
- Volunteer service in a health-related setting
- Paid employment in a hospital, clinic, public health agency, or health-related company or nonprofit
- Engagement in clinical research
Fall ReMed Dinner Gathering to reflect on and celebrate the summer ReMed cohort and student accomplishments.

ReMed Fellows are expected to participate fully in all components of the fellowship, including the entire immersive week, and to miss no more than one virtual Seminar.

Award

For full participation in the Fellowship, Fellows will receive:

Housing at The Lodge Hotel, located near the Duke School of Medicine (RAs and others with prior housing arrangements may opt out of the provided housing option), during the immersive week
Meals throughout the immersive week
$1000 honorarium

Apply

If you are a current first-, second-, or third-year Duke undergraduate planning on working in health care interested in exploring questions of medicine, virtue, and moral purpose, Reimagining Medicine (ReMed) invites you to apply for a Summer 2025 Fellowship today. The Reimagining Medicine Fellowship is limited to 20 students. The priority application deadline is February 14, 2025. After that time, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until available spots are filled.

Call for Applications

2024 ReMed Fellows

Aadesh Anchaliya
I am a rising Junior at Duke from Raleigh, North Carolina. I am majoring in Classics on the premed route intending to integrate humanities with the sciences! I am involved in research over at the School of Medicine, volunteering at the Duke Hospice Center, as well as a student health policy club. A fun fact about me is that I a fraternal twin brother, who is the complete opposite of me!

Emme Ayers
I'm a rising senior from Waterville, Maine, and I'm studying biology and global health on the pre-med track. I am particularly interested in marine biology, as well as the intersections between the environment and community health outcomes. I am a certified Wilderness EMT, and I love running, hiking, and reading!

Samantha Cohen
I'm a rising junior from middle of nowhere, PA with dreams to someday work in Emergency Medicine or Surgery. I'm majoring in Cultural Anthropology with a focus on medical anthropology and patient-centered care. In my free time, I enjoy cuddling with my dog, going to the gym, and procrastinating everything and anything.

Kimi Du
My name is Kimi, and I am a rising junior studying Biomedical Engineering. I was born in Beijing and lived in 5 different states in the U.S. growing up (Texas, Iowa, Colorado, Arkansas, North Carolina)! I'm excited to be a part of ReMed!

Esosa Ediae
Esosa Ediae is a rising junior from Delaware majoring in Global Health and Biology and pursuing a minor in Spanish. She aspires to work as a medical doctor in communities globally, improving the health outcomes of children and families and demonstrating the love of Christ through quality healthcare. She is currently part of a Bass Connections team that will work with the Children’s Complex Care Coalition of North Carolina to develop transitional care interventions to support families with children with complex health needs. Apart from school, she enjoys playing and watching basketball, reading, spending time outside, and being with her family and friends.

Anna Ghelfi
Anna Ghelfi is from Milan, Italy. She is a junior pursuing a major in neuroscience, along with a certificate in digital intelligence and a minor in global health. Within the Imagination and Modal Cognition Lab, she conducts research on subjective awareness and conscious perception. Through Remed, she endeavors to bridge the gap between traditional medical practices and emerging technologies by exploring innovative approaches to healthcare delivery and patient care.

Makayla Gorski
I am a member of the Class of 2025 from Berlin, Connecticut. On campus, I spend my free time serving as co-president of the Duke Medical Ethics Journal, researching cancer therapies as well as the quality of life of cancer survivors, guiding campus tours through Duke Presidential Ambassadors, captaining an intramural volleyball team, and working at Bella Union Cafe as a barista. I am working towards a Biology major (Genetics concentration) in addition to completing Chemistry and Psychology minors. Following graduation, I intend to pursue a Masters in Genetic Counseling and study how best to provide psychosocial support to those affected by genetic disease.

Miranda Harris
Miranda Harris, from Hillsborough, North Carolina, is a member of the Class of 2025 at Duke University. Through Program II, she designed a major titled: “The Medical and Social Experience of Disability” and is on the pre-med track. She hopes to attend medical school after completing a gap year. In her free time, you can spot her playing piccolo in the band at Duke sporting events.

Victoria Ko
Victoria Ko is a rising junior (Class of 2026) from San Francisco majoring in Chemistry and Biology and pursuing certification in Science and the Public. She works in the Matsunami Lab on olfactory receptors. After her undergraduate years, she plans to pursue a career in medicine and/or research. In her spare time, she enjoys singing with the Duke Chorale, cheering on the Blue Devils at Duke Basketball games, roaming the beautiful Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and attending various club activities.

Srishti Kumari
Srishti Kumari is a rising senior from Sioux Falls, South Dakota majoring in neuroscience with minors in global health and chemistry. Her academic focus lies primarily at the intersection of neurological disorders and public health, an area where she hopes to bridge the gap as a physician. Beyond the classroom, you can find Srishti pursuing new creative ventures—culinary, cinematic, and otherwise.

Allison Lee
Allison Lee is a rising sophomore from Hillsborough, New Jersey, on the pre-dental track. She is always down to discover brunch spots, plan Duke’s campus concerts, and curate playlists for friends. Allison is excited to explore the power of communication in medicine, particularly how language-concordant care can help reduce health inequity. This summer, she will embrace this humanistic perspective as she interns with KinderSmile Foundation abroad in Kenya and Uganda and at their dental home in NJ.

Gracie Li
Gracie is a rising senior from Nashville, Tennessee majoring in Biology with minors in creative writing and global health. She is passionate about health equity and how art can reduce inequalities in healthcare. In her free time, Gracie loves reading, writing, playing the bassoon, and mobile games.

Stephanie Minaya
My name is Stephanie, born and raised in Northern Virginia, and pursuing a double major in Global Health and Biology, with aspirations of joining the medical profession. My passion for healthcare stems from a deep-rooted desire to address socioeconomic disparities, aiming to mitigate the inequalities that impact healthcare access and outcomes. Providing assistance to those who have been underserved is at the core of my mission, a way of reciprocating the support I once received. Aside from my excitement about the opportunities with ReMed, I'm eager to connect with our cohort! In my downtime, I love playing soccer, exploring new restaurants, and embarking on spontaneous adventures. On campus, I'm actively involved in various executive roles and organizations, including Duke Cardea Fellows, Mi Gente, Duke Women’s Club Soccer, and Duke Catholic Center.

Pranav Mukund
Hello! My name is Pranav Mukund, and I am an undergraduate student from Dallas, TX, studying biomedical engineering at Duke! In my free time, I enjoy playing the violin, conducting scientific research, and coaching a local youth basketball team in Durham. In the long term, I would love to practice medicine, run a lab, and stay involved with sports!

Glory Olowojoba
I am a junior majoring in Biology with Global Health and Chemistry minors. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, I am interested in addressing oral health disparities as a dentist. I research Goldsboro Hospital, a segregated asylum for Black Patients during the early 20th century. As DukeAfrica co-president, I foster an inclusive and diverse community of African students.

Samantha Seewald
Samantha Seewald is a rising senior from Pittsburgh, PA majoring in Biology, minoring in Psychology, and pursuing a certificate in Child Policy Research. She is passionate about community service and is involved in many service-oriented clubs at Duke, including Runway of Dreams (an organization that empowers people with disabilities through fashion), FEMMES+ (an educational outreach program for elementary school students who are underrepresented in STEM fields), and Challah for Hunger (an organization in which students bake and sell challah bread to raise money for charities that fight hunger). Through ReMed, she hopes to learn more about the intersection of healthcare and the humanities, specifically while working with patients who have complex care needs. She looks forward to applying these teachings while working at an Orthodontics practice this summer and in her future career as a dentist.

Cecelia Wasco
Cecelia Wasco is a rising Junior from Neenah, WI majoring in Public Policy, minoring in Chemistry, and pursuing a Human Rights certificate. She researches reproductive health policy in North Carolina and works as an EMT. She is passionate about improving healthcare access through equitable healthcare policy, especially in Latinx and rural communities. She enjoys playing soccer, running, journaling, and hanging out with friends at Mi Gente events.

Wayne Wen
I am an international student from the UK majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Biology and Chemistry. I love chatting with people and absorbing their wisdom and knowledge. I am also an avid Rugby fan and player and was the president of Duke Club Rugby 2021-2022. Fun fact: I drive a 1990 convertible that is constantly breaking down! But that's the fun of it.

Katherine Wiest
My name is Katherine Wiest, and I'm from Newport, Rhode Island. I am a Biology and Italian major here at Duke, and I am currently working in a lab studying ovarian cancer. In my free time, I work at a preschool here in Durham and would love to work in pediatrics in some capacity in my future as well!

Catherine Xiang
I am a rising senior from Plainsboro, New Jersey majoring in Biology and Global Health with a minor in chemistry. As an aspiring physician, I hope to understand health and wellness from a holistic approach and work towards constructing sustainable solutions that address health disparities in my community. I am also involved with Progress Period on campus in reducing menstrual health inequities and the on-campus science magazine Vertices.

William Yan
William Yan is a rising junior from Plano, Texas majoring in biology. He was born in Shanghai, China and moved to the US in middle school. He plans to pursue a MD-PhD degree and is interested in translational research, health literacy, and scientific communication. Outside of classroom and lab, William enjoys watching Formula 1, playing basketball with friends, and pingpong. This summer, he will work as a CNA at Hillcrest.

Contact Information

Warren Kinghorn, MD, ThD
Faculty Director, Re-Imagining Medicine
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center
Esther Colliflower Associate Professor of the Practice of Pastoral and Moral Theology, Duke Divinity School
warren.kinghorn@duke.edu

Victoria Yunez Behm, MS, MTS, CNS
ReMed Program Coordinator
victoria.behm@duke.edu

News

Re-Imagining Medicine is a program of The Purpose Project. A collaboration between the Kenan Institute, Duke Divinity, the Duke Office of Undergraduate Education and sponsored by The Duke Endowment, The Purpose Project at Duke makes matters of character, questions of purpose and explorations of one’s life’s work signature features of the Duke experience.