The Duke-NCCU Bridge Office celebrated five years of partnership on July 30, 2026 at the Blue Hill Event Center in Chapel Hill, drawing about 100 guests including university leaders, faculty, researchers, students, staff, community partners, and alumni. The celebration honored the office’s commitment to advancing research opportunities, workforce development, community engagement, and meaningful partnerships, with guests reflecting on the office’s growth since its founding and the lives touched through its programs.
Director of Operations Lisa Davis, PhD, described the distance the office has traveled since its launch: “When we first launched, we were truly building the plane while flying it, creating something new while navigating uncharted territory. Five years later, we’re no longer trying to get off the ground. We’re soaring, reaching new heights through the strength of our partnerships and the collective commitment and perseverance of everyone who has helped make this vision a reality.”
A Retirement Tribute
The evening’s most memorable moment was a retirement tribute to NCCU’s Faye Calhoun, PhD, recognizing her foundational leadership in shaping the Bridge Office since its earliest days, with remarks from colleagues, friends, and partners. Attendees included North Carolina State Senator Sydney Batch and Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH, Dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and co-founder of the Bridge Office. Current researchers and former interns also shared personal reflections on how the office shaped their research experience, mentorship, and career development. Davis also read her original poem, “We Are the Bridge,” celebrating the partnership’s collaborative spirit.
Undi Hoffler, PhD, NCCU lead for the Bridge Office and interim associate provost and dean for research, called it “a very special event,” adding: “To have the reflective moment and to see the work that has been done collectively was truly wonderful and a great inspiration in moving forward.”
A Shared Office Built to Connect Two Campuses
The Bridge Office works closely with leadership at both Duke and North Carolina Central University to create multidisciplinary research collaborations and ensure faculty, investigators, and trainees at every career stage have access to core resources and services for their research. Bryan Batch, MD, faculty director for the office, said the celebration gave longstanding collaborators a chance to reconnect and form new ones: “We are excited about the future of the Duke-NCCU partnership and look forward to another five years of success focused on improving health, increasing opportunities for research collaboration, and contributing to interventions that support workforce development initiatives.” By night’s end, attendees left inspired and excited about the office’s continued future.
About the Duke-NCCU Bridge Office
The Duke-NCCU Bridge Office is a partnership between Duke University and North Carolina Central University, co-founded by Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH, and supported by Duke’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The office works to strategically align the capabilities of both institutions, fostering bidirectional research collaborations, diversifying the future clinical research workforce, building new research teams, and expanding infrastructure to support investigators at both universities.
