Meet the 2026 Duke Huang Fellows

A select group of highly accomplished Duke University undergraduates is preparing for an exciting summer program designed to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to understand the ethical and societal implications of science and medicine. Now in its 8th year, the Huang Fellows program fosters a community of undergraduate scholars who will be trained in the sciences and grounded firmly in the liberal arts – and who will be well prepared to serve as leaders in sciences and the biomedical professions.

“We have just completed selection of the eighth cohort of Huang Fellows and we are again dazzled by the strength and diversity of the STEM students coming to Duke,” says Michael “Buz” Waitzkin, Faculty Lead for the Huang Fellows Program. “Not only are their science skills remarkable, but equally impressive is their shared commitment to use their science in service of society.”

Rising sophomores will participate in a summer program packed with enlightening and enriching opportunities. From visiting lemurs to hearing from Nobel Laureates, they will participate in seminar series featuring numerous notable Duke faculty in medicine, neuroscience, genetics, and health policy. Various activities will help develop professional skills, including how to communicate science effectively through podcasting, as well as public speaking through mock TED Talks. To gain practical experience, each student will be placed in either a policy lab or wet lab on campus where they will conduct novel research and present their findings in a joint poster session at the end of the summer program.

Dr. Andrew Huang, for which the program is named, has an abiding interest in the intersection of the humanities and the practice of medicine. Dr. Huang’s generous financial contribution makes possible the Huang Fellows program.

During a kick-off reception, the new class of fellows had the opportunity to hear from previous fellows regarding their experience and the profound effect the program had on them. “For my med school application, I had to write what are the top three most impactful things that influenced my reason to go to med school,” said Jamie Karl ’20. “Huang Fellows is my number one.”

Dr. Huang also recounted several of his most influential experiences in life, including mentorship under scientists who made great leaps in science and medicine by developing a hepatitis-B vaccine and pioneering new leukemia treatments.

“The fellowship here will hopefully bring you to that kind of world, benefiting not just yourself – your profession and your income – but the whole world,” said Dr. Huang. “Everybody has to think about themselves. You have to live, have a job, a family… but the bigger thing is that in the midst of all of that, you are helping outside of your own small world. From what I heard today I am hopeful that all of you will be doing just that.”

The Huang Fellows Program is just one example of Duke University’s commitment to ethical scientific research with social impact. Through programs like this, Duke is helping to shape the next generation of doctors, scientists, and engineers who are not only capable of developing groundbreaking technologies but will do so with an eye toward maximizing its benefit to all of humanity.