Where did you grow up?

I grew up in rural Franklin County. My mom and dad were self-employed so sometimes I think about how this virus would have impacted their business if they were still working.

What do you do?

I work in Population Health Management Office as a physician liaison. I support Duke Connected Care practices and providers who have value based contracts meet their quality metrics and cost saving goals.

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

Luckily, I haven’t had anyone that I know personally who has the virus. As a nurse, I have many family and friends who are on the frontline caring for patients who have COVID-19 or at risk for exposure. I have a son who’s an essential employee so I’ve made sure he has masks and washes his hands. My youngest son ended his college semester early. There have been heartbreaking stories but many stories of community support and resilience.

What has been most challenging about this project?

The most challenging part is keeping up with information about this novel virus. In addition to access to our study physician leaders, I participate in many webinars and email lists that serve as great resources.

What has been your favorite part about this project?

By far, the greatest thing about this project is the human connection. Everyone has a story to share about how they may have been exposed or their respective risk factors. Sharing this experience has been wonderful.

Where did you grow up?

Born in Johnston County, Pine Level and Smithfield NC. I grew up in Edgecombe County, Tarboro, NC

What is your role on the project?

I’m managing the COVIDWATCH voice mail box. I follow-up voice mail messages from participants with questions or when they have difficulties getting online or completing surveys. I also get phone calls from those that are interested in participation but have questions about the study before they decide to enroll. I also call those participants that we’ve not heard from in 24 hours and check in with them to see how they’re doing. I also give a gentle reminder for them to go online and complete their symptom survey. Sometimes they prefer for me to collect that data over the phone.

What do you do?

I retired from Duke Office of Clinical Research in December 2017. I worked there 17 years. I’m now working part time with Duke Heart Center Clinical Research Unit. I’m doing end of study follow-up on an aspirin study called “ADAPTABLE”.

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

I help take care of my dad and he’ll be 89 in September. We’re being very careful with him to follow all the protocols to quarantining at home and keeping him safe. We have had a lot of his regular doctor’s appointments rescheduled until after quarantine but those that can’t be re-scheduled, we’re keeping and it’s been a trip getting him ready with his mask on and trying really hard not to touch anything. We use a lot of alcohol wipes and hand washing and sanitizer. We’re all so blessed that no one has been sick. My brother is a Surgical Technician, a nephew that is a Respiratory Therapist and several other nieces and nephews in health care. They are working very hard to help others. I’m very thankful to them and all the other front-line health care workers.

What has been most challenging about this project?

I wouldn’t say challenging necessarily just staying quick and nimble. Being ready as we grow and make those changes for the best experience ever.

What has been your favorite part about this project?

Talking to the participants and hearing what’s going on with them and how they’re getting along during the pandemic. Most are very happy that the study is available to them and feel that in participating in the study is helpful to them and to others as well. They really appreciate that.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a few places around the world, including Nigeria, Mexico, Texas, and Massachusetts!

What is your role on the project?

I joined PRN in April because I wanted to help out with a project that was responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, I assist with looking up who has missed their daily surveys, and who has reported severe symptoms. I also help with calling and following up with those participants. Most recently, I have been helping with the launch of the Spanish edition of the study!

What do you do?

I am a second-year student at Duke University School of Medicine. I am most likely applying into Ob/Gyn or Emergency Medicine for residency.

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

During the second year of medical school, we normally spend almost all of our time within the depths of the hospital, learning from all kinds of specialists and taking care of all kinds of patients. As we are not able to be in the hospital right now, we are doing didactic classes from afar. There are certainly some silver linings - I have found time to exercise, cook/bake, and get involved with meaningful research projects such as this one!

What has been most challenging about this project?

The most challenging aspect (and also the most exciting aspect) of the project has been to keep up with the growing number of participants and making sure they are all called and being cared for!

What has been your favorite part about this project?

My favorite part of this project has been talking with the participants on the phone and getting to hear their stories. We are so appreciative of our participants for taking the time to help us better characterize the virus!

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. For some reason, my family lived in Atlanta, GA, Charleston, SC, Sunapee, NH, George’s Mills, NH, New London, NH, and Ithaca, NY by the time I finished up high school.

What is your role on the project?

I’m the graphic design lead for the PRN.

What do you do?

I design infographics, presentations, and print materials. Figuring out the best way to present information to specific audiences in order to get a specific result is what I like to do. Usually this involves layout and design, but occasionally something I write ends up in the final piece. (I also love to nitpick.)

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

Several ways:

• A lot of my work is COVID-19-related. Prior to these projects, it was frustrating to sit at home without knowing how I could help. I’m happy to be able to potentially make an impact on the course of the pandemic.
• My husband is a type 1 diabetic whose father died when he was 11. Our son is 11 (and our daughter 8), and it is important to us to do whatever we can to prevent them from having to grow up without a dad. Therefore, we are extremely diligent with our social distancing, mask wearing, grocery wiping, etc.
• I have a gene mutation that elevates my risk of certain cancers. During the past months, I was supposed to have several screening appointments and I either haven’t gone because appointments have been cancelled or, now, I have to weigh the benefits of going to the screening appointments vs. keeping my husband safe.
• And… this has put a huge strain on my relationship with my father, who refuses to wear a mask and takes a cavalier attitude toward the pandemic. He was in medicine his entire life and taught me to trust science, and this attitude of his has been impossible to reconcile. We have also had to say no to his visits because we know he wouldn’t follow our rules. It is heartbreaking and frustrating.

What has been most challenging about this project?

Trying to figure out why the teal color in the logo doesn’t quite “work” when I use it for other graphics. I had to come up with a very slightly different teal to use for everything except the logo. I like consistency, so this makes me twitch, but it definitely works better.

What has been your favorite part about this project?

Working with this great team, trying to figure out what’s going on in their heads, and then coming up with a way to visually represent it. Very rewarding.

Where did you grow up?

In Buenos Aires, Argentina. I came to the United States in 2002

What is your role on the project?

I translated along with Perla Nunes (we work as a team), the study to Spanish.

What do you do?

I am a Clinical Research Coordinator at Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute in Kannapolis, NC. I am part of the community engagement team, led by Perla. We educate our local community about clinical research and different studies that Duke offers. We also translate those studies to Spanish so we can offer them to the Hispanic community in Cabarrus County and surrounding areas.

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

It made me count my blessings. I believe that in this pandemic we are all riding the same storm, but definitely we are in different boats. I am thankful for the health of my family, the support of my friends and coworkers and the opportunity of working from home. I had to postpone a planned trip to Argentina to visit my parents and extended family and I don’t know when we are going to be able to fly. It is not going to be soon for sure. That makes us as a family really sad, but we are hopeful that something good is going to happen as the result of the unprecedented scientific collaborations going on all over the world.

What has been most challenging about this project?

I would not say challenging, but being quick to deliver the final product not diminishing its accuracy and quality

What has been your favorite part about this project?

To know that with a little help from Kannapolis, many members of the Hispanic community in the United States and the whole world will be able to participate in an amazing research project and have their voices, needs and hopes heard.

Where did you grow up?

Waco, TX

What is your role on the project?

I assign phone calls for participants who either have reported severe symptoms who have missed phone surveys. I also assist with calling recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients to give them information about the study.

What do you do?

I am a rising 4th year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine. I will be applying into either Ob/Gyn or internal medicine this upcoming cycle.

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

I was in Hanoi, Vietnam, conducting infectious disease research this past year when Covid-19 emerged. Luckily, Vietnam implemented stringent public health measures including isolation and contact tracing early in the pandemic, so the disease burden in the country has remained low despite its close proximity to Wuhan province. Ironically, I came back to the U.S. for a few weddings in March for what I thought would be a 10-day trip, but I ended up getting stuck stateside because of the rapidly worsening situation in the U.S. Luckily, my roommate was gracious enough to wrap up my loose ends in Hanoi and bring back the remainder of my belongings. I have since been working remotely on various Covid-related public health projects in Vietnam and have joined this study as well!

What has been most challenging about this project?

This project has been growing rapidly, which is incredibly exciting. At the same time, our daily call volumes and workloads are higher, which has been difficult especially on the weekends when we have less people to make the phone calls. We have been able to recruit some new folks to join the study team, which will be very helpful moving forward!

What has been your favorite part about this project?

I have really enjoyed making phone calls to participants. I think it’s easy when I’m working from home to lose sight of the reason why I’m doing this work in the first place, so it’s been helpful to hear how Covid-19 has played out in the lived experiences of our participants and to hear how we can be a part of making these difficult times a bit more manageable for folks.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Wake Forest, NC. Back then Wake Forest was a sleepy little town with no more than 2,000 people in it. I lived in other parts of the country and world after school, but Raleigh/Wake Forest always felt like home, so I moved back to Raleigh about 15 years ago.

What is your role on the project?

I have worked with the team on the website and exploring other digital solutions.

What do you do?

I am the Associate Director, Digital Strategy in DCRI’s Communications Group. I am so fortunate to work with a great team. In general, we support project and trial teams by evaluating their needs and pairing or creating the right digital solutions for them -websites, video, podcasts, email marketing, collaboration tools, etc.

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

It has reminded me that even in very difficult situations, if I am present and aware, I can find joy. It may be when I’m working really hard on COVID-19 related research, during “storm door” visits with older family members or spending more time with my 5-year-old while his daycare is closed. The things that brought me joy before the pandemic still bring me joy—just packaged a bit differently.

What has been most challenging about this project?

The speed coupled with the size of the project. There is so much to do and getting help to the people that need it is time critical.

What has been your favorite part about this project?

As I mentioned before, my son is at home with us all day while his daycare is closed and during this time, he has absolutely fallen in love with LEGOs. We have spent many, many, many hours building together and I would classify the builds into two types: packaged, predefined models where a LEGO master builder has created a model and you follow very detailed directions to replicate the amazing model they envisioned (Star Wars and Jurassic park are current favorites); free-builds where you come up with an idea to create something from scratch. Both are a blast for different reasons, but I prefer the free builds. Starting with an idea, collaborating heavily, taking parts from predefined models and digging through a thousand individual pieces to find just the right bits that fit to create something amazing. I think of PRN as a free build. No one has created this model before. We are working on something new and amazing.

Where did you grow up?

I moved a lot growing up, but I claim the Pacific Northwest as home, mainly Seattle, WA

What is your role on the project?

I work in the Duke Office of Clinical Research, and support research across Duke. Initially, my team got involved to help build a data collection tool for the study. Since then my role has evolved, and I currently help with project management.

What do you do?

On this project I mainly serve to connect various groups at Duke, find resources, and answer regulatory questions. All of my work is behind the scenes, but I love that I get to help out in a small way with such an important project.

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

I’m lucky in that many of the direct impacts to me have been minimal. I have had a number of friends contract COVID-19, some who had to be admitted to the hospital, and I’ve had friends lose family members to COVID-19. I currently struggle the most with how to support my team through these challenging times and with how to positively contribute to my community.

What has been most challenging about this project?

We have had to adapt so quickly to changing circumstances, and needs. There is always a new need and we want to make sure the project serves our participants well.

What has been your favorite part about this project?

I love a lot about this project, and I just really love clinical research overall! As we approach a half million global deaths from COVID-19 the work I do in research feels more important than ever. I truly believe that research supports the front line of healthcare. Researchers are developing diagnostic test, working on treatments, and developing and testing vaccines to prevent infection. They also are working to gain knowledge about how the virus spreads, risk factors, disease course, and immunity, all of which is critically important to inform public health decisions. I want to thank everyone participating in this study, you are all partnering with us to learn more and understand how to better protect each other and our communities!

Where did you grow up?

Raleigh, North Carolina

What is your role on the project?

I am the study’s Regulatory Coordinator, which means I am responsible for making sure that the necessary documentation and approvals are in place to conduct the research study and any changes in the study design are approved before we implement them.

What do you do?

I’m a Senior Regulatory Coordinator in the Duke Heart Center Clinical Research Unit. My job is to protect the rights, safety, and welfare of research participants by ensuring that the laws, regulations, and policies that govern clinical research are being adhered to and that every study I manage is conducted and documented to the highest standard so that the data collected can make a meaningful impact and keep the science moving forward.

How has COVID-19 impacted you?

My family and I are fortunate that the pandemic’s impact has been much less for us than it has been for others. While my partner has essentially been furloughed from his job, I am able to work from home and have continued to have a stable income so we have been able to continue paying the bills and keep food on the table. We also have to be hyper vigilant with hand-washing, mask-wearing, social distancing, and disinfecting because both my partner and one of our children have underlying conditions that put them at greater risk of serious complications if they were to contract the virus. Still, I’m lucky that my family has stayed safe and healthy so far. I just hope my community continues to do their part to prevent the spread of infection so we can keep one another safe.

What has been most challenging about this project?

This study is very fast paced and there have been a lot of changes as we respond to changes in the pandemic and feedback on what our participants want and need from us, so the biggest challenge has been keeping up with these changes and getting the necessary approvals in place to implement them quickly. It keeps me on my toes!

What has been your favorite part about this project?

There is a lot to love about working on this project- each day I’m learning something new about the regulatory aspects of clinical research, and it’s inspiring to see the diversity of expertise and experience come together to work towards a common goal. My favorite thing about this project is the collaboration among individuals and organizations to reach and provide support to the most vulnerable in our communities, connect them to resources, and let them know that they aren’t in this alone. It’s a privilege to be a part of something that can really make a positive impact in the lives of others as we all navigate through this trying time.