M.D./Ph.D. Candidate Maduka Named a Kirschstein Fellow

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M.D./Ph.D. student Austin Maduka has received an F30 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health. 

The fellowship supports the research and clinical training of predoctoral students in dual-doctoral degree training programs who are pursuing a physician-scientist career. The Kirschstein-NRSA program provides up to six years of support for its fellows’ training. In 2022, recipients of the F30 fellowship will receive a yearly stipend from the National Institutes of Health of $26,353.

Maduka began his studies as an M.D./Ph.D. student in 2017. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in genetics and genomics in the lab of Assistant Professor Gustavo M. Silva. He earned a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. 

Maduka’s current research in the Silva Lab uses biochemical and genomic approaches to define roles of the ubiquitin protein modification controlling the mammalian cellular response to oxidative stress, which occurs in many diseases. He aspires to pursue a career as an academic scientist and cardiologist.

During his time at Duke, Maduka has served as co-president of the Student National Medical Association, which supports and creates community for medical students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. He also served as a coach for the BOOST Program, which helps Durham middle school students retain interest and develop early foundations in science.