Duke Alumnus Named Udall Native American Graduate Fellow
Ayden Case's research combines interest in immunology and expanding access to health care
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Alumnus Ayden Case is at Cambridge University doing graduate research on immunotherapies.
Duke alumnus Ayden Case T’22 has received the Udall Native American Graduate Fellowship in Tribal Policy.
The fellowship recognizes Native American and Alaska Native graduate students who are currently pursuing advanced degrees in health care fields, and who have demonstrated a commitment to Native health care.
Case, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina from Knoxville, Tenn., is one of three scholars chosen nationwide.
Case graduated from Duke in 2022 with a degree in chemistry and a concentration in pharmacology. As an undergraduate, he became fascinated with the immune system, particularly its therapeutic applications for complex diseases.
He joined the biomedical engineering lab of former Vinik Dean of Engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering, Ravi Bellamkonda, studying issues relating to immune responses to glioblastoma. As his research progressed, he began to question the accessibility of scientific advancements, especially in the context of clinical medicine. This led him to investigate the barriers to care and adverse health outcomes faced by Native Americans in North Carolina as a member of Duke surgeon Dr. Thorsten Seyler’s research group.
He is continuing this work at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, studying a promising immunotherapy for atherosclerosis. Following his studies at Cambridge, he intends to pursue a medical degree in the U.S. and continue his cardiovascular immunotherapy research as a physician-scientist.
The Native American Graduate Fellowship Program honors the legacies of former U.S. political leaders Morris K. Udall and John S. McCain III.
