Stay Healthy This Flu Season with a Free Vaccine on Campus

Vaccines are available at various walk-in clinics on select dates starting Oct. 9

A sign for flu vaccinations
Free vaccinations for the flu will be available on campus this fall. Photo by Travis Stanley.

Between October 2024 and April 2025, North Carolina reported 530 influenza-related deaths, the state’s deadliest flu season since 2009 and a stark reminder that underscores the importance of getting vaccinated against the flu.

Duke staff and faculty have opportunities at various campus locations to receive the 2025-26 flu vaccinations at no charge through Duke Employee Occupational Health & Wellness (EOHW).

Starting Oct. 9, walk-in vaccinations will be available at EOHW clinics at Duke South, Duke Regional, Duke Raleigh Hospital and and on certain days at Duke Medicine Pavilion and Duke Lake Norman Hospital.

“Severe flu seasons can occur in any given year,” said Duke Employee Occupational Health & Wellness Co-Director Dr. Carol Epling. “That’s why it’s important to get vaccinated and reduce the risk of getting a severe case of the flu, or needing hospitalization.”

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended flu vaccination whenever influenza viruses are circulating, September and October remain the best times for most people to get vaccinated.

Updated 2025-26 flu vaccines will protect against all three strains of the virus expected to be circulating this season.

Pop-up clinics on certain dates in October and November will provide walk-in vaccinations to staff and faculty at Duke Health’s Alexandria Campus, Bryan Research Building, Levine Science Research Center, Perkins Library and the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center.

Staff and faculty who receive a vaccine through any EOHW clinic must complete a flu vaccine consent form, which they can do online up to 48 hours in advance.

Natasha Strickland, right, got vaccinated against the flu in 2024 and plans to do so again this year. Photo by Travis Stanley.

One day last fall, Natasha Strickland used her lunch break to make the short drive from her office at One City Center in downtown Durham to Duke’s Karsh Alumni & Visitors Center on West Campus, where she received her flu vaccination.

Strickland, the Duke Office of Alumni Engagement and Development’s Data Analyst for Culture, Employee Engagement and Belonging, said the process only took a few minutes and bought several months’ worth of peace of mind.

She has received her flu vaccine through Duke since joining Duke in 2023 and plans to do so again this year.

“I want to protect myself from getting sick, and I also have a family member who is immunocompromised, so I want to protect them,” Strickland said. “Being able to do that here at work and not have to schedule an extra appointment with my pharmacy or with my primary care physician is just so convenient.”

Getting a flu vaccine is a condition of employment for Duke University Health System, Duke University School of Medicine and Duke University School of Nursing employees. Proof of vaccination or an approved exemption must be filed with Employee Occupational Health by 10 a.m. Nov. 18.

For more information on how to get your flu vaccine through Duke, visit vaccines.duke.edu.

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