The Duke Global Health Institute awarded six pilot and travel grants during the second quarter of 2025. All awardees are researchers at DGHI.
Pilot grants include one-year funding of up to $25,000 to support researchers in gathering preliminary findings that can be leveraged to secure longer-term external funding. The awards can be used to cover the cost of project supplies, graduate students and research assistance. This year’s recipients are Deborah Koltai, Ph.D., an associate professor of neurosurgery and neurology and a DGHI affiliate faculty member; Gayani Tillekeratne, M.D., an associate professor of medicine and global health who studies emerging infectious diseases; and Christine Markwalter, Ph.D., an assistant research professor of global health.
Travel grants carry awards of up to $5,000 and allow faculty to meet with global partners to explore the feasibility of new research projects. Awardees are Catherine Staton, M.D., a professor of emergency medicine, global health and neurosurgery; Aunchalee Palmquist, Ph.D., an associate professor of the practice of global health and cultural anthropology; and Tomi Akinyemiju, Ph.D., a cancer epidemiologist and a professor of global health.
Learn more about these grant recipients and their work below:
Pilot Grants
Recipient: Deborah Koltai
Project Title: Neuroscience Instrument Validation and Standardization for Research and Care in Rwanda
Recipient: Gayani Tillekeratne
Project Title: Antimicrobial properties of ethnomedicinal plants traditionally used for the treatment of urinary tract infections in Sri Lanka
Recipient: Christine Markwalter
Project Title: Serological measurement of exposure to natural Anopheles mosquito bites in Kenya
Travel Grants
Recipient: Catherine Staton
Location: Brazil, for research on alcohol harm reduction research with Brazilian partner sites
Recipient: Aunchalee Palmquist
Location: Western North Carolina, to support safe infant feeding after Hurricane Helene
Recipient: Tomi Akinyemiju
Location: West Africa, to assess the feasibility of rapid pathologic diagnostics
