About the study
There is still a lot that we don’t understand about the connections between DNA and health. We already know that certain differences in our DNA can affect our health. For example, some can increase our risk for a few specific health conditions like certain cancers or heart disease. The more we study our DNA, the more we will learn what gene variants mean about us.
The purpose of the OneDukeGen Genomic Sequencing Study and Biorepository (OneDukeGen) is to collect biological samples, and use the samples to analyze DNA, and other material (like RNA) for use in research related to a variety of diseases and conditions. We are hoping that at least 100,000 people will join. The more people who join, the better chance we have of finding new gene variants and understanding what the ones we already know about mean to our health.
Joining the Study
The OneDukeGen study is taking place at Duke Health locations in Durham, N.C. Study team members are stationed in these locations to collect blood samples from Duke patients during regularly scheduled appointments. Study team members will move to additional clinics throughout the study for several years.
Eligible Duke patients will receive an invitation to join the study through their My Duke Health patient portal. Some patients will receive an invitation now, while others may not receive an invitation for several years, if at all. Eligibility depends on whether the patient has an appointment in a clinic where our study is enrolling. Patients who want to participate in OneDukeGen must keep their upcoming Duke Health appointment. If they miss the appointment, we may not have another opportunity to collect the blood sample we need.
Some Duke patients will receive an invitation in their My Duke Health portal to join OneDukeGen by giving a saliva sample instead of a blood sample. We mail a saliva collection kit to their home, where they collect the sample and mail the kid back to us for free. These invitations are part of special research projects within OneDukeGen that only require saliva, not blood.
See For Participants for active study locations.
The Team
OneDukeGen is part of the Center for Precision Health within the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI), and operations are managed by CTSI staff. OneDukeGen is also part of a broader collaboration between Duke and nference, a scientific software company. This collaboration includes the joint Genomics Working Group, which directs enrollment priorities. Duke researchers and clinicians who are part of OneDukeGen suggest scientific priorities in their disease specialty areas to the Genomics Working Group.
Svati H. Shah, MD, MHS
Principal Investigator
Director, Center for Precision Health and Duke Kannapolis Research
Dr. Svati H. Shah is a physician scientist and associate dean of genomics and director of the Precision Genomics Collaboratory in the Duke University School of Medicine; vice-chief of translational research and director of the Adult Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine; co-director of translational research in the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute (DMPI); director of Duke Kannapolis Research; and a faculty member in the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI). Dr. Shah is principal investigator of the MURDOCK Study Community Registry and Biorepository and the Duke principal investigator for the Project Baseline Health Study.
Her research focus is on metabolic and genetic pathways of cardiometabolic diseases, integrating diverse genomic, metabolomic and proteomic techniques for identification of novel mechanisms of disease and biomarkers. Her multi-disciplinary molecular epidemiology lab within the DMPI has quantitative and molecular components and leverages large biorepositories on to perform discovery studies using omics technologies, with subsequent functional validation for mechanistic insight.
Clinical Study Team
Jevon Chavis
Clinical Research Coordinator, Duke Kannapolis
Jevon Chavis joined Duke CTSI to work on the Project Baseline Health Study in Durham. Prior to joining CTSI, he worked at the Duke Eye Center for 22 years. As a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA), he held several positions throughout his time at the Eye Center, including visual fields technician, lead glaucoma clinic technician, lead ophthalmic ultrasound biometrist, and surgical coordinator. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Arlene David
Clinical Research Coordinator
As a clinical research coordinator, Arlene David works with the OneDukeGen team. Arlene enrolls participants and collects and processes blood samples from OneDukeGen study volunteers. She has been with Duke since 2014 and previously worked at the Duke Regional Hospital Laboratory and the MC3 Carolinas Cord Blood Bank.
Isabella Grezzi, BSN, RN
Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator
Isabella Grezzi, BSN, RN, is a clinical research nurse coordinator with OneDukeGen, an initiative within the Center for Precision Health. Before joining CTSI, Isabella was a clinical nurse in the Duke Heart Center and served as cardiac monitoring champion for her unit.
Shannon Jones
Clinical Research Coordinator
Shannon Jones serves as a clinical research coordinator for Duke CTSI in Kannapolis. A graduate of East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in public health, Ms. Jones has several years of clinical research experience and has worked on nearly 20 studies. Therapeutic areas she has worked with include uncontrolled hypertension, COPD, COVID, sepsis, hyperkalemia, and myocardial infarctions. She also supports the OneDukeGen study in Durham.
Pilar C. Roa
Clinical Research Coordinator
Pilar C. Roa serves as a bilingual clinical research coordinator with OneDukeGen. She has vast experience in clinical research including participant recruitment and retention, conducting industry sponsored trials, quality assurance, and innovative community engagement. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Pilar is passionate about fostering diversity in clinical trials, striving to ensure clinical research reflects real-world populations.
Cheryl Robinson
Clinical Research Specialist, Duke Kannapolis
Cheryl Robinson joined Duke CTSI as a research aide and is now a clinical research specialist with the Duke Kannapolis group in Durham. She spent just over five years serving in the U.S. Navy boot camp in Orlando, Fla. and the Naval Operations Base in Norfolk, Va. to begin courses in underwater sound surveillance. Her advanced training took her to Eureka, Calif., and her career as an ocean systems technician officially began at the base in Dam Neck, Va. Two years later, she was sent to Guam, where she continued to serve and earned her honorable discharge.
Jennifer Wilson
Clinical Research Coordinator, Duke Kannapolis
Jennifer Wilson is part of the Duke Kannapolis group in Durham. Wilson came to Duke CTSI from the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. She has been at Duke for more than 20 years doing clinical research and has worked in the Heart Center, DOCR, and the Duke Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She worked on the Project Baseline Health Study before joining the OneDukeGen team.
Meghan Mac Neal, MS, CGC, MPH
Clinical Research Genetics Counselor
Meghan Mac Neal, MS, CGC, MPH, serves as the clinical research genetic counselor on the OneDukeGen study. She received master’s degrees in both Genetic Counseling and Public Health Genetics from the University of Pittsburgh and is a diplomate to the American Board of Genetic Counselors. She has experience in direct patient care, clinical research, and genetics lab operations, as well as product development. She is passionate about making genomics accessible and equitable in the community.
Have a question?
We are here to help!
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page to review definitions and other helpful information.
Email us anytime at OneDukeGen@duke.edu
Call us at 919-257-0752 during normal business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time).
