The Duke University School of Medicine (SoM) has selected two esteemed Duke Anesthesiology faculty members as recipients of a 2026 distinguished faculty award. Leah Acker, MD, PhD, earned the Ruth and A. Morris Williams Jr. Faculty Research Prize and Nicole Scouras, MD, earned the Duke Health Clinical Excellence Award.
Acker’s award recognizes her groundbreaking research in clinical science; she is the first proceduralist to receive this honor. The award was established to advance research opportunities for faculty members within ten years of their first faculty appointment and to demonstrate the high caliber of medical research within the Duke community. Over the past decade, Acker has pioneered research into perioperative cognitive resilience, specifically focusing on how to protect the aging brain from the physiological stress of surgery.
“I am truly honored by this award,” says Acker, assistant professor in anesthesiology and principal investigator of the Anesthesiology, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Engineering Research (ACkER) Laboratory. “This line of work began with a simple question: Can we predict which older adults will recover well from surgery, and—if so—can we help all of our patients avoid postoperative cognitive decline? My team and I treat elective surgery as a real-world stress test, and we have identified physical, neurobiological, and psychosocial markers of resilience before surgery. Our ultimate goal is to prevent cognitive decline before it occurs.”
Scouras’ award recognizes her exceptional clinical expertise, diagnostic precision, and deep medical knowledge. This distinction recognizes physician faculty members who foster compassionate, respectful relationships with their patients and are trusted by colleagues for their insight and guidance; consistently uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct in all aspects of their work; advance our practice through innovative approaches, maintain a commitment to quality improvement, and foster a culture of equitable care delivery; and demonstrate a longstanding commitment to Duke Health through service and leadership.
“It is a true honor to be selected for this award. Being able to take great care of patients at Duke and serve in leadership positions has only been possible because of the support of a fantastic division and department,” says Scouras, medical assistant professor in anesthesiology and chief of the Community Division. “I am grateful to work with a wonderful team and look forward to many years of continued commitment to advancing care delivery in the Community Division.”
Acker and Scouras are among a select group of 28 faculty who received an SoM faculty award this year. Duke University School of Medicine’s Dean Mary Klotman presented the awards to the recipients at the annual Spring Faculty Celebration on May 12 in the Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center for Health Education.
