Sullivan Award Honors Three Creating Stronger Access to Community Services
Winners are cited for their selflessness and service
Dr. John Purakal, Department of Emergency Medicine
Purakal said his efforts in the community and at Duke has been led by a belief that “the emergency room can be a powerful place for identifying people with social needs and connecting them with resources. For the people we serve, this can be a gateway to better outcomes.”
An assistant professor of emergency medicine, Purakal took the lead on developing a project called ParallelED, which involved Duke student volunteers screening ER patients for unmet needs such as food insecurity, safe housing and access to education. The initial study found that more than 90% of the screened patients had at least one significant unmet social need.
Before this project, the responsibility for connecting patients to social workers fell to doctors, nurses and other care providers, slowing the ability to focus on patient care. For this work, Purakal received a Presidential Award in 2023, one of the university’s highest honors bestowed on community members.
His efforts go beyond the Duke campus. With Duke students in a Bass Connections project, Purakal also helped strengthen an ongoing effort to link patients at Lincoln Community Health Center with community-based resources. Along with three students from Duke University School of Medicine, he also founded Raising Our Community’s Knowledge (ROCK), a public health education initiative to bridge gaps in knowledge in the community regarding chronic medical conditions, in addition to screening for unmet social needs.
His community work is matched by his service as a mentor to a range of students from different schools across the university, including undergraduates. Ashley Talwar, a Duke junior who started the Backpack Project, said Purakal’s advice was indispensable in the growth of the program, which provides backpacks filled with toiletries, clothes and food for young Durham children experiencing homelessness or food insecurity.
“His mentorship has shaped the next generation of compassionate leaders, instilling in them the values of continuous growth, service, and social responsibility that they will carry with them for life,” Talwar said.
Eni Owoeye, Sanford School of Public Policy
A second year master’s of public policy student, Owoeye has had a busy year. For her studies of international environmental policy and student leadership on campus, Owoeye received the Samuel DuBois Cook Award for distinguished service.
Now her work in the community, with HOPE North Carolina and other groups, and campus leadership as a mentor to other students, Owoeye is being honored with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.
“What sets Eni apart is not just her accomplishments but the humility and care with which she approaches every act of service,” said Dr. Afnan Siddig, a master’s student in global health. “Whether serving as a TA for an environmental negotiations class or participating in the Center for Reconciliation’s spiritual formation cohort, Eni creates opportunities and ensures others feel empowered to step into them.”
Owoeye’s service and mentorship pops up across campus, whether with the Divinity School’s Center for Reconciliation, supporting experiential learning opportunities with the Prison Engagement Initiative or as a member of the Duke Climate Commitment Advisory Council. Within her own Sanford School, she has served as president of Sanford School’s Policy in Living Color; co-president of the school’s Africa Policy Group; and executive board member of the Black Policy Conference.
Beyond the campus, she has made a mark in Durham with her volunteer leadership in HOPE North Carolina, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding inclusive housing options, particularly for adults with intellectual and development disabilities. Emma Herold, volunteer coordinator for HOPE, said Owoeye has shown “a commitment to bridging relationships between Duke and Durham that underscores her belief that a stronger community is built through meaningful partnerships.”
Receiving the Sullivan award, Owoeye noted the many people who encouraged her in these efforts. “There are so many people who walked beside me,” she said. “I appreciate being able to do this work not just with my friends but also to meet strangers who have become friends. For me, what’s important is to cultivate a beloved community in a place that has been my home for the last two years.”
Velda Wang, public policy and neuroscience major
Velda Wang came to Duke with a strong interest in issues of health access, but she was surprised by one challenge she found at a well-resourced university like Duke: Why were some students struggling to access something as basic as menstrual products?
Her response and organizing skills left one of her nominators for the Sullivan award believing that Wang will be a force for change for years to come. “I am excited to see all that she accomplishes in her work, as I expect her to become a key contributor in any community she joins,” said Hannah Taylor of the Thompson Writing Program, the faculty adviser for the student group Progress Period Organization.
“It is rare that I run into students who are as passionate and engaged as Velda,” Taylor added. “Not only is she able to turn that passion into change, but she inspires the desire for change in others.”
Affiliated with the national group, PERIOD., the Progress Period group at Duke raised awareness about access to menstrual products on campus and in the local community, and benefited the lives of students and community members. Many low-income women have to choose between buying food or menstrual products, Wang said.
On campus, Wang pressed for menstrual products to become available in residence halls and piloted a product distribution program in the dorms. She also worked with administrators and academic leadership to raise awareness of student needs related to menstrual products and won their support for increasing access.
In the community, Wang helped organized North Carolina’s first menstrual equity rally. In observance of Menstrual Hygiene Day, she connected students, activists and state legislators to show up and support the NC Diaper Bank. She also led a social media campaign that reached more than 98,000 people.
Wang said the response she receives from students and people in the community inspires her to do more. In receiving the Sullivan Award, she cited one comment from a student thanking Progress Period for ensuring that she would have access to menstrual products: “This is one less thing I have to struggle with; one less thing I have to worry about.”
“None of this would have been possible without the brilliant, passionate members of Progress Period. I’m deeply grateful to be part of such a dedicated team--and for Dr. Taylor’s constant support and mentorship,” Wang said.