Duke Kunshan University alumnus Nicholas Peoples has been named a Schwarzman Scholar, the second former DKU student in as many years to join the elite leadership program.
The graduate of Duke Kunshan’s master of science in global health (MSc-GH) was among the 5 percent of candidates accepted into next year’s class of Schwarzman Scholars, one of the world’s most selective and prestigious fellowships.
Peoples said he is “elated” to be selected for an award that is “as much a responsibility as it is an honor”.
“It’s impossible not to be excited,” said the 27-year-old American. “I am ready to meet my colleagues at Schwarzman College.
“They are embracing the challenges of the 21st century as a catalyst for social good.
“I could not be more thrilled to advocate for universal primary healthcare within a community of global changemakers.”
Based on the Schwarzman College campus at Tsinghua University in Beijing, the fully funded scholarship develops students’ leadership skills and deepens their knowledge of China and global affairs.
The aim of the one-year master’s degree in global affairs is to build a global community of future leaders capable of fostering greater understanding between China and the rest of the world.
Since graduating in 2018 from the two-year MSc-GH program at DKU, Peoples has continued to make his mark on global health.
As a Global Health Corps Fellow — another extremely selective global fellowship — he spent 13 months in Malawi leading various initiatives to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
He has also worked in rural Nepal, where his research on primary healthcare was published in Frontiers in Public Health with him as first-author, one of 11 peer-reviewed papers to his name.
Back in his home city, Peoples serves as executive director of HOMES Clinic, a small clinic based in downtown Houston, Texas, providing free primary healthcare to those who are experiencing homelessness.
On top of that role, Peoples is pursuing an M.D. at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, with the rare distinction of a full-merit scholarship.
DKU Chancellor Youmei Feng said, “After studying biology, global health and emergency medicine, as well as engaging in high-level research and practice in different parts of the world, Nicholas is now returning to China as a Schwarzman Scholar.
“Nicholas will be well-prepared for creatively addressing complex global issues thanks to his career path, which fully embodies DKU’s emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, cross-cultural leadership, and knowledge in the service of society. I look forward to his many future efforts to advance healthcare for all.”
Mary Frances Luce, interim executive vice chancellor of DKU, added, “Nicholas has devoted himself to expanding access to health care for everyone, and has demonstrated this passion through his work in Malawi, Nepal, the United States and elsewhere.
“He truly embodies DKU’s goal of building a community of future global leaders, and I’m confident he is extraordinarily well-suited for the mission of the Schwartzman Scholars program.”
About 150 scholars were selected for the 2023/24 Schwarzman program from nearly 3,000 applicants, based on their leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit and desire to understand other cultures.
They were put through interviews with panels comprising former heads of state, CEOs, university presidents and other global leaders.
Peoples’ classmates when the program starts in August next year will include Duke University’s Raghav Rasal and Cole Alexander Walker.
Scholars will be able to specialize in economics, international studies or public policy for the degree.
A certified scuba-diving instructor, CPR instructor, and a professional classical and jazz pianist, Peoples is the second DKU graduate to be awarded the Schwarzman Scholarship. Wanying He, who graduated from the university’s inaugural undergraduate class this year, is currently in the program.
Asked about his hopes and aspirations as a Schwarzman Scholar, Peoples said, “In broad strokes, I think it will add a completely new vantage point for my work in medicine and public health. One that will help me solve global problems more creatively.”
He said a motivation for joining the program was the realization that the biggest problems in medicine are not medical, but rather financial, organizational and social, among others.
“In medicine, a major bottleneck for change is that there’s not enough people who can live in both spaces,” added Peoples, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biology summa cum laude — the highest level of academic distinction.
“Very few, actually, I would say. So that’s what I hope to become: someone who can be that bridge.”
Peoples said he decided aged 18 that he wanted to be a “doctor for people who didn’t have doctors”, with the expectation he would go into family medicine.
But since starting medical school he has “taken a slight left turn into the realm of chaos” and is pursuing emergency medicine.
Dr. Shenglan Tang, co-director for global health at DKU, described Peoples as “gifted and enterprising”.
“During his time on the MSc-GH program at DKU, our faculty and his fellow students very much appreciated his hard work and talents,” Tang added.
“The award of this prestigious scholarship also demonstrates once again that DKU’s global health program can train the future leaders of global health who will help improve the lives of people around the world.”
Before pursuing his master’s degree in Kunshan, which awarded him a Duke University degree, Peoples joined Duke Kunshan’s spring 2015 Global Learning Semester, which immerses undergraduates from across the world into DKU’s international, research-inflected education model, one that is rooted in the liberal arts and sciences tradition.
Describing his spells at Duke Kunshan as “transformative”, he said, “DKU showed me how vast the world is and yet gave me the confidence — I would even say pushed me — to dream bigger about the good that can be accomplished on a global scale.”
“I am constantly impressed by how relevant my experiences at DKU and in China have been in guiding my efforts to improve healthcare here at home,” he added.
“There is really no substitute for the kind of global curriculum and experiences a place like DKU can provide.”
