Duke Medical Center
Cardiac Research and Clinical StudiesDescription
Event Involvements
Events with structured involvement data
Duke Medical Center is the institutional home of Dr. Chen and the source of the double‑blind study. Its non‑sectarian standing is cited to deflect accusations of religious bias and to lend scientific credibility to the prayer study.
Through Dr. Gwendolyn Chen, a named clinician speaking to the White House staff.
Duke's reputation confers credibility in the exchange, allowing a senator to leverage its research for political ends.
Duke's involvement shows how prestigious institutions can be politicized when their research is used to justify appropriations or policy decisions.
Not explicit; potential internal pressure to protect reputation if the study becomes politically charged.
Duke Medical Center is the scientific provenance of Dr. Chen's double-blind study; its non-sectarian status is invoked to legitimize the research as credible and nonreligious, providing cover for a politically palatable funding request.
Through Dr. Gwendolyn Chen, its chief cardiologist, who presents study results to White House staff.
Acts as an authoritative knowledge source that can be leveraged politically, yet dependent on federal funding decisions to scale research.
The center's involvement tests the boundary between science and politics; funding it could conflate institutional research credibility with partisan bargaining.
Implicit tension between scientific rigor and how research can be interpreted or used for political ends.