Fons Vitae at Duke Divinity School has received a grant to launch a new Catholic Undergraduate Medical Humanities Fellowship, open to undergraduates at Duke and UNC–Chapel Hill beginning Fall 2025. The yearlong program will welcome 12 students per year for two consecutive cohorts, with the possibility of a grant renewal to support a third cohort.
The fellowship is funded by the John Templeton Foundation through a grant to the Lumen Christi Institute, as part of the grant “In Lumine Tuo: Expanding and Sustaining the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Nationwide” to support programming in the Catholic intellectual tradition on non-Catholic campuses around three guiding themes: Science as a Gateway to Wonder, Intellectual Virtues, and Noble Purpose for Flourishing.
“This fellowship offers a unique opportunity for undergraduates to think about medicine in a deeply integrated way, one that draws on the wisdom of Catholic traditions of thought while engaging the full range of human experience.”
Fons Vitae’s program aligns with the theme of intellectual virtues by offering a wisdom-based approach to medicine. At its core, the fellowship asks: What does it mean to pursue wisdom in medicine? Through shared meals and seminar conversations, students will encounter a wide range of voices and modes of thought—from the philosophical and theological to the literary and poetic, from autobiographical to sociological—so they come to appreciate the many ways Catholics, and their interlocutors, have responded to the human realities at the heart of medicine.
The fellowship is designed for students discerning or preparing for careers in medicine and health care, but students of all backgrounds and faith traditions are welcome to apply.
Dr. John Thorp, McAllister Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UNC–Chapel Hill and a nationally recognized leader in maternal health research, whose career combines clinical excellence, research leadership, and a commitment to educating future practitioners, will direct the fellowship. He will be joined by graduate student assistants Meaghan Stevens and Dominic Tanzillo, both fourth-year medical students at Duke University School of Medicine.
“This fellowship offers a unique opportunity for undergraduates to think about medicine in a deeply integrated way, one that draws on the wisdom of Catholic traditions of thought while engaging the full range of human experience,” said Professor Peter Casarella, executive director of Fons Vitae.
“We are deeply grateful to the John Templeton Foundation and to the Lumen Christi Institute for their generous support of this project. This fellowship marks a significant step forward in Fons Vitae’s effort to enrich Catholic intellectual life at Duke and to foster dialogue and Catholic learning among Duke’s students across a wide range of disciplines.”
As a member of the In Lumine Network, Fons Vitae has partnered with Lumen Christi on national seminars exploring the intersection of theology and science, including recent programs on engineering and artificial intelligence.
To learn more and apply, visit the fellowship page.