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Talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not. It is this shared belief that has united Duke University, The Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity and the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON).
NEON is committed to propelling economic mobility by delivering, and supporting, college credit-bearing courses into low-income high school classrooms through its network of 17 leading colleges and universities. Since 2025, through this partnership, talented scholars from Title 1 high schools across the country have had the opportunity to take courses taught by Duke University faculty.
“Together, Duke and NEON are showing what’s possible when research, teaching and partnership come together to open new doors for the next generation."
— Tyson Brown, Professor of Sociology and Medicine
Duke+NEON Courses
Duke currently offers three NEON courses taught by faculty, with academic coaching and college advising provided by Duke graduate and undergraduate students.
Taught by Dr. Tyson Brown
This course teaches how social structures, policy, discrimination, and institutional power shape health outcomes. By exploring key topics including racial and socioeconomic health disparities, medicalization and neighborhood environments— students are able to see themselves in the material and connect what they’re learning to their own lives and experiences. Students wrestle with big questions: Why do some communities experience worse health outcomes than others? How do systems like housing, food access, and education shape who gets sick and why?
Taught by Dr. Gustavo Silva
This course shows how proteins power nearly every process that keeps us alive, helping students understand the real biological reasons behind everyday experiences like eating, moving, healing, and fighting infections. By exploring how proteins work—and how they malfunction in disease—students gain insight into their own health and the science behind medical breakthroughs. The course also builds scientific literacy, preparing students to ask big questions, evaluate scientific claims, and pursue future opportunities in biology and health research.
Taught by Dr. Sarah Gaither
This course will broadly explore definitions of “the self” and how different social identities develop, change, and overlap with each other across the lifespan. Using both theory and a large body of empirical research from psychology, we will investigate how our own sense of self as well as our perceptions of other people’s identities guide behavior. Using media examples, peer-reviewed research, and news articles students will examine both personal and societal views of identity that contribute toward the intersectional nature of social existence.
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Duke+NEON Faculty Fellows, L to R: Dr. Tyson Brown, Dr. Gustavo Silva, Dr. Sarah Gaither
“NEON instilled in me the confidence that I can succeed at college level courses.”
— Maxuel Tavarez Marcelino, Duke+NEON Medical Sociology student
“At Duke, we believe deeply in the transformative power of education to change lives and strengthen communities. Our partnership with NEON extends that mission by exposing talented students across the country to courses taught by our faculty.”
— Gary Bennett, Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Program Contacts
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Cherokee McAdoo
Program Coordinator
Cherokee McAdoo is the Program Coordinator at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University. In this role, she supports the Center’s research, academic and public engagement initiatives, including Duke + NEON programming, event coordination, student engagement and partnerships with community stakeholders.
Cherokee brings strong program coordination experience, community engagement expertise, and a deep commitment to advancing equity and opportunity for children, families and communities. In her previous role as a Community Schools Coordinator with Student U and New Hope Elementary School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she led collaborative initiatives that brought together schools, nonprofits, public agencies and families to improve student and family outcomes. As an NC Public School Forum Policy Fellowship alumna, she brings additional experience in education policy efforts across North Carolina focused on advancing equity and strengthening systems that support student success.
Cherokee earned her Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Western Carolina University. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate, her experience spans trauma-informed community-based programming, education, behavioral and mental health, and nonprofit collaboration. She has also served as a guest lecturer at UNC–Chapel Hill School of Education, a Practicum Supervisor at UNC-Chapel Hill & North Carolina Central University's School of Social Work and as a Clinical Partner Liaison with Elon University.