Class of 2025
Nakayama Scholar
Hometown: Springfield, Illinois
Major: Program II: Health and Incarceration
Will Lieber is resident of Springfield, IL, a transfer student, and a Patman Political Engagement Fellow. He is passionate about the intersection between health and incarceration, particularly the growth of corrections industries in rural communities across the United States. At Duke, Will conducts research on mental health in the Durham County justice system, teaches a house course on incarceration with the Duke Justice Project, and visits the Federal Medical Center in Bahama, NC weekly. Additionally, Will’s work extends to several intervention and policy projects. He works with Prescriptions for Repair, a collaborative initiative between Duke Health, NCCU, the City of Durham, and Restorative Justice Durham to support Durham community members impacted by gun violence. He also writes about health policy and events relevant to justice involved individuals in global and domestic contexts. Some of Will’s most important and formative experiences have come through classes written into his Program II, such as Just Work, Intro to Corrections (an NCCU class), and upcoming classes offered at the Federal Prison. To Will, public service is embodied first through a commitment to a particular place or group of people, and subsequently through actions that uplift and benefit that group from the bottom up. He sees himself working in public service as a physician who understands the priorities of a correctional institution while simultaneously lobbying tirelessly to improve health care for people who are incarcerated.