News & Op-Eds

Pilot award recipients from the Duke CTSI and Children’s Health & Discovery Initiative (CHDI) Child Health Equity Program, funded by the Translating Duke Health Initiative, presented their research projects during a meeting of the Program’s Advisory Council in May. Duke Psychiatry faculty members John Mitchell, PhD, and Jessica Lunsford-Avery, PhD, were among the presenters.

While a Duke psychiatry resident, Heather Kim, MD, partnered with associate professor Marla Wald, MD, to create a gender care psychiatry elective. Kim is now a psychiatrist at Mass General Hospital whose practice focuses on gender-affirming care.

A study by Duke and Columbia Universities finds older, non-white adults are more likely to live in areas with higher air pollution and near toxic disposal sites, among other environmental injustices, potentially undermining their cognitive health. Duke Psychiatry's P. Murali Doraiswamy, MBBS, FRCP, was the senior author.

Three North Carolina Central University (NCCU) students and one UNC-Charlotte student completed internships in Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences this year as part of the Duke-NCCU Bridge Office Internship Program. The scholars presented on their internship experiences during the program’s closing ceremony in April.

In his new book, "Facing the Unseen: The Struggle to Center Mental Health in Medicine," Duke Psychiatry's Damon Tweedy, MD, weaves together patient stories, personal reflections, and conversations with experts to explore how medical culture has historically separated physical and mental health, how this dichotomy harms both patients and doctors, and how we can better integrate these two perspectives for a more holistic and effective approach to health and well-being.

As part of a Women's History Month series, Jane Gagliardi, MD, MHS, Civility Champion debrief facilitator for the Department of Medicine, was highlighted for her commitment to embodying principles of civility in every interaction, every decision, and every moment of connection within the health care ecosystem. Dr. Gagliardi is also a Duke Psychiatry faculty member.

Patients brought to the emergency department under police transport are more likely to be restrained in the ED, a new Yale study finds. And it may explain, at least in part, why racial disparities exist in the use of restraint, the researchers say. Duke Psychiatry faculty member Jane Gagliardi, MD, MHS, and med-psych residency alumnus Colin Smith, MD, MScGH, were co-authors.

Andres Fuenmayor, MD, a second-year psychiatry resident, received this year’s James H. Carter, Sr. Community Service Award. Carter was the first Black full professor of psychiatry at Duke, and the award was established in honor of his dedication to serving the underserved.

Going to the doctor can be stressful, particularly for individuals on the autism spectrum, who often have unique sensitivities and needs. Faculty and staff in the Duke Center for Autism & Brain Development are working to support Duke Health clinicians in providing appropriate care for people on the spectrum.

In July, the Carolina Theatre in Durham started a Sensory Friendly Awareness Film Series in partnership with the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. It's a free, monthly movie-going event, created specifically for children and adults with autism and other neurodivergent people.