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Jeannie Beckham, PhD, professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, received the 2025 John B. Barnwell Award—the Veterans Affairs Office of Research & Development’s highest honor for outstanding achievement in clinical science. The award is given in recognition of scientific contributions that change clinical practice for veterans.

On Sunday, March 9, the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development collaborated with Duke University's Nasher Museum of Art to host a sensory-friendly event for local families, where children made crafts and took tours of the galleries led by Nasher staff. This story illustrates through photos what a great time was had by all.

A new national epidemiological survey provides a demographic and diagnostic picture of people living with mental ill health in prison, those with criminal legal involvement in the last year, and those with no criminal legal history in the last year—finding significantly higher rates of five mental health conditions in incarcerated individuals and individuals with recent criminal legal history. The results are described in a study published on April 9 by Duke Psychiatry's Jeffrey Swanson, PhD, and colleagues.

A new report released by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions recommends that more states adopt comprehensive firearm purchaser licensing laws based on years of evidence that these laws are effective in reducing gun violence. Duke Psychiatry's Jeff Swanson, PhD, co-authored the report.

Anyone can be autistic. You probably know a friend, family member, or co-worker who is autistic. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people communicate and interact, and how a person’s brain develops and functions, from infancy through adulthood. On Autism Awareness Day, this Quick Learner video from Duke University and the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development explains the autism spectrum.

In January, Duke Health opened a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) clinic at Duke Regional Hospital. TMS is primarily used to treat major depressive disorder but has also proven effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder and helping people quit smoking. Duke Psychiatry's Jacob Feigal, MD, is the clinic’s medical director.

Duke University has awarded distinguished professorships to 32 faculty, including 17 from the School of Medicine. Two of them—Gary Maslow, MD, MPH, and department chair Moira Rynn, MD—are members of the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.

Psychiatry residents Abdelrahman Ibrahim, MBBS, and Adam Howard, MD, ScM, and assistant professor Hiba Zaidi, MBBS, are developing strategies to help Duke’s health system better respond to the religious considerations of Muslim patients, particularly in the behavioral health environment. Their efforts include providing guidance on accommodating patients during Ramadan and improving access to clothing appropriate for Muslim patients on psychiatric units.

ADHD shows up differently in women than in men; it’s often coupled with anxiety and depression. And the number of women diagnosed with ADHD is on the rise. Research also finds that hormones may affect how ADHD impacts women.

In their recent JAMA article, “Changing Story of the Dementia Epidemic,” Duke University researchers, P.J. Eric Stallard, ASA, MAAA, FCA, Svetlana V. Ukraintseva, PhD, and Murali Doraiswamy, MBBS, FRCP, point out a crucial error in prior in U.S. estimates of dementia. Stallard and Doraiswamy discuss the research in this Q&A.