News

According to a revised and updated report by the Medical Director Institute (MDI) of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, mass violence continues to escalate in the U.S. The findings build on a 2019 report by the MDI and a diverse team of policy and medical experts to examine contributing factors and actionable solutions to mass violence in the U.S. through the lens of behavioral health. Duke Psychiatry's Jeff Swanson, PhD, served on the expert panel, and the report cites more than 10 papers co-authored by Swanson and other Duke Psychiatry faculty members.

In the summer of 2023, a Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences team was selected to participate in a new yearlong pilot program, “Shifting the Paradigm: Restorative Justice as a Framework for Workforce Well-Being.” Offered through the Office for Faculty, in partnership with the School of Medicine’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the program aimed to help address burnout, compassion fatigue, and harms, while promoting workforce wellness and satisfaction in the School of Medicine community.

As an author or editor of 40 books, 200 book chapters, over 500 peer-reviewed articles, and more than 190 published abstracts, Dan Blazer, MD, PhD—the J.P. Gibbons Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry in the Duke Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences—has demonstrated a steadfast dedication and desire to help and support others. That common thread has driven his five-decade career in research and teaching.

The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) program was established in 1974 to address concerns with the supply, distribution, and retention of health care professionals. NC AHEC is comprised of nine regional AHEC programs throughout the state and Duke AHEC, which subcontracts with Southern Regional AHEC to deliver programs and services primarily in the Fayetteville area. Duke Psychiatry's Marvin Swartz, MD, has led Duke AHEC since 1996.

This spring, the launch of the Duke Employee Access Clinic made scheduling behavioral health appointments with Duke University Health System providers easier and more convenient. The new clinic offers self-scheduling through MyChart or by phone, followed by a 20-minute appointment with a care coordinator. Providers at the clinic offer confidential medication management, therapy, and substance use treatment. 

Zarrin Brooks, CRA, has spent 10 of her 32 years at Duke in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, with more than two decades separating her two very different roles in the department. A grants and contracts manager in the department since 2019, Zarrin and her team help identify, prepare, submit, and manage research grants for the department’s faculty investigators. Read on to learn more about her career and get some insight and advice about working at Duke.

A $1 million donation in 2021 launched the Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD. The center's focus on research, education, and outreach is helping girls and women with ADHD thrive. In this article, the donor shares his inspiration for the gift, and center co-director, Julia Schechter, PhD, discusses the need for the center and how it supports girls and women with ADHD.

The Sensory Friendly Film Series, an initiative created through a partnership between the Carolina Theatre of Durham and the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, provides a safe and welcoming cinema experience for autistic individuals and others in need of sensory accommodations.

A team of Duke University researchers interviewed dozens of young children with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) symptoms to learn how these children experience food-related fears. The study reveals that children often experience more fear around food than their parents realize, highlighting the need for better understanding and earlier detection of ARFID in children. 

For too many people experiencing acute mental illness, cries for help bring police and handcuffs rather than compassionate medical intervention. But this doesn’t have to be the case. The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law explores this issue and makes recommendations in their latest report, co-authored by Duke Psychiatry's Marvin Swartz, MD.