News

Congratulations to our Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences trainees and faculty members who received these year-end awards.

Three faculty members who have retired from the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences this year have been honored with emeritus/emerita status: Robin H. Gurwitch, PhD, David J. Madden, PhD, and Robert A. Murphy, PhD.

Silence can have a profound effect on mental and physical health. Intentionally adding silence to your day by purposefully stepping away and tuning out the cacophony of physical and digital noise that surrounds can have great benefits. Duke Psychiatry's Moria Smoski, PhD, shared her expertise in this Working@Duke story.

A recent study suggests court-ordered Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) programs for people with serious mental illness are associated with better treatment adherence, less violent and suicidal behavior, and reduced hospitalization and homelessness. The study was co-authored by Jeff Swanson, PhD, and Marvin Swartz, MD, of Duke Psychiatry.

R. Alison Adcock, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, received the Duke University School of Medicine’s Excellence in Professionalism Award. This award recognizes faculty members who exemplify professionalism and personify Duke’s guiding principles of respect, trustworthiness, diversity, teamwork, and learning.

At 34, Iris Bugbee juggled cancer treatment, work, and motherhood—leaving little time to heal. A support program at Duke Cancer Institute is changing that, helping young cancer survivors regain strength, and reclaim their future.

Thanks to 1,000,000+ veterans in the Million Veteran Program (MVP), Veterans Affairs (VA) researchers—including Duke Psychiatry's Jean Beckham, PhD, and Nathan Kimbrel, PhD—are helping to change the future of mental health care for veterans. Beckham and Kimbrel recently contributed to a video series that highlighted personal stories and experiences from veterans and how researchers are using MVP's data to advance mental health research.

As part of the thriving collaboration between Duke University and North Carolina Central University, three NCCU students recently completed internships facilitated and managed by the Duke-NCCU Bridge Office, housed within Duke CTSI. The scholars, who made up the fourth cohort of NCCU students to intern with Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, presented on their internship experiences during the program’s closing ceremony in April.

A recent study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research revealed a concerning link between Gulf War Illness (GWI) and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War. Researchers found that Gulf War veterans experiencing GWI are significantly more likely to report suicidal ideation and behaviors than those who don’t have GWI. Duke Psychiatry's Nathan Kimbrel, PhD, was the study's senior author.

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.