News

The increased inclusion of samples from individuals from minoritized communities in biomedical research will help mitigate health disparities that stem from a medical enterprise founded in racism and exclusion. In the May 20, 2024, issue of Nature Neuroscience, Benjamin et al. investigate how genetic ancestry influences the expression of genes in the brain, an effort supported by community leaders who raised funding, partnered in shaping research questions and had a central role in the interpretation and communication of the study’s findings. In this commentary, Duke Psychiatry's Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, and colleagues outline the public and social context that motivated these efforts towards ensuring equitable access to the benefits of science for all.

Intervening to reduce alcohol use is associated with a lower likelihood that an individual will receive a new opioid prescription or develop an opioid use disorder, according to a study led by researchers at Duke University and the Durham Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. The study was led by Duke Psychiatry's Dan Blalock, PhD.

MaryAnn Black, a former Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences faculty member, wore many hats during her lifetime: state representative, commissioner, social worker and eventually she took on the role of associate vice president for community relations for Duke Health.

Three Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences faculty members—Melanie Bonner, PhD, David Madden, PhD, and Joseph McClernon, PhD—have won 2024 School of Medicine awards.

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.

Each spring, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF) award fellowships to a select group of psychiatry residents. We’re excited to share that this year, five Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences residents were awarded APA/APAF fellowships.

Nora Dennis, MD, a psychiatrist and adjunct assistant professor in Duke Psychiatry, is building a retreat in rural Orange County between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough where people with serious mental illness can nurture plants and animals while being nurtured by behavioral health professionals. Dennis is an alumna of Duke Psychiatry's residency program.

Roberta Demery, an administrative assistant in the Division of Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences, works to ensure that lab personnel using the Buy@Duke purchasing system complete their purchase requisitions accurately. She also processes p-card transactions for several faculty members. Her Duke career has spanned nearly four decades.

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.

Duke Psychiatry's Angel Peterchev, PhD, who holds a doctoral degree in electronic engineering, combines his passions in electronics, physics, and the brain to study transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. He stresses the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in solving weighty problems.