Check out our news archive below to learn more about what’s happening in Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences!
Centennial Spotlight: Kenneth Rockwell
Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) is known as a mental health resource for students on college campuses around the country. Former Duke Psychiatry faculty member Dr. Kenneth Rockwell was instrumental in creating Duke’s CAPS, and former faculty member Dr. Joseph Talley worked at CAPS from its inception in the 1970s till his retirement in 2022. Dr. Rockwell is highlighted as part of Duke's Centennial celebration.
Digital Autism Screening Tool Could Enhance Early Identification
This National Institutes of Health article highlights a recent publication by researchers from Duke Center for Autism & Brain Development and collaborators. According to the study, supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, a tablet-based screening tool that analyzes children’s behavior in response to specific video clips shows promise for enhancing early autism screening.
Editorial: Preventing Firearm Tragedies by the Numbers—Remembering Why It Matters
In this JAMA Network Open editorial, Duke Psychiatry's Jeffrey Swanson, PhD, shares a personal take on how extreme risk protection order laws, also known as "Red Flag Laws," can help save lives and avert tragic injuries.
John Mitchell to Lead Community-Partnered Research Network
Associate professor John Mitchell, PhD, has been named director of the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Community-Partnered Research Network (CPRN). In this role, Mitchell will collaborate closely with Duke faculty, academic partners, and community organizations to develop, implement, and provide oversight of the CPRN.
Child Health Equity Pilot Awardees Present Research Projects
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.
Alumna Heather Kim: Providing Affirming Care to LGBTQ+ Youth
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.
Why You Should Ditch Your Desk and Take a Lunch Break
People who dine with others have stronger social networks, better health outcomes and experience more positive emotions than those who don’t. Duke Psychiatry's Chris Mauro, PhD, shares some observations and insights in this Working@Duke article.
Staff Spotlight: For Jaye Efland, Duke Is All in the Family
For the past 38 years, Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences has been Jaye Efland’s professional home. In her current role as a grants and contracts manager, she helps investigators through the administrative steps of sponsored research, including both pre- and post-award activities.
Towards Equitable Brain Genomics Research, For Us by Us
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.
Reducing Alcohol Use May Help Curb Opioid Misuse, Study Finds
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.