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Duke University School of Medicine was awarded more than $527 million in federal funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2022, ranking ninth nationally among academic medical centers, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. The Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences ranked eighth.

Two new proposed state laws targeting LGBTQ+ youth in North Carolina would drive up suicide rates, restrict health care providers and limit schools’ ability to provide safe havens for students, three Duke experts—including Duke Psychiatry's Dane Whicker, PhD, and Sarah Wilson, PhD—said Wednesday.

When Bernadette Vereen, MSW, LCSW-A, was hired as a member of Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences’ growing perinatal mental health team in fall 2021, she quickly connected with Julia Tarr, MSW, LCSW, who had recently begun her role serving three Duke Perinatal high-risk obstetrics clinics. Within a few months, the two social workers were talking daily, collaborating to figure out how to best provide behavioral health support to patients with high-risk pregnancies.

Through a new National Institutes of Health grant, Sarah “Sadie” Wilson, PhD, hopes to reduce inequities that place Latinx individuals at higher risk of HIV. She’s partnering with her friend and colleague, Joaquin Carcaño, director of southern health policy at Latinos in the South, to launch a community-based, equity-focused initiative in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

Undergraduate students who are feeling stressed can get immediate support every night via DukeLine, an anonymous texting platform that connects them with trained peers. Duke Psychiatry's Nancy Zucker, PhD, founded and leads the support service.

An article co-authored by Theodore Slotkin, PhD, professor of pharmacology and cancer biology; Edward Levin, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; and Frederic Seidler, PhD, assistant research professor emeritus of pharmacology and cancer biology, has been selected by the Society of Toxicology (SOT) Board of Publications to receive the 2023 Toxicological Sciences Paper of the Year Award.

Duke student Bobby Menges' vision became his legacy after he passed away from cancer in 2017. His family started the I’m Not Done Yet Foundation, which focuses on supporting teen and young adult patients with cancer and other serious, chronic, and long-term illnesses as they transition from pediatric to adult care. With the foundation’s generous support, Duke Psychiatry established Bobby’s Coaches, a peer support program that pairs young adult cancer survivors with younger mentees.

Betty Staples, MD, and Jane Gagliardi, MD, are recipients of a one-year $50,000 Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Catalyst Award for Transformation in Graduate Medical Education. This award funds projects in graduate medical education that support civility, psychological safety, and thriving in the clinical learning environment for residents and fellows.

Led by Duke Psychiatry's Allison Gilbert, PhD, MPH, a Duke research team conducted a multi-site evaluation of North Carolina Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programs, a pre-arrest initiative that aims to break the cycle of repeated arrest for low-level unlawful behavior among people who use drugs and instead connect them to program support and treatment services. Findings are detailed here.

Through a novel peer coaching initiative, Duke neurosurgery residents have an outlet to process their experiences in residency and learn strategies to help them cope with the challenges of graduate medical training. The initiative also gives clinical psychology doctoral interns in Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences an opportunity to hone their skills in coaching, building connections with peer trainees, and facilitating small groups.