News

The difference between a social butterfly and a lone wolf is actually at least eight differences, according to new findings by a team of Duke brain researchers, led by Duke Psychiatry's Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, and Stephen Mague, PhD. The research may lead to better diagnostic tools to understand how the brain changes in people with impaired social communication, such as those with autism spectrum disorder.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Robin Gurwitch and other mental health practitioners at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress knew they needed to help others begin to navigate the conflict. The group quickly began pulling information together for “Talking to Children About War,” a resource for mental health experts and families.

Duke Psychiatry's Joseph Winger, PhD, and Sarah Kelleher, PhD, are among the Duke Health providers who have helped Michael Fieldstone through a 22-year journey with prostate cancer. In 2021, Fieldstone participated in a National Palliative Care Research Center-funded study, led by Winger, to learn some new techniques for coping with his pain. He shares his story in this Duke Cancer Institute blog post.

In an op-ed published on the North Carolina Psychiatric Association website, Duke internal medicine-psychiatry resident Colin Smith, MD, highlights the need for systemic changes to achieve racial health equity in psychiatry.

Facilitating collaboration and synergy among a diverse group of researchers is one of the primary goals of the department’s new 8,500 square foot clinical research facility. More than 100 faculty and staff members will conduct research in the new space, which opened on March 1, 2022, on the third floor of Duke North Pavilion.

Procrastination – or delaying tasks to ease fear, anxiety, or stress – is a common experience for many people who want perfect results, as well as those who manage large projects that seem daunting at first. In this Working@Duke article, Duke Psychiatry's Melanie Bonner, PhD, and other Duke experts share their insights on procrastination and tips for avoiding it.

Peter McCann, MBBS, MSc, MRCPsych, a fifth-year internal medicine-psychiatry resident, and Rick Wolthusen, MD, MPP, a second-year psychiatry resident, have received this year’s James H. Carter, Sr. Community Service Award, established in honor of Carter’s dedication to serving the underserved. 

As part of Duke Research Week 2022, Duke neuroscientists, including Duke Psychiatry's Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, discuss the challenges and technological achievements that help us better understand our complex brain. The session was moderated by Duke Psychiatry's R. Alison Adcock, MD, PhD.

As part of Duke Research Week 2022, five experts, including Duke Psychiatry's Jonathan Posner, MD, discussed the function and health of reproductive organs, the ability to conceive, give birth and raise a child, disease development, physical and psychological well-being, and environmental impacts on health before and during pregnancy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing health inequities and emphasized the need for community-engaged research to address those disparities, according to a panel of Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill experts, including Duke Psychiatry's Dane Whicker, PhD, at Duke Research Week 2022.