News

Psychological distress is a significant yet often underrecognized issue among veteran patients with lung cancer. Duke Psychiatry faculty members and Duke Cancer Institute affiliates Katherine Ramos, PhD, and Laura Porter, PhD, recently published these findings—and suggested approaches for providers—in the journal "Psychological Services."

Henry Edmonds, an outreach program coordinator at the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center since 2022, takes pride in his success with increasing African American participation in the center’s studies. Prior to his current role, he served for 20 years in a similar position with the Bryan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in the Department of Neurology.

Jeffrey Baker, MD, a professor of pediatrics and medical historian, and Damon Tweedy, MD, a professor of psychiatry and author of “Black Man in a White Coat,” have launched “Unhealed,” a new seven-episode podcast exploring the story of Matheus Avery, a 24-year-old Army veteran who suffered severe brain injuries in a car wreck near Mebane in 1950 and died shortly after he was turned away from care at Duke—and why his story still matters today.

The Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development’s 2024 Impact Report is out now! Read how our research, clinical services, education, and community partnerships have made a positive impact for the autism community here in Durham and around the world!

Inspired by his transformative experience as an undergraduate at Duke, an alumnus donated $250,000 to support the Duke Center for Adolescent and Young Adult Substance Use Treatment (CAST).

Emily Aarons, MD, a third-year psychiatry resident, received this year’s James H. Carter, Sr. Community Service Award. Carter was the first Black full professor of psychiatry at Duke, and the award was established in honor of his dedication to serving the underserved.

Through Grand Rounds and other events, Duke Psychiatry hosts speakers from diverse backgrounds to share their expertise on a wide range of topics, including how history, culture, social identities, community, and belonging influence mental health and well-being.

Last year, Duke became the first institution in North Carolina to offer lecanemab, the first drug targeting the underlying processes of Alzheimer’s disease that has shown a clinical benefit. Duke now conducts the largest lecanemab clinic in the state, giving early-stage Alzheimer’s patients the gift of time and raising awareness about the need for more research. Kim G. Johnson, MD, division chief of Memory Disorders in the Department of Neurology and an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is one of the physicians who prescribes the drug.

In a clinical and research context, while we know a lot about how different autistic children present, this knowledge doesn’t always help us identify which groups of children may respond differently to specific supports and intervention approaches. Even experienced clinicians have a limited number of interventions to fit all these unique children.

One in five children in the U.S. will suffer a concussion by age 16, but most research is focused on the first few weeks after the injury. A nursing faculty member’s research on long-term effects is a step in developing personalized concussion interventions. Peter Duquette, PhD—who recently joined the Duke Psychiatry faculty—co-authored this study while he was at his previous institution, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.