News

A $1 million donation in 2021 launched the Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD. The center's focus on research, education, and outreach is helping girls and women with ADHD thrive. In this article, the donor shares his inspiration for the gift, and center co-director, Julia Schechter, PhD, discusses the need for the center and how it supports girls and women with ADHD.

The Sensory Friendly Film Series, an initiative created through a partnership between the Carolina Theatre of Durham and the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, provides a safe and welcoming cinema experience for autistic individuals and others in need of sensory accommodations.

A team of Duke University researchers interviewed dozens of young children with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) symptoms to learn how these children experience food-related fears. The study reveals that children often experience more fear around food than their parents realize, highlighting the need for better understanding and earlier detection of ARFID in children. 

At the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, researchers are working to ensure that research studies are accessible and research outcomes are broadly applicable. The research team partners with interpretation services to bring Spanish-speaking families into the study. Interpretation goes beyond direct translation; in addition to being understandable, all materials are designed to be culturally appropriate.

On Fridays, children coming to Duke Children’s Primary Care in North Durham for their well visit might see a clinical psychology doctoral intern from the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development on rotation with their pediatrician.

For too many people experiencing acute mental illness, cries for help bring police and handcuffs rather than compassionate medical intervention. But this doesn’t have to be the case. The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law explores this issue and makes recommendations in their latest report, co-authored by Duke Psychiatry's Marvin Swartz, MD.

Angel Peterchev, PhD, professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, received the Brainbox Initiative’s 2024 John Rothwell Award. This annual award is given to one individual for “excellence in non-invasive brain stimulation research that stimulates further work at a higher scientific level.”

The NC Trauma-Informed Communities Project team held a retreat in Pine Knoll Shores, NC, on September 23-25. The gathering was an opportunity for those working in the trauma-informed space to elevate their equity-focused, community-led approaches and to build community and enhance connection amongst themselves through relational power and restorative justice practices.

A unique partnership between the Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry took root in 1946, when Duke’s clinical psychology PhD program was established—just three years after the Department of Psychiatry was founded. Nearly 80 years later, the clinical, education, and research collaboration has continued to thrive. 

Kim G. Johnson, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and neurology, is the division chief of the Memory Disorders program at Duke’s School of Medicine. She is also a co-leader of the clinical group at the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, a collaboration funded by the National Institutes of Health. Johnson and her colleagues are on the cutting edge of research and treatment to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. She leads trials on gene therapy for patients with genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease and new treatments that may prevent the disease.