News

Sooner or later, almost everyone has an experience that could be diagnosed as a mental disorder. That’s the take-home message from a new feature article P&N graduate students Aaron Reuben and Jonathan Schaefer recently wrote  for Scientific American. Their article, based on Schaefer’s research in the Moffitt and Caspi Lab, makes a strong argument against the stigma of mental illness, suggesting that psychological disorders are a very routine part of the human experience. Reuben and Schaefer are both clinical… read more about Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness »

P&N Clinical Doctoral Student Emily Cherenack is one of 17 Duke University Students to receive a Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grant (GSTEG) for 2017-2018 from the Office of the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies. The goal of this grant competition is to expand the opportunities for graduate students to “step away" from their core research and training, so as to acquire additional skills, knowledge or experiences that will enhance the approach to their original research. Each student will spend up to one… read more about Emily Cherenack Receives GSTEG Grant  »

P&N Clinical Graduate Student Jonathan Schaefer recently wrote a blog post giving an evidence-based argument against stigma in mental Health. It was recently published on the APA Society of Clinical Psychology's website: http://www.div12.org/is-abnormal-psychology-really-all-that-abnormal/ Research from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, Jon writes, "suggests that the 'typical' human experience is one characterized by at least one brush with a diagnosable disorder, and that… read more about Is "Abnormal Psychology" Really all that Abnormal? »

P&N Clinical Doctoral Student Aaron Reuben of the Moffitt and Caspi Group is the first author of a study finding that childhood exposure to lead can affect an adult decades later, impairing cognitive development. Read about the story in NPR, Reuters Health, and the Washington Post. A .pdf link to the study can be found here.     read more about Childhood exposure to lead affects IQ decades later, study finds »

Congratulations to P&N Grad Student Brenda Yang, recipient of Duke's 2017 Merritt Award for Science Journalism. Yang won the award for her July 2016 Scientific American article "Are Our Scientific Heroes Too Heroic?," according to the announcement posted on the Pratt School of Engineering Website.    "The judges praised Yang’s work as wonderfully inspiring and self-reflective, while courageously taking the standard narrative – that famous scientists are smarter and more successful than the rest of us… read more about Brenda Yang wins Duke's 2017 Merritt Award for Science Journalism »

Congratulations to P&N PhD alumnus David V. Smith, who has been designated as an "APS Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science. The Rising Star designation recognizes outstanding psychological scientists in the earliest stages of their research career post-PhD whose innovative work has already advanced the field and signals great potential for their continued contributions. Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Temple University.  Be sure to visit his P&N alumni… read more about Dr. David V. Smith Designated APS Rising Star »

Data from a recent P&N brain imaging study found that subjects who had a relatively greater activity in the prefrontal cortex while completing math problems from memory also reported having better emotion regulation skills compared to their peers. “Our work provides the first direct evidence that the ability to regulate emotions like fear and anger reflects the brain’s ability to make numerical calculations in real time,” said Matthew Scult, a 5th-year P&N Graduate Student in the lab of the study’s senior… read more about Matt Scult: Emotion Regulation, Mathmatical Skills Linked »

Congratulations to our students for a successful P&N/CNAP first year festival, which was held Friday in Perkins 217. The following students presented a diverse array of research topics:David Murphy, "Oscillatory Saccadic Eardrum Associated Responses"Emily Cherenack, "Sexual violence and self-efficacy for HIV disclosure among newly diagnosed HIV-positive  men who have sex with men and transgender women"Zach Monge,  "Functional Network Architecture Differences… read more about First Year Festival 2016 »

Please join us  in congratulating the following graduate students for receiving awards and fellowships recently:  Lindsay Anderson - Alene Webb Dissertation Award from the Graduate School and a project award from the Duke Institute for Health Innovation for her dissertation. Beatrice Capestany - Bass Instructorship Award from the Graduate School Karmel Choi - Myra & William Waldo Boone Award from the Graduate… read more about 2015 P&N Graduate Student Awards and Fellowships »

P&N graduate student Marcus Rodriguez is the recipient of the 2015 Samuel DuBois Cook Society Award.  The Cook Society was founded to honor Dr. Samuel BuBois Cook, the first African American faculty member hired and tenured at Duke University. The Cook Award seeks to recognize members of the Duke Community who reflect in their work or in their academic pursuits, the objectives to which Dr. Cook dedicated his professional life. Cook dedicated his professional life to social justice, and  was committed to… read more about Marcus Rodriguez recipient of 2015 Samuel DuBois Cook Society Award »

The Department of Psychology & Neuroscience honored our new PhD graduates with a dinner reception on Friday May 9. Those honored include: Kait Clark Chris Coutlee Bon-Mi Gu Jiefeng Jiang Shian-Ling Keng Sandra Nay McCourt Yuliya Nikolova Michael Stanton Tina Tognoni Sharda Umanath Molly Stroud Weeks Lauren Williamson Amy Winecoff The weekend conlcuded with the diploma distribution ceremony for P&N undergraduates on Sunday in front of the sociology-psychology building.  Congratulations to all P&N Graduates… read more about Congratulations P&N Graduates! »