psychology phd duke

G-PSY-PHD - Psychology & Neuroscience- PhD

Download as pdf, degree designation.

The Department of Psychology offers graduate training leading to the PhD in psychology. This unique program merges social sciences and natural sciences in the study of brain, behavior, and cognition in humans and animals. Program tracks are offered in clinical psychology, cognition/cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, social psychology, and systems and integrative neuroscience.

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2024-2025 Graduate School Bulletin. Download PDF here.

Cognitive Neuroscience Admitting Program

CNAP is a unique program administered by the DIBS  Center for Cognitive Neuroscience , and provides neuroscience graduate students with the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary educational experience involving multiple departments and outstanding faculty teachers and mentors.

The key features of the program include  18 months of course work and laboratory rotations , followed by students selecting a primary department and two advisors who have expertise in different sub-disciplines related to the students' areas of interests.

CNAP also offers a rich environment for training and research, with fMRI , EEG laboratories , and extensive facilities for psychophysical studies in humans, as well as behavioral and physiological studies in non-human primates and rodents.

Inquires about the graduate Cognitive Neuroscience Admitting Program ( CNAP ) should be directed to the CNAP Director of Graduate Studies, Greg Samanez-Larkin, Ph.D .

The mission of the Cognitive Neuroscience Admitting Program (CNAP) is to train graduate students from diverse background in inter-disciplinary, innovative approaches to investigating brain function and translating discoveries into solutions for health and society. The program prepares the next generation of leaders in neuroscience research and education through a flexibly tailored training program involving 18 months of cognitive neuroscience coursework and laboratory rotations, followed by students selecting a department and two expert advisors for their thesis research.

• To confer broad and deep knowledge in, and critical appraisal of, core domains of cognitive neuroscience
• To train students in cutting-edge research methods for revealing neural mechanisms underlying cognition and behavior
• To prepare students for careers in brain science research, education, clinical application, and industry

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, students should be able to:

• Articulate a strong working knowledge of key questions and approaches in multiple sub-disciplines of cognitive neuroscience, as demonstrated in successful completion of coursework, exams, and journal article discussion
• Demonstrate deep expertise and methodological skills in in their chosen research domain, as evidenced by high-quality oral presentations and journal publications

What Our Students Say...

“When applying for graduate school, I was always more interested in rotation programs, given my broad interests in emotion, cognition, and memory interactions. I was especially drawn to the collaborative environment at the CCN. During my first year, CNAP has definitely been a very helpful and fulfilling experience. It has provided me with the opportunity to experience a wide range of research projects and challenged me to think of novel ways to collaborate across labs.”

—Leonard Faul, CNAP student

“I came to grad school straight from undergrad, and as I didn't major in psychology or neuroscience, I had little idea which subarea in cognitive neuroscience I wanted to specialize in. I found CNAP and it immediately became my first choice for grad school. I loved how interdisciplinary it was.”

— Natasha Parikh, CNAP alumna She successfully defended her PhD thesis in March 2019

A Day in the Life of CNAP Student Justine Shih

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Students who complete a degree in psychology are immersed in learning about the origins, processes, and consequences of human and animal behavior. The study of behavior and its determinants lies at the heart of our understanding of numerous systems ranging from the biological to the economic and social. Psychology majors and minors apply their understanding of human behavior to varied professional fields including mental and physical health care, research, education, policy, law, finance, consulting, marketing, and business management. Understanding of psychological concepts is also helpful for fields relating to engineering and data analysis.

Our Offerings

The Undergraduate Program in Psychology offers Bachelor of Arts (AB), Bachelor of Science (BS), Interdepartmental (IDM), and minor degrees. Although the requirements to fulfill the AB and BS are similar, there are some key differences between the two. The AB degree requires that students complete 11 courses in the major, while the BS degree requires 16 courses. The minor degree requires 5 courses.

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We invite you to conduct research that matters with our world-class faculty.

Doctoral program.

The PhD in Public Policy at Duke University enables students to collaborate with Duke’s top-rated faculty in public policy and with Duke’s departments of economics, political science and sociology, among others, all on the beautiful Duke campus.

Public policy leader

The Sanford School is a national and international leader in the dynamic field of public policy studies, with numerous interdisciplinary centers exploring vital policy questions in the field and in the classroom. Members of our faculty are experts in fields ranging from aging, education, and the environment to international affairs, media and democracy, and welfare reform.

Our students

Most of our students pursue doctoral-level public policy research with the goal of working in domestic and international public agencies, research organizations and policy consulting firms. Others seek academic positions in public policy, public administration and policy-oriented schools. They are united by their passion for public policy and their desire to have a positive impact on the world.

Duke’s PhD in Public Policy is distinguished by its truly interdisciplinary nature. The program offers a unique balance of depth in a discipline such as:

• political science

PhD students focus on a particular policy area such as social policy, global policy, health policy or environmental policy. They also interact with leading scholars and interdisciplinary centers at Duke such as:

• Duke Global Health Institute
• Duke Center for Child and Family  Policy
• ​Duke Social Science Research Institute
• Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment

With just 6-8 students a year all PhD students get lots of individual faculty attention. In addition to working with Duke’s world-class faculties of public policy, economics, history, political science, psychology and sociology and psychology, PhD students interact with leading scholars from:

• Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences
• Duke’s Fuqua School of Business
• Duke’s Law and Medical Schools.

Questions? Contact us

Browse our  FAQ section , or  contact PhD Program staff via email  so we can help you.

Student Story: Alison Pei

Alison Pei PhD'24 earned a PhD at Sanford, dedicating her research to labor market dynamics and innovation. She now works at an economic consulting firm in Boston, focusing on antitrust and competition. Alison says Sanford gave her the confidence to research. “They kept encouraging me to voice my thoughts and contribute ideas as if I were a seasoned researcher.” she says. “This experience only stokes my passion for continuing to navigate the waters where research, policymaking, and the real world collide.”

Featured Video

Focus on Environment

Hear PhD candidate Gabriela Nagle Alverio talk about her experience at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

Research for a Better Society

Hear Ajenai Clemmons PhD ‘21 discuss her research project and passion for pursuing this work at the Sanford School.

Elective Rotations

The table below provides an overview of which elective rotations can be selected for each concentration area. See below the table for detailed descriptions of each elective rotation.

Elective Rotation Details

The ACT at Duke Clinic offers in-depth training on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Interns are trained to a high level of competency in functional assessment / case formulation, and engagement of the six core ACT processes (acceptance, defusion, self-as-context, present moment awareness, values and committed action). Interns refine skills in the application of ACT to an array of presenting problems, including anxiety and mood disorders, eating disorders and psychological issues in the context of chronic illness (e.g., type 1 diabetes) or other medical issues (e.g., infertility, cancer). Most patients seen in the ACT at Duke Clinic are adults, although there may be opportunities to treat adolescents.  

Interns complete an ACT core competency assessment and participate in collaborative goal setting to achieve individual training goals. Interns are assigned to an individual supervisor and supervision is facilitated by live observation and audio tape review. Interns also attend a weekly didactic and group supervision with psychiatry residents, clinical psychology graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, which includes didactic learning methods, and experiential exercises and skills demonstration and practice.

ACT at Duke Clinic faculty are leading ACT-based research. Faculty are highly supportive of Interns involvement in ongoing studies, which includes ACT clinical trials, digital and mobile health delivery and process of change research. Interns may also have the opportunity to be trained in clinical trial protocols or fidelity review, which deepens understanding of the model.

Supervisors:  

• Rhonda M. Merwin, PhD
• Ashley A. Moskovich, PhD

The ADHD Program at the Duke University Medical Center is one of the nation's leading programs for research and clinical services for ADHD and related behavior problems. The program is staffed by five licensed psychologists and one board-certified child psychiatrist. 

The ADHD Program participates actively in three primary activities: 

• Adult and child clinical services
• Federally-funded (e.g., NIMH) research grants
• Industry-funded clinical trials

Interns have the opportunity to participate in evidence-based treatment and evaluation services for children, adolescents and adults through our outpatient clinic. ADHD is the primary presenting concern for assessment and treatment cases, but comorbidity is common and thus interns experience a diverse variety of clinical presentations. 

Treatment services in which interns may participate include:

• Parent behavior management group
• Adult ADHD cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based intervention groups
• Academic skills training group for middle and high school students 
• Individual treatment cases (typically focused on parent behavior management training, academic support skills for adolescents, coping skills for children and cognitive behavioral therapy for adults).

Our assessment procedures conform to the practice parameters outlined by the American Academics of Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and include the use of rating scales from multiple informants, interviews and brief cognitive testing, as indicated. These assessments also include formulation of treatment plans and written reports.

Program faculty provide presentations to schools and the community upon request, and we encourage intern participation in these activities. In addition, interns may be involved with consultation and teaching activities with other Duke specialists.    Interns are exposed to a number of clinical research activities within the Duke ADHD Program through didactic presentations and engagement with individual faculty members. Opportunities exist for interns to be involved in preparation of papers based upon our extensive databases and nationally recognized research activities. 

Learn more about our current ADHD research .

Supervisors:

• Naomi Davis, PhD
• Jessica Lunsford-Avery, PhD
• John Mitchell, PhD
• Julia Schechter, PhD

Interns attend a weekly two-hour DBT consultation team meeting and may provide individual therapy and/or co-lead a weekly DBT group for patients struggling with emotion dysregulation. Co-leading a DBT group provides additional training in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

Please note that the DBT elective is different from the Adult CBT/DBT concentration , which provides a more extensive DBT training experience.

• Colleen Cowperthwait, PhD
• Jeremy Grove, PhD
• Stephanie Hargrove, PhD
• Zachary Rosenthal, PhD

The team at the Duke Center for Adolescent & Young Adult Substance Use Treatment (CAST) works with families to create customized plans that help young people overcome alcohol and other drug problems. Our treatment options include outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment programs. Interns will participate in all intensive outpatient activities including team meetings, individual and group interventions.

• David Goldston, PhD
• Shayna Cheek, PhD
• Angela Tunno, PhD

The Duke Consultation & Brief Psychotherapy Clinic (C&BP) provides empirically-based services to individuals primarily affiliated with the Duke community (current employees/faculty/students) across the adult lifespan. The clinical focus of the C&BP clinic is to increase access to brief, efficacious psychotherapy by offering a combination of targeted functional assessment and brief integrative psychotherapy.     This rotation includes extensive training in integrative case formulation, which intends to identify behavioral, interpersonal, and cultural factors that contribute to the ongoing maintenance of problematic issues. This rotation will also emphasize intentional assessment of strengths and individual differences that impact the client’s personal growth and engagement in mental health services.   Learners will gain experience in how to quickly establish and maintain therapeutic alliance, clarify SMART goals, and provide brief empirically-based psychotherapy approaches (i.e., up to 10 sessions). Learners will achieve improved skills in client motivation enhancement, routine outcome monitoring, and use of modular care pathways that best target the patient’s specific proximal needs. Due to the brief format, learners will also have the frequent experience of taking ownership of the full treatment-arc that includes assessment, implementing targeted brief care, case management, and empowering patients to continue their individual work after leaving the C&BP clinic.  

• Tyson Pankey, PhD
• Jeffrey Sapyta, PhD

This rotation in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology provides an integrated Psychological Services Program in the Duke Fertility Center through the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. The Psychological Services Program serves individuals and couples with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations who are working to build their families.

Interns in this rotation learn about the psychological aspects of reproductive medicine and provide psychological services on-site alongside healthcare providers. Interns gain assessment experience conducting structured diagnostic interviews and psychological testing with egg donor and gestational carrier candidates. They also provide consultation and counseling to future parents who need an egg donor, sperm donor or gestational carrier to build their family. 

Interns receive training in:

• Conducting individual, couples and group therapy with patients facing fertility treatment, recurrent pregnancy loss, perinatal mood disorders, fertility preservation or embryo disposition concerns after conclusion of fertility treatment
• ACT and CBT theory and interventions
• Administration and interpretation of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)
• Providing psychosocial consultation in complex medical decision-making  
• Crisis management intervention (e.g., ultrasound reveals no fetal heartbeat; panic attack prior to egg retrieval procedure, etc.)

Interns attend and/or present in a weekly Third Party Reproductive team meeting (comprised of Reproductive Endocrinology physicians, fellows and nurses) and thus gain experience in contributing as a health psychologist within a multidisciplinary medical team.

Interns receive weekly, individualized supervision delivered in a combination of individual and small group formats. Interns also have the opportunity to gain experience in providing supervision to the Duke clinical psychology graduate students completing a year-long clinical rotation in our program. Interns are supported in their learning about the psychological aspects of reproductive medicine through a combination of weekly educational seminars and weekly supervision of recorded therapy sessions.

Diagnoses commonly seen include:

• Mood disorders
• Anxiety disorders (especially panic disorder, specific phobia, and general anxiety disorder)
• Adjustment disorders
• PTSD/trauma exposure
• Eating disorders (among both obese and underweight patients)

Issues commonly addressed include:

• Grief and loss
• Marital conflict
• Existential concerns ("Why do bad things happen to good people?"; "Am I being punished?")
• Stress and coping
• Parenting concerns
• Alternate family-building strategies (e.g., donor egg/sperm, adoption)

Supervisors: 

• Stephanie Schuette, PhD
• Julia Woodward, PhD  

The Duke Center for Eating Disorders (DCED) treats conditions in which a trusting and responsive relationship to oneself and particularly to one’s body is disrupted. 

In addition to treating individuals with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and binge eating disorder, our focus includes the treatment of other psychosomatic disorders such as pediatric pain and medical conditions (e.g., children and adolescents with musculoskeletal disorders). 

An overriding value in our work is helping individuals to feel seen and understood as their authentic selves. To that end, we work closely with families so that all identities and perspectives can be supported by the individuals closest to them. We have a weekly didactic seminar and weekly team meeting with psychiatrists and specialists in family medicine, social work, adolescent medicine, and psychology to discuss challenging cases and coordinate care. 

We treat individuals from the ages of three and up so interns can self-select the developmental stages they are comfortable working with or use this as an opportunity to try their skills with a new age group. 

New research and developments in the center include an NIMH clinical trial for five- to nine-year-olds with ARFID; a parent group for parents of transgender or gender diverse teens; an online middle school group for ARFID; and the study of  DukeLine , an anonymous mental health text support line for college students. Work with DukeLine also provides trainees with the opportunity to supervise undergraduate mental health coaches. 

Please note that the Eating Disorders elective is different from the Eating Disorder Concentration , which provides a more extensive training experience.

Supervisors

• Ilana Brodski Pilato, PhD
• Chantal Gil, PsyD
• Leigh Spivey-Rita, PhD
• Nancy Zucker, PhD

The Family Studies Program & Clinic is composed of a multi-disciplinary faculty, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers who have expertise in family therapy, as well as a multi-disciplinary trainee group (psychology interns and psychiatry residents). The program provides interns with supervised training in family assessment and family therapy, parenting therapy and couples therapy using a live, behind-the-one-way-mirror supervision model.

Supervisors and other team members observe all therapy sessions, and supervisors provide immediate "bug in the eye" feedback using linked computer monitors between the observation room and the therapy room. 

In addition to live and observed couples therapy, parenting therapy and general family therapy, interns also attend a weekly didactic seminar in general and specialty topics in the fields of family functioning and family and couples intervention. Patients for the Families Studies Program & Clinic are referred from the adult and child psychiatry programs and from specialty services within the Medical Center. 

• Donna Eash, PhD
• Miriam Ehrensaft, PhD
• Lisa Honeycutt, LMFT, PhD
• Christian Mauro, PhD
• Noga Zerubavel, PhD

NOTE:  CBT/DBT interns would be required to have prior training in working with children and adolescents to see patients under the age of 18 in the Gender PRIDE Clinic  

The Gender PRIDE—Psychological Resilience, Identity Development, and Exploration—Clinic provides evidence-based, gender-affirming mental health care for transgender and gender diverse children, adolescents, emerging adults (up to age 25), and their families. We support the healthy psychosocial development of transgender and gender diverse youth and emerging adults by providing:

• Thorough gender-informed, trauma-informed intake assessments, to provide diagnostic clarity and develop an evidence-based treatment plan, 
• Individual, group, and family-based intervention services to support identity exploration and expression, treat psychological distress, and promote resilience. Group therapy offerings may include skills-based groups for parents of gender diverse youth under 18 and a group for gender diverse transition-age adults (ages 18-25), and 
• Interdisciplinary care coordination with social workers, psychiatrists, pediatricians, primary care physicians, endocrinologists, speech and language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and surgeons.

Psychology interns rotating with the Gender PRIDE Clinic will receive training in providing gender-affirming care consistent with the WPATH Standards of Care, version 8. Additionally, interns will utilize a range of evidence-based interventions (e.g., CBT, DBT, transdiagnostic treatment approaches) to address comorbid mental health concerns, such as depression or anxiety symptoms associated with gender minority stress.   Interns receive weekly individual supervision and live supervision of sessions as needed. Interns also participate in the Gender PRIDE Clinic’s weekly multidisciplinary case consultation team meeting. This multidisciplinary team includes psychology, psychiatry, and social work teams from both pediatric and adult gender medicine clinics across the health system. Monthly didactic seminars will be offered in the context of our weekly multidisciplinary team meetings.   Supervisors:

• Mia Tankersley, PhD

Interns receive specialized training in the application of contemporary principle-driven CBTs in the inpatient setting, where the intern will serve as the psychology consultant to a multi-disciplinary team on the new Duke Psychiatry Inpatient Unit at Duke Regional Hospital .

The intern will learn how to provide collaborative care through working with the unit’s psychiatry teams to formulate goals for one-session psychotherapeutic intervention and/or assessment and direct delivery of brief, targeted interventions with inpatients. Consultation requests and patient clinical presentations vary widely, allowing for extensive development of case conceptualization skills and responsive, flexible use of contemporary CBT interventions, with heavy emphasis on DBT skills and strategies.

In addition to 1:1 consults, there is also potential to lead DBT groups on the inpatient unit, as well as gain exposure to clinician education by providing didactic and experiential training in contemporary CBT strategies to medical/PA students and psychiatry residents.

Of note, interns are typically asked to “jump in” and provide DBT skills training to patients within the first few weeks of this rotation. As such, prior experience in the direct (i.e., face to face) application of the four modules of DBT skills through practicum or other experiential learning is preferred, but certainly not a requirement. Regardless of previous training, Dr. Grove will meet the intern where they are developmentally to provide supervision in skills implementation to build upon foundational training and gain competence in the rapid application of person-centered DBT and other CBT-based skills in an inpatient context. Learn more

Supervisor:  Jeremy Grove, PhD

The Psychology Consult-Liaison Service at Duke University Hospital provides psychotherapeutic intervention and/or assessment to patients currently hospitalized for acute medical conditions. Trainees in this rotation will:

• Meet with patients in their hospital room to provide treatment either once or on an ongoing basis depending on the need
• Consult with a wide range of providers and staff
• Offer recommendations and support to the patient’s treatment team. Consultation requests and patient clinical presentations vary widely, allowing for extensive development of case conceptualization skills and responsive, flexible use of evidence based interventions.

Common consult requests include addressing:

• Trauma, including medical trauma or traumatic injuries, such as loss of a limb or injuries caused by a gunshot wound, assault, motor vehicle accident, etc.
• Suicide attempts, where patient is not medically stable for placement at a psychiatric hospital
• Depression and/or anxiety in the context of medical condition, new diagnoses, and/or pre/post-surgery
• Severe eating disorders
• Substance use
• Behavioral change
• Difficulty managing long-term hospitalization
• Difficulty engaging with care and/or treatment team

Trainees will receive training in delivering empirically supported interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in acute care settings. Trainees will also have the opportunity to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, including psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, nurses, social workers, and medical providers across a wide range of specialties (e.g., trauma, surgery, oncology, etc.).

In addition, there are opportunities to learn how to develop comprehensive behavior plans for managing challenging behaviors and enhancing the safety of both providers and nursing staff.  

Depending on current clinical presentations of the patients available, trainees can request to focus on particular areas of interest (e.g., trauma, cancer). Of note, although in a medical context, a background in health psychology is not required. However, trainees will be expected to engage in research when necessary to be prepared to meet with patients with a wide range of medical diagnoses.

Trainees will receive direct/live supervision in the beginning of this rotations or long as developmentally needed, as well as weekly individual supervision. Dr. Brownlow is currently on site to provide supervision for this rotation Tuesday mornings, Wednesday afternoons, and all day Thursday. 

Supervisor: Briana Brownlow, PhD

The program pairs psychology interns/psychiatry residents with neurosurgery residents in the spirit of providing 1:1 support in the form of processing the experiences of intensive professional training and potentially acquiring new skills for managing new roles and responsibilities.

Interns have the opportunity to shadow neurosurgery residents including into surgeries, rounds, and other venues to truly understand the life of a neurosurgery resident. Development of short didactic presentations on specific themes identified by residents as areas where they would like to grow along with facilitation of small group discussions related to those presentations also will be part of the rotation. 

This rotation may include other opportunities and efforts from our COVID Response Team, developed in March 2020.  

Supervisor:  McLean Pollock, PhD

Interns will learn contemporary cognitive behavioral therapies focused on emotion regulation and reward processes in major depressive and other mood disorders. Interns will participate in team meetings and supervision to learn how to translate knowledge from cognitive neuroscience research including functional neuro-imaging to better understand and improve psychosocial interventions, including cognitive behavioral and mindfulness interventions.

Supervisor:  Moria Smoski, PhD

Interns assess patients’ neuropsychological and psychological changes secondary to disease processes and/or treatment regimen. The rotation may include evaluation of patients from the following clinics:

• Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program
• Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
• Pediatric Neuro-Oncology
• Pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery (Epilepsy Monitoring Unit; Autoimmune Brain Disease Clinic)
• Pediatric Genetics
• Undiagnosed Disease Network Program

Please note that the Outpatient Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic elective is different from the Pediatric Psychology concentration , which provides a more extensive pediatric neuropsychology training experience.

• Erin Denio, PhD
• Lauren DiLullo, PhD
• Katherine Donlon, PhD
• Sarah O’Rourke, PhD

The rotation in Pain Psychology is located at the Duke Spine Center which encompasses an interdisciplinary out-patient clinic focusing on the treatment of back and spine disorders. This training opportunity is heavily focused on the psychological assessment and treatment of medical and surgical patients who are being considered for chronic opioid management, implantation of medical devices for pain management (e.g., SCS, TDDS), and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy with an emphasis on behavioral pain management. Patients at the Spine Center reflect a diverse racial and ethnic heritage, age ranges, socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities. 

Interns on the Pain Psychology rotation will receive didactics and training in the psychology of chronic pain, performing semi-structured diagnostic clinical interviews in this setting, and communicating behavioral treatment plans to both patients and their referring interdisciplinary teams. Common diagnostic categories represented in this patient population include mood disorders, anxiety, PTSD, adjustment disorders, somatic symptom disorders, substance abuse, personality disorders, traumatic brain injury, mild cognitive impairment and psychosis.

Interns also receive training on:

• Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for chronic pain
• The application of mindfulness meditation for patients with chronic pain
• Crisis management
• Interdisciplinary case consultation
• Psychometric assessments (If on-site services are active)

Interns receive individualized supervision adjusted to their developmental level based on familiarity with chronic pain populations and diagnostic evaluations. A comprehensive training manual aids in providing interns an evidence-based approach to the clinical assessment and interventions on the rotation.  Trainees are also invited to participate in the Pain Lecture Series to learn more about the multi-disciplinary treatment of chronic pain with surgeons, anesthesiologists, physical therapists, pain psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists, as well as to participate as an intern co-facilitator with the monthly Clinical Health Psychology Symposium.

Supervisor: Katherine Applegate, PhD

The Perinatal Mental Health Clinic is a specialized clinic that uniquely addresses the mental health needs of women in the perinatal period, provides consultation to primary care providers, seeks to address health inequities in perinatal care, and offers specialized training in perinatal mental health. Our multidisciplinary team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, a perinatal social worker, and trainees in psychiatry and psychology. 

This training experience offers opportunities to provide assessment and treatment services to women with diverse presenting concerns, with a particular focus on perinatal mood disorders, in addition to OCD, bipolar disorder, trauma and ADHD. Other treatment foci may include adjustment to perinatal loss, infertility, and birth trauma.

Trainees will receive instruction in the delivery of empirically supported interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Interpersonal Psychotherapy. Trainees also may assist with care coordination and consultation to other members of the care team. Finally, as a part of a multidisciplinary team, students will gain experience working on a collaborative care team for perinatal patients.  

Students will receive weekly individual supervision, group supervision as well as direct/live supervision. In addition, students will be expected to attend a weekly didactic seminar on perinatal medication management and mental health treatment. 

Supervisor: Ashley Johnson, PhD

The Psychosocial Treatment Clinic (PTC) at the Duke Child and Family Study Center serves children, adolescents and families utilizing evidence-based practice. This rotation includes training in empirically supported treatments for children and adolescents primarily with anxiety and mood disorders, yet many patients have significant comorbidity. The rotation includes a weekly didactic seminar or case conference and all participants will receive live supervision and participate in the observation of their peers. Example didactics include:

• CBT case formulation
• Contextual functional analysis
• CBT for childhood anxiety
• CBT E/RP for OCD
• CBT for adolescent depression
• Assessment and treatment of school refusal

Psychology Interns work closely with Child Psychiatry Fellows through this rotation at the Duke Child & Family Study Center. Seminars, case conferences and multidisciplinary treatment teams consist of psychology interns, clinical and school psychology practicum students, and child psychiatry fellows. Individual supervision is provided for all psychology interns and case conferences are utilized to provide maximize exposure to a diversity of ages, presenting problems and treatment approaches. 

• Nicole Heilbron, PhD

This rotation offers psychological services to solid organ transplant recipients as well as to patients being considered for solid organ transplantation at Duke, including patients with chronic heart failure, end-stage pulmonary disease, chronic liver disease, and renal failure.  

We offer a full range of psychological services for organ transplant patients, including pre- and post-transplant psychological evaluations, inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy, peri-operative neurobehavioral screening assessments for delirium and psychosocial functioning, and psychoeducational/support groups for lung transplant candidates. Evaluations with transplant candidates assess:

• Patient adherence
• Cognitive functioning
• Psychological functioning/coping
• Transplant-related motivation/knowledge
• Social support

The intern also can play a prominent role in the assessment of living kidney donors, and can participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings for the lung, heart, liver and renal transplant programs. Services are provided both in- and outpatient and at times, urgent evaluations are requested (e.g., Tylenol overdose). Donor evaluations assess:

• Readiness/motivation to donate
• Ability to adhere to post-surgical recommendations

If interested, there are opportunities to participate in educational lectures provided to transplant coordinators and staff and to participate in M&Ms and quality improvement projects.    Supervisors:

• Benson Hoffman, PhD
• Krista Ingle, PhD
• Marci Loiselle, PhD
• Krystal Morgan, PhD
• Gregory Stonerock, PhD

Ph.D. Program Overview

Management and Organizations

Duke's Fuqua School of Business

The Management and Organizations Area focuses on research in the management of organizations in an increasingly diverse and interdependent world.  We aim to understand multiple aspects of organizations, such as interpersonal perceptions, motivation, decision making, perceptions of fairness, diversity, leadership, and team processes.  We draw on multiple literatures and theoretical perspectives, including organizational behavior, social psychology, and cognitive psychology.

Our research contributes to the development of our scholarly disciplines, infuses our teaching, and advances management practice.  The Management and Organizations PhD program trains you in the pursuit of original research in the field, with the goal of providing you with skills and tools for conducting scholarly research.

At Fuqua, we take both theoretical and empirical perspectives on the study of organizational behavior.  If you are interested in understanding the processes and dynamics of how people work within organizations, and in taking a multi-method approach to understanding organizations, you will have an opportunity at Fuqua to work with award-winning faculty who are at the forefront of this field.

Please see the faculty  publications page for examples of faculty work and for links to faculty research pages.

Follow these links for details provided on the main Fuqua Ph.D. program website

• Fuqua Ph.D. program
• Management and Organizations Ph.D .

This website for the Management and Organizations area contains links to

• Current Students
• Ph.D. Student Placements

PhD Program

• Curriculum/Program Requirements
• Research and Awards

Tuition, Fees, and Ph.D. Stipends

NOTE: All numbers below require annual approval by the Board of Trustees

Last updated August 27, 2024

PDF version

View full cost to attend . 

  * - Projected rates for tuition, fees, and stipends are tentative and subject to change.

** - For longer term projections, the tuition remission rate can be assumed to increase 0.7% per year.

*** - Teaching assistant and grader rates are established by the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.

Ph.D. Graduate Program in Psychological Sciences and Human Development

Introduction.

The Graduate Field of Psychological Sciences and Human Development (PSYHD)  includes faculty members from departments across the university including Psychology, Neurobiology and Behavior, Communication, and Philosophy.  See below for more on the Cornell Field System. The dominant strengths of the PSYHD Field lie in four broadly defined areas: Cognition , Development ,  Neuroscience , and Social and Personality . The goal of the Field is to educate students to become researchers, scholars, and teachers who will contribute to the future of psychology as a scientific discipline in academic or other research-oriented settings.

Our program prepares students for research and teaching careers in academic life, work in government agencies, and careers in industry or other public and private sectors.  We encourage you to explore the history of our M.A. and Ph.D. theses through the  Cornell University Theses/Dissertations guide .

Please note that we do not offer training in clinical psychology, counseling, school psychology, community psychology, industrial psychology, or clinical neuropsychology.  Applicants with primary interests in these subjects are not admitted.

To enter the PSYHD Doctoral (Ph.D.) program, you must  apply directly  to the Cornell University Graduate School. You may also want to investigate the  Cornell Graduate School  site for additional information about applying.

Application portal opens on September 1   Application portal closes on December 1 (11:59 pm)

Ph.D. Program

We offer three Ph.D. Degrees:

•Ph.D. in Psychology  •Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology  •Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies

The Ph.D. Graduate Student Handbook (Quick Guide) can be found here.

The Ph.D. program in PSYHD is a research focused, apprentice-styled (mentor-mentee) graduate program.  The curriculum and requirements are designed for a 5 year program; the median time to complete the Ph.D. is 5.5 years.

Student progress is supervised by a Primary Advisor who serves as the Chair of a Special Committee comprised of two faculty members, typically within the Psychological Sciences and Human Development graduate field . Prospective students should investigate the faculty members within the PSYHD field, and particularly within the Department of Psychology, whose research interests are compatible with the students' interests.  Prospective students for the Ph.D. program should then contact those faculty directly before applying.

Application requirements

• Unofficial transcript of the undergraduate record
• Three letters of recommendation , with a fourth letter optional, which your recommenders will upload to the application.

Academic Statement of Purpose

Describe (within 1000 words) the substantive research questions you are interested in pursuing during your graduate studies, and explain how our program would help you achieve your intellectual goals. Additionally, detail your academic background, intellectual interests and any training or research experience you have received that you believe has prepared you for our program. Within your statement, please also identify specific faculty members whose research interests align with your own interests.

Personal statement of interest

Please describe (within 1000 words) how your personal background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Additionally, provide insight on your potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together. We also encourage you to include information on any of the following areas:

• How your personal, academic, and/or professional experiences demonstrate your ability to be both persistent and resilient especially when navigating challenging circumstances.
• How you engage with others and have facilitated and/or participated in productive teams.
• How you have experienced or come to understand the barriers faced by others whose experiences and backgrounds may differ from your own.
• If relevant, how your research interests focus on issues related to diversity, inclusion, access, inequality, and/or equity.
• Your service and/or leadership in efforts to advance diversity, inclusion, access, and equity especially by those from backgrounds historically underrepresented and/or marginalized.
• Additional context around any perceived gaps or weaknesses in your academic record (including, but not limited to, personal and family struggles with unemployment and health as a result of the pandemic, systemic discrimination and the fight for civil rights, and any other situational factors that may have impacted achievements throughout your life).

Applicants are not required to submit scores on the GRE; the GRE subject test in psychology, or to have had an undergraduate major in psychology. 

Prior research experience is highly desirable; applicants may submit research reports or work.

Additional requirements for International applicants:

• English Language Proficiency requirement (TOEFL or IELTS)
• International Degree Equivalencies

The Field Structure

At Cornell, graduate study is organized using a field structure.   Fields are composed of faculty members from a number of departments who come together around a shared intellectual interest, and may draw from different campuses or colleges.  Graduate students are admitted to fields of study.  Within each field, they select major and minor subjects, which are research interests or concentrations.

Fields span departments and even disciplines.  It’s possible for a student in the field of economics to include faculty on his or her special committee from industrial labor and economics, civil and environmental engineering, and sociology, along with the more traditional economics and management.

Click here for the complete "Fields of Study, Subjects, and Concentrations" in PDF form .

Student Life

Alexander G. Ophir, Director of Graduate Studies Uris Hall, Room 218 E-mail:  [email protected] Phone:  607-255-3714

Pamela A. Cunningham, Graduate Field Assistant   •  Psychology Ph.D. Uris Hall, Room 211A E-mail:  [email protected] Phone:  607-255-3834 Fax: 607-255-8433

Marianne Arcangeli, Graduate Field Assistant   •  Developmental Psychology Ph.D.   •  Human Development and Family Studies Ph.D. Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Room G201B E-mail:  [email protected] Phone:  607-255-4661