Our Team :


Wilkie A. Wilson, Ph.D.  |  email  |  919-949-8063
Dr. Wilkie Wilson is the Director of DukeLEARN.  He is a Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University Medical Center, and a Senior Research Scientist for the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Dr. Wilson is a neuroscientist who studies how drugs interact with the central nervous system, with a particular interest in how the brain acquires and stores information.  He has authored numerous scientific publications, book chapters and books, and has mentored 12 young scientists as they obtained the Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. and more than 20 postdoctoral fellows. For the past ten years, Dr. Wilson has worked to make brain science accessible to young people and adults in a variety of venues.  He is a frequent speaker at schools for young people and their parents.  He provides training for educators, counselors, and members of the criminal justice community.  He also advocates for brain health through numerous media appearances on national radio and televison.



 
 
Cynthia Kuhn, Ph.D.  |  email  |  919-684-8828
Dr. Cynthia Kuhn is one of the Co-Directors of DukeLEARN.  She is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer biology at Duke University Medical Center.  She is a neuropharmacologist who studies how drugs affect the central nervous system of vulnerable populations, especially the young and women.  She has authored over 300 scientific publications and book chapters and has mentored numerous PhD students, undergraduate and medical students.  She teaches neuropharmacology to medical students, undergraduate and graduate students as well as to many professional and lay audiences including school counselors, drug treatment professionals, teachers, parents, and schoolchildren.  She served as an expert commentator for the television series “What Happens Next,” to be released in 2008, and has made numerous television and radio appearances.



  
 


Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D.  |  email
Dr. Scott Swartzwelder is one of the Co-Directors of DukeLEARN.  He is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center and a Senior Research Career Scientist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  He is a clinical psychologist who runs a brain research laboratory studying the effects of alcohol on the developing brain and behavior. Dr. Swartzwelder has authored numerous publications related to the effects of alcohol on the brain, and has mentored a large number of research students and clinical trainees.  In addition he has created and taught several innovative college courses on brain mechanisms of memory and drug effects, and has consulted extensively as a scientific advisor with a number of national institutes and departments, as well as with numerous public education and policy organizations.  In addition to his research, teaching, and clinical consultation, he now lectures and consults to promote effective education about the developing brain, alcohol, and other drugs.

 

  
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