We are all just walking each other home.
- Ram Dass
Who I am
I am a physician double board-certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. I treat individuals ages 16+ who are struggling to thrive due to psychiatric or substance use disorders. My approach integrates psychopharmacology, somatic interventions, psychotherapy, nutrition, and mindfulness. I have served as a faculty member at Duke University School of Medicine since 2014, and continue as an Adjunct Assistant Professor. My clinical experience includes psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and brain stimulation for treatment-resistant illness.
Before I was a physician, I was a yoga teacher, and I maintain a yoga practice. My training in awareness of the mind-body connection in myself and others has been foundational to my approach to medicine. In addition I have completed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training. I have a strong interest in psychedelic science and continue to follow the research in this emerging area.
Education
Residency, Psychiatry, Duke University Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Chief Resident, Resident of the Year.
MD, Duke University School of Medicine. Nanaline H. Duke Scholar, Dean’s Award Recipient.
MSPH, Maternal and Child Health, UNC School of Public Health
BA with Highest Honors, Anthropology and Environmental Studies, UNC Chapel Hill. Morehead Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa, Morris K. Udall Scholar.
Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
Select Articles
Keepers BC, Easterly CW, Dennis N., Domino ME, Bhalla IP. A Survey of Behavioral Health Care Providers on Use and Barriers to Use of Measurement-Based Care. Psychiatr Serv. [published online ahead of print, 2023 Jan 25] 2023; appips202100735. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.202100735
Johnson D, Beam C, Bhalla I, Dennis N. Measuring Health Disparities in a Commercially Insured Population: The First Step to Incorporate Equity into Value Transformation. NEJM Catalyst. 2022 Aug. https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.22.0074
Bhalla IP, Foosness S, Dennis N. You Get What You Pay for: The Case for Value-Based Payments in Psychiatry. Psychiatr Serv. 2022 Jun;73(6):694-696.
Dennis PA, Thomas SN, Husain MM, Dennis NM. Racial disparities in the administration of ECT in Texas, 1998-2013. J ECT. 2019 Jun;35(2):103-105.
Dennis PA, Dennis NM, Van Voorhees EE, Calhoun P, Dennis MF, Beckham JC. Moral transgression during the Vietnam War: A path analysis of the psychological impact of veterans' involvement in wartime atrocities. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2017 Mar;30(2):188-201.
Dennis NM, Dennis PA, Shafer A, Weiner RD, Husain MM. Electroconvulsive therapy and all-cause mortality in Texas, 1998-2013. J ECT. 2017 Mar;33(1):22-25.
Dennis NM, Swartz MS. Emergency psychiatry experience, resident burnout and future plans to treat publicly funded patients. Psychiatric Services. Psychiatr Serv. 2015 Apr 15:892-5.
Cunningham NT, Dennis N, Dattilo W, Hunt M, Bradford DW. Continuation of clozapine during chemotherapy: A case report and review of literature. Psychosomatics. 2014 Nov-Dec;55(6):673-9.