The Center is turning one year old!

Thanks to the generous $1 million gift that established the Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD, we’re celebrating the Center’s first birthday this month! Our first year has included a variety of activities and achievements. We have:

- Created a range of educational resources and news publications that address ADHD in
females at all ages and stages of life

- Explored research and clinical experiences related to ADHD in females with investigators
and experts from across the country, including:

Developmental pediatrician Nerissa Bauer, MD who spoke with Drs. Kollins and Schechter last year about ADHD in girls
UC Berkeley’s Emily Rosenthal, who recently co-authored a review of 42 years of research on ADHD in girls
Duke psychiatrist Jonathan Posner, MD, who co-published a study (of data from the ongoing ABCD Study®) that analyzed structural MRI measures in children with and without ADHD and spoke with us about its findings and future research

- Established and grew our social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. Some of our favorite posts during our first year include:

The Tip Tuesdays series, which describes strategies for managing ADHD symptoms such as distractibility, forgetfulness, and interrupting others
A post about the disparities in ADHD diagnosis in Black girls and women during Black History Month
Our Women’s History Month post celebrating inspirational women with ADHD, including Simone Biles, Jessica McCabe, and Zoe Saldana
Interviews with the Center’s Associate Director of Engagement, Dr. Jennifer Gierisch, and Scott Hicok, formerly of Camp Southern Ground, about the different experiences of men and women with ADHD in the workplace

- Developed and hosted listening and learning sessions with women with ADHD to hear firsthand about the challenges, needs, and joys of living with the diagnosis

The first 12 months have been busy, productive, and inspiring. We are excited about the projects planned for this upcoming year, which will continue to push the Center’s mission forward.

“I couldn’t be prouder of what the Center has accomplished in its first 12 months. As we build a reputation as a trusted source for actionable, science-based information, our offerings and continued growth will be informed by the experiences of girls and women with ADHD themselves, as well as by our community partners.”

—Center Co-Director Scott Kollins, PhD

Hurricane Ian might have derailed our plans to host our listening and learning session in September, but we're happy to announce that the virtual forum was rescheduled for October 18. To learn more about participating, complete an interest form.

Every October is ADHD Awareness Month, and we hope you’ll join the Center in celebrating our theme this year, “A Shared Focus for the Future.” As we look ahead, we’ll continue to, among other things:

“The Center would not be here without the generous family that endowed it, as well as the passion and commitment of the patients, families, and community who cares for and works with girls and women with ADHD,” says Center Co-Director Julia Schechter, PhD. “We are grateful to be able to do this work and meet the needs of girls and women living with ADHD.”

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement about the upcoming launch of our Champions for Girls and Women with ADHD group! This group will provide more opportunities for girls and women with ADHD—and the people who love and support them—to take part in Center activities.

As we plan for the Center’s future, we want to hear from you. Whether you’re the parent, caregiver or spouse of a female with ADHD, a woman with the condition, an educator, health care provider, researcher, employer or anyone else with an interest in ADHD in females, we hope you’ll help us build a network of education, research, and outreach.

Please consider emailing us at ADHDGirls@duke.edu and telling us what you want to see on our website and social media. Also, please consider supporting the Center’s work with a donation.