Naomi Duke

Dr. Naomi Nichele Duke, MD, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Sociology, and is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Adolescent Medicine. Working at the intersection of medicine, sociology, and public health, Dr. Duke brings a unique perspective to address social drivers in maternal and child health and adult chronic disease onset. Her work focuses on advancing knowledge and advocacy efforts around the relevance of childhood social context for later disparities in health outcomes and the intergenerational transmission of health, including morbidity and mortality related to stress physiology, perceptions of physical and emotional weathering, and health-related behaviors. A main area of interest is in understanding the implications of youth experiences of oppression and marginalization for perceptions of survival and future orientation, and relationships between these experiences and actual trajectories of health. She is also interested in understanding relationships between sociocultural context and the intergenerational transmission of health, including cardiometabolic outcomes such as the transition from prediabetes to diabetes and the development of hypertension.