Duke Flags Lowered: Dr. Barbara Burns, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Dies

Dr. Barbara Burns
Dr. Barbara Burns

Barbara Burns, PhD, professor emeritus in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, passed away on Jan. 28. Dr. Burns retired from Duke Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences in June 2020 after serving for 31 years as a member of the department’s research faculty.

Dr. Burns earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in 1963, a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1964, and a PhD from Boston College in 1972.

Prior to joining the Duke faculty in 1989, Dr. Burns had a part-time private practice and held faculty and leadership positions at several institutions, including Boston College, Harvard University, Hood College, the University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins University. She also served as a preceptor for the Public Health Service Fellowship in Epidemiology at the National Institutes of Health and deputy director for the Division of Biometry and Applied Sciences at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Dr. Burns was a nationally recognized mental health services researcher who secured dozens of grants and contracts and co-authored more than 300 publications. She was the lead author for the review of effective treatment for mental disorders in children and adolescents for the 1999 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health and played a key role in evaluating SAMHSA-supported Systems of Care. Dr. Burns’ primary research interests were innovative community-based services and implementation of evidence-based treatment for youth and families.

Beyond her research portfolio, Dr. Burns held several leadership roles at Duke, including co-director of the Psychiatric Epidemiology and Health Services Research Program (1989-1997) and director of the Services Effectiveness Research Program (1997-2020). She also served as co-director of National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Research Training in Mental Health Services and Systems (1990-2007) at Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

In addition, Dr. Burns consulted and advised on more than 100 local, national, and international boards, panels, committees, task forces, institutes, foundations, and other entities.

Dr. Burns was beloved by her colleagues and students for her warmth and good humor, and she generously gave of her time as a highly sought-after mentor for budding researchers. She remained in close contact with many friends and colleagues from the different locales where she lived and worked over the course of her career. Dr. Burns had a wide range of interests but was especially gifted as a nature and landscape photographer. In addition, she was a devoted dog lover who went nearly everywhere with her pets.

Her full obituary is available on Legacy.com.