Medical Student Trainee Spotlight: Darby Herkert, BS

The Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development has supported dozens of undergraduate and graduate students, medical residents, and fellows, providing a unique experience for future researchers and clinicians who hope to improve the lives of autistic people. This year, Duke University School of Medicine student Darby Herkert, BS, joined the center to gain first-hand experiences with autistic children and their families in the Duke Autism Clinic, while also assisting faculty on autism research investigations, such as the Sense to Know (S2K) Study and the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials.

While at the center, Herkert contributed to study results that are under review for publication in a scientific journal and presented academic research posters at the annual conferences of the American AcademyAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). Herkert’s poster, “Determining and Characterizing the Presence of Prior Concerns in Toddlers Who Screen Positive for Autism in Primary Care,” won best poster from a trainee/early career researcher for the Council on Early Childhood Session at the AAP National Conference. In her research project, she found that parents’ concerns about their child who is eventually diagnosed with autism begin when their child is just a few months of age. By examining the types of parent and pediatrician concerns documented in a child’s medical record, Herkert found that toddlers diagnosed with autism often have motor, speech, gastrointestinal, and sleep problems early in infancy. After graduation from the Duke University School of Medicine this May, Herkert will attend a psychiatry residency program that allows her to continue her training as a physician-scientist and to work in an academic research clinic setting.

“The center offered me the chance to help design, collect data for, and analyze a project investigating parents and providers who had developmental concerns prior to a positive autism screening,” said Herkert. “I hope to keep contributing to research efforts that help more families get access to the supports and services that meet their individual needs.”