Alison M. Duncan, MD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Alison Duncan is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at BUSM and a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at Boston Medical Center, where she is also the Director of Psychiatric Emergency Services. She has both clinical and research expertise in emergency psychiatry, pediatric consult-liaison psychiatry, family communication, suicide, substance use disorders, severe mental illness, ADHD and quality improvement. Dr. Duncan's research currently focuses on:

Improving parent-adolescent communication for parents of adolescents with ADHD using Motivational Interviewing
Exploring the feasibility of implicit association testing for suicidality in the emergency department
Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with serious mental illness
Emergency psychiatric services utilization


Dr. Duncan's research is currently supported by multiple grants, including the AACAP Pilot Research Award for Attention Disorders, supported by AACAP’s Elaine Schlosser Lewis Fund and the Gennaro Acampora Junior Investigator Pilot Award. Dr. Duncan received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Theater and Economics from The Hartt School and The University of Hartford in 1998 and her Medical Degree from The Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in 2013. She completed her General Psychiatry Residency at The University of New Mexico in 2016 and her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Brown University/Bradley Hospital in 2018, during which time she was also awarded the NIDA-AACAP Resident Training Award in Substance Use Disorders. She is Board Certified in both Adult Psychiatry and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Duncan sings with Coro Allegro, Boston's LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus. She is often accompanied in the hospital by her dog, Cocoa, whose therapeutic skills are in high demand.

Publications

  • Published 8/5/2025

    Messina V, Guest NS, Duncan AM, Mangels AR, Norris J, Ruscigno M, Glenn AJ, Wolfram T, Marinangeli CPF, Messina M. Dietary guidance on plant-based meat alternatives for individuals wanting to increase plant protein intake. Front Nutr. 2025; 12:1641234. PMID: 40837435.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/31/2025

    Ludwig S, Coisne A, Hamzi K, Ben Ali W, Scotti A, Koell B, Duncan A, Makkar R, Akodad M, Bleiziffer S, Nickenig G, Kaneko T, Ruge H, Adam M, Sondergaard L, Dahle G, Taramasso M, Walther T, Kempfert J, Obadia JF, Chehab O, Tang GHL, Goel S, Fam N, Denti P, Praz F, von Bardeleben RS, Hausleiter J, Latib A, Conradi L, Modine T, Pezel T, Granada JF. Phenotypic clustering analysis of patients rejected for mitral valve interventions: implications for future transcatheter technologies. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2025 Jul 31; 26(8):1452-1463. PMID: 40329826.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/18/2025

    Khalique OK, Zaid S, Tang GHL, Abdel-Wahab M, Akodad M, Bapat VN, Bax JJ, Blackman DJ, Blanke P, Bleiziffer S, Capodanno D, Cavalcante JL, Dasi LP, De Backer O, De Beuel M, Duncan A, Dweck MR, Fukui M, Gupta A, Hayashida K, Herrmann HC, Kaneko T, Karam N, Khan JM, Kovac J, Landes U, Leipsic JA, Leon MB, Mack MJ, Madhavan MV, Makar MM, Makkar RR, Al Mallah M, Meier D, Modine T, Okada A, Parikh RK, Parma R, Patel D, Pibarot P, Prendergast B, Quader N, Reardon MJ, Rogers T, Safi LM, Sellers SL, Skaf S, Tarantini G, Tchetche D, van Mieghem N, Wang DD, Webb JG, Windecker S, Yakubov SJ, Delgado V, Hahn RT, Jilaihawi H. Best Practices for Imaging of Transcatheter Valve Failure: An Update From the Heart Valve Collaboratory. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2025 Mar 18; 85(10):1042-1055. PMID: 40074470.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/1/2025

    Rudolph KA, Beaugard CA, Xu C, Syed S, Duncan A, Brown HE, Henderson DC, Oblath R. Psychiatric Emergency Service Use Trends: Adults Experiencing Homelessness in Massachusetts from 2005-2020. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2025; 36(1):240-256. PMID: 39957648.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/9/2024

    Zgheib A, De Backer O, Afilalo J, Quagliana A, Campens L, Al Asmar M, Al Ismaili A, Angiolillo D, Ajmone-Marsan N, Von Bardeleben RS, Buithieu J, Cavalcante J, Chetrit M, Choi C, Coisne A, Delgado V, Donal E, Duncan A, Dreyfus J, Fam N, Grapsa J, Granada J, Gackowski A, Hahn R, Ho E, Latib A, Medina de Chazal HA, Martucci G, Maisano F, Messika-Zeitoun D, Modine T, Muraru D, Mousavi N, Praz F, Redwood S, Patterson T, Sarano M, Spaziano M, Swaans M, Sitges M, Zamorano JL, van Mieghem N, Tchetche D, Tournoux F, Wunderlich N, Prendergast B, Piazza N. Tricuspid Valve S-Curves and Chamber Views: Implications for Transcatheter Tricuspid and Pulmonary Valve Interventions, Part 2 of the S-Curves and Chamber Views Series. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2024 Dec 09; 17(23):2713-2731. PMID: 39663053.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 37 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Websites

Education

  • Geisinger Medical Center School of Nursing, MD
  • University of Hartford, BA
  • University of Hartford, BFA

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