David F. Duncan
Encyclopedia
David F. Duncan, Dr. P.H. was born in Kansas City, Missouri
on June 26, 1947. He is President of Duncan & Associates, a firm providing consultation on research design and data collection for behavioral and policy studies. He is also Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health at Brown University School of Medicine
. His education included a B.A. in psychology from the University of Missouri–Kansas City
, and graduate work in criminology at Sam Houston State University
. He earned the degree of Doctor of Public Health from the University of Texas at Houston
with an interdisciplinary concentration in behavioral sciences, epidemiology, biostatistics, and program and policy evaluation. He later earned a postdoctoral diploma in alcoholism early intervention and treatment effectiveness research from Brown University
.
, which have often been highly controversial. In 1974, he and Edward Khantzian
of Harvard Medical School
, in separate publications, proposed what has come to be known as the self-medication
hypothesis of addiction. Both authors proposed that addiction arose out of the use of drugs to medicate a preexisting disorder or problem. Dr. Duncan's version of the hypothesis is distinguished by its identification of addiction with negative reinforcement
. Dr. Duncan argued that all of the characteristics commonly cited as typical of addiction
, such as persistence in the face of negative consequences and high probability of relapse, are all common in any negatively reinforced behaviours.
Dr. Duncan was also one of the pioneers of the strategy of harm reduction
. He has argued that harm reduction approaches to addictions, HIV or other public health concerns are instances of the traditional public health
practice of tertiary prevention
-- prevention of deaths or disability that might otherwise occur due to a health problem. Dr. Duncan first applied this approach in his work with adolescent drug abusers in Houston, Texas in the early 1970s and soon afterward with heroin addicts. In 1983 he and Dr. Robert S. Gold
published an argument for this approach, which they then called "cultivating drug use", using the word cultivating in its sense of the elimination of weeds and promotion of healthy growth.
Dr. Duncan has also been a pioneer in the development of computer assisted learning and particularly computer based health education. His leadership in this field began at the State University of New York at Brockport
, where he collaborated with Robert S. Gold
in developing the first course on computers in health education offered at any college. In 1980, he and Dr. Gold published two papers that spurred interest in the use of computers in health education. One of these papers was the first publication to suggest that microprocessors, as personal computer
s were then known, could be preferable to mainframe
terminals for use in computer assisted learning. A few years later, Dr. Duncan and Dr. Gold, then at Southern Illinois University
, taught the nation’s first college-level course on PC-based methods in education. Three years later, Dr. Duncan argued for the value of portable computers, which were just being introduced, for educational and data collection applications. He also pioneered the use of roleplaying games
on the PC and internet for use in both health education and data collection.
Office of National Drug Control Policy
during his tenure as Senior Study Director of the Substance Abuse Research Group of the Westat
corporation. In his position at Westat he also provided consultation to the National Institute on Drug Abuse
, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
, National Academy of Science
, United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, New York City Housing Authority
, and SPSS Inc.
. He served from 1996 to 1998 as Senior Public Health Epidemiologist in the Director's Office of the Rhode Island
Department of Health where he was coordinator of health policy and Project Director of the state's Unified Needs Assessment Program for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment.
His varied career has included positions in both juvenile and adult corrections, as a deputy sheriff, and as a private detective. He has directed a halfway house for drug abusers, a comprehensive drug abuse treatment center, and a private school for emotionally disturbed children. He served as a research associate to the working group on substance abuse treatment for the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform
chaired by First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1993. He has held academic appointments as Associate Professor of Health Science at the State University of New York at Brockport
, Professor of Health Education at Southern Illinois University
, Professor of Biology at the Community College of Rhode Island
, Professor of Health and Environmental Research at the University of Cologne
in Germany, and Associate Professor of Medical Science (Community Health) at Brown University
. He has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Rochester
, New York State School of Psychiatry, Columbia University
's Teachers College
and School of Public Health, New England Gerontology Academy, Trinity College (Dublin)
, Oxford University
, German Academy of Public Health, University of Würzburg
, and Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
He is chair of the Council on Illicit Drugs and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association for Public Health Policy
. He chairs the Advisory Committee for the M.P.H. Program at Fort Valley State University
. He is a member of the Corporation (governing body) of Butler Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Providence, Rhode Island
, and of the Board of Directors of the Bowling Green-Warren County Primary Care Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky
. He was Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New England Gerontology Academy. He is a past chairman of the Mental Health Section of the American Public Health Association
, and has served on A.P.H.A.'s Governing Council and committees on Program, Membership, and Continuing Education.
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
on June 26, 1947. He is President of Duncan & Associates, a firm providing consultation on research design and data collection for behavioral and policy studies. He is also Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health at Brown University School of Medicine
Brown Medical School
The Warren Alpert Medical School is the medical school of Brown University, located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. First established in 1811, the school was suspended after sixteen years of operation by university President Francis Wayland. The medical school was reinstated in 1975...
. His education included a B.A. in psychology from the University of Missouri–Kansas City
University of Missouri–Kansas City
The University of Missouri–Kansas City is a public university located in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It is a branch of the University of Missouri System. Its main campus is in Kansas City's Rockhill neighborhood east of the Country Club Plaza...
, and graduate work in criminology at Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
. He earned the degree of Doctor of Public Health from the University of Texas at Houston
University of Texas School of Public Health
The University of Texas School of Public Health is one of eight component institutions of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston ....
with an interdisciplinary concentration in behavioral sciences, epidemiology, biostatistics, and program and policy evaluation. He later earned a postdoctoral diploma in alcoholism early intervention and treatment effectiveness research from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
.
Contributions
Dr. Duncan is best known for his contributions in the field of drug abuseDrug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, which have often been highly controversial. In 1974, he and Edward Khantzian
Edward Khantzian
Dr. Edward J. Khantzian is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the co-originator of the self-medication hypothesis of drug abuse which states that individuals abuse drugs in attempt to self-medicate....
of Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, in separate publications, proposed what has come to be known as the self-medication
Self-medication
Self-medication is a term used to describe the use of drugs or other self-soothing forms of behavior to treat untreated and often undiagnosed mental distress, stress and anxiety, including mental illnesses and/or psychological trauma...
hypothesis of addiction. Both authors proposed that addiction arose out of the use of drugs to medicate a preexisting disorder or problem. Dr. Duncan's version of the hypothesis is distinguished by its identification of addiction with negative reinforcement
Reinforcement
Reinforcement is a term in operant conditioning and behavior analysis for the process of increasing the rate or probability of a behavior in the form of a "response" by the delivery or emergence of a stimulus Reinforcement is a term in operant conditioning and behavior analysis for the process of...
. Dr. Duncan argued that all of the characteristics commonly cited as typical of addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
, such as persistence in the face of negative consequences and high probability of relapse, are all common in any negatively reinforced behaviours.
Dr. Duncan was also one of the pioneers of the strategy of harm reduction
Harm reduction
Harm reduction refers to a range of public health policies designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities...
. He has argued that harm reduction approaches to addictions, HIV or other public health concerns are instances of the traditional public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
practice of tertiary prevention
Hazard prevention
Hazard prevention refers to the prevention of risks. The first and most effective stage of hazard prevention and emergency management is the elimination of hazards...
-- prevention of deaths or disability that might otherwise occur due to a health problem. Dr. Duncan first applied this approach in his work with adolescent drug abusers in Houston, Texas in the early 1970s and soon afterward with heroin addicts. In 1983 he and Dr. Robert S. Gold
Robert S. Gold
Dr. Robert S. Gold is an accomplished researcher and nationally known expert in the application of computer technology to health education and health promotion...
published an argument for this approach, which they then called "cultivating drug use", using the word cultivating in its sense of the elimination of weeds and promotion of healthy growth.
Dr. Duncan has also been a pioneer in the development of computer assisted learning and particularly computer based health education. His leadership in this field began at the State University of New York at Brockport
State University of New York at Brockport
The College at Brockport: State University of New York, also known as SUNY Brockport, Brockport State, College at Brockport, or the State University of New York at Brockport, is a four-year liberal arts college located in Brockport, Monroe County, New York, United States, near Rochester...
, where he collaborated with Robert S. Gold
Robert S. Gold
Dr. Robert S. Gold is an accomplished researcher and nationally known expert in the application of computer technology to health education and health promotion...
in developing the first course on computers in health education offered at any college. In 1980, he and Dr. Gold published two papers that spurred interest in the use of computers in health education. One of these papers was the first publication to suggest that microprocessors, as personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s were then known, could be preferable to mainframe
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
terminals for use in computer assisted learning. A few years later, Dr. Duncan and Dr. Gold, then at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
, taught the nation’s first college-level course on PC-based methods in education. Three years later, Dr. Duncan argued for the value of portable computers, which were just being introduced, for educational and data collection applications. He also pioneered the use of roleplaying games
Computer-assisted gaming
Computer-assisted gaming and computer-asssited wargaming refer to games which are at least partially computerized, but where on important part of the action is not virtual but performed in real life or on a miniature terrain. Regulation of the game can be done completely by a computer or partly...
on the PC and internet for use in both health education and data collection.
Career
Dr. Duncan was a consultant to President Clinton's White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Office of National Drug Control Policy
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy , a former cabinet level component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1989 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988...
during his tenure as Senior Study Director of the Substance Abuse Research Group of the Westat
Westat
Westat is an employee-owned corporation providing research services to agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as businesses, foundations, and state and local governments....
corporation. In his position at Westat he also provided consultation to the National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institute on Drug Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a United States federal-government research institute whose mission is to "lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction."-History:...
, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is an agency of the United States government. It is a part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services...
, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention is an agency of the United States government under the Department of Health and Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration...
, National Academy of Science
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, New York City Housing Authority
New York City Housing Authority
The New York City Housing Authority provides public housing for low- and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments...
, and SPSS Inc.
SPSS Inc.
SPSS Inc. was a software house headquartered in Chicago and incorporated in Delaware, most noted for the proprietary software of the same name SPSS. The use of this trademarked name has been the subject of ongoing legal action against the company for many years.In addition to the software which...
. He served from 1996 to 1998 as Senior Public Health Epidemiologist in the Director's Office of the Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
Department of Health where he was coordinator of health policy and Project Director of the state's Unified Needs Assessment Program for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment.
His varied career has included positions in both juvenile and adult corrections, as a deputy sheriff, and as a private detective. He has directed a halfway house for drug abusers, a comprehensive drug abuse treatment center, and a private school for emotionally disturbed children. He served as a research associate to the working group on substance abuse treatment for the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform
Clinton health care plan
The Clinton health care plan was a 1993 healthcare reform package proposed by the administration of President Bill Clinton and closely associated with the chair of the task force devising the plan, First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton....
chaired by First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1993. He has held academic appointments as Associate Professor of Health Science at the State University of New York at Brockport
State University of New York at Brockport
The College at Brockport: State University of New York, also known as SUNY Brockport, Brockport State, College at Brockport, or the State University of New York at Brockport, is a four-year liberal arts college located in Brockport, Monroe County, New York, United States, near Rochester...
, Professor of Health Education at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
, Professor of Biology at the Community College of Rhode Island
Community College of Rhode Island
The Community College of Rhode Island, commonly abbreviated as "CCRI", is the only community college in Rhode Island. It was founded as Rhode Island Junior College, "RIJC", in 1964 with 325 students studying on the former Knight Estate. Today CCRI consists of six campuses and enrolls over 16,000...
, Professor of Health and Environmental Research at the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
in Germany, and Associate Professor of Medical Science (Community Health) at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. He has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, New York State School of Psychiatry, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Teachers College
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
and School of Public Health, New England Gerontology Academy, Trinity College (Dublin)
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, German Academy of Public Health, University of Würzburg
University of Würzburg
The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...
, and Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
He is chair of the Council on Illicit Drugs and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association for Public Health Policy
National Association for Public Health Policy
The National Association for Public Health Policy was founded in 1980 by a group of past-presidents of the American Public Health Association led by Milton Terris, MD, MPH...
. He chairs the Advisory Committee for the M.P.H. Program at Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley State University is a historically black university located in Fort Valley, Georgia. It is also a unit of the University System of Georgia and a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
. He is a member of the Corporation (governing body) of Butler Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, and of the Board of Directors of the Bowling Green-Warren County Primary Care Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
. He was Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New England Gerontology Academy. He is a past chairman of the Mental Health Section of the American Public Health Association
American Public Health Association
The American Public Health Association is Washington, D.C.-based professional organization for public health professionals in the United States. Founded in 1872 by Dr. Stephen Smith, APHA has more than 30,000 members worldwide...
, and has served on A.P.H.A.'s Governing Council and committees on Program, Membership, and Continuing Education.
Books
- Duncan, D. F., and Gold, R. S. (1982). Drugs and the Whole Person. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
- Duncan, D. F., and Gold, R. S. (1985). Drugs and the Whole Person (2nd Ed). New York: MacMillan.
- Duncan, D. F. (1988). Epidemiology: Basis for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. New York: MacMillan.
- CSAT Consensus Panel (2000). Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons with Child Abuse and Neglect Issues. (CSAT Treatment Improvement Protocol # 36) Rockville, MD: Center for Substance Abuse Treatrment.
- Hornik, R.; Judkins, D.; Golub, A.; Johnson, B.; and Duncan, D. F. (2000). Evaluation of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign: Historical Trends in Drug Use and Design of the Phase III Evaluation. Washington, DC: White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. http://www.drugabuse.gov/PDF/DESPR/FirstAnalyticReport.pdf