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Katherine Ramos

Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences
DUMC Box 102506, Durham, NC 27710
2400 Pratt Street, Room 7057, Durham, NC 27705

Research Interests


Developing and implementing psychosocial interventions for older adults in oncology or palliative care, and for their caregivers.

Clinical and Research Foci:
  • Mental Health & Dyadic Behavioral Interventions for Geriatric Palliative Care Populations
  • Communication and Coping Skills Training
  • Palliative Care Provider Training in Distress Coping Skills 

Teaching/Lecture Presentations Foci:
  • Role of Psychology in Palliative Care
  • Psychological and Physical Resilience in Geriatric Palliative Care 
  • Enhancing illness acceptance and adaptation to serious, life-limiting illness
  • Ageism and Intersectionality 

Selected Grants


Duke/UNC ADAR Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

A Patient-Caregiver Behavioral Intervention for Older Adults with Cancer and Mild Cognitive Impairment

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

Caregiver-assisted pain coping skills training for dementia

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2026

Towards a trauma-informed intensive care unit

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Inc. · 2023 - 2026

Duke/UNC ADAR Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

A Patient-Caregiver Behavioral Intervention for Older Adults with Cancer and Mild Cognitive Impairment

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

Caregiver-assisted pain coping skills training for dementia

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2026

Towards a trauma-informed intensive care unit

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Inc. · 2023 - 2026

A Dyadic Intervention to Address Distress and Communication in Glioblastoma Patients and their Caregivers

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Glioblastoma Foundation · 2022 - 2024

Remote Patient Monitoring of Family Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Prepped Health · 2021 - 2023

Resilience Measurement, Prediction, and its Role in Older Adults with Late Stage Lung Cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Wake Forest University School Of Medicine · 2020 - 2022

Fellowships, Gifts, and Supported Research


Resilience Measurement, Prediction, and its Role in Older Adults with Late Stage Lung Cancer · 2021 - 2022 Awarded by: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Self-System Therapy for Older Adults with Advanced Lung Cancer (SST-LC) · 2019 - 2021 Pilot Awardee, Principal Investigator · Awarded by: Duke Roybal Center Awarded by National Institute on Aging Pilot that is part of the Duke Roybal Center grant # P30 NIA 12734132 (HSS#260959)
A Quantitative and Qualitative Exploration of Distress Symptoms in Lung Cancer · August 30, 2018 - September 30, 2019 Pilot Awardee, Principal Investigator · Awarded by: Pilot Study Program Awarded by the Durham VA HSR&D Center of Innovation (COIN) LIP18-002
Couple Communication in Cancer: A Multi-method Examination · 2018 - 2021 PI to the NCI diversity supplement of the R01 · Awarded by: Arizona State University
George Maddox Fellowship · 2015 - 2017 Awarded by: Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development

External Relationships


  • Harvard Medical School and Dana Farber Cancer Institute
  • University of Southern California
  • VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
  • Wake Forest University School of Medicine

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.