Debra Lynn Best | Scholars@Duke

Debra Lynn Best
Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Dr. Best's scholarly interests include the following:

Pediatric Resident Education - developing, implementing and evaluating strategies to teach community engagement and advocacy skills.

Early Childhood Development - developing, implementing and evaluating clinic and community-partnered interventions focused on supporting early childhood development and early relational health

Home Visiting - Dr Best serves as the Medical Director for Family Connects International and in this role oversees Family Connects clinical protocols and directs training and implementation for the model across the U.S.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Pediatrics 2021
Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Family Medicine and Community Health, Community Health, Family Medicine and Community Health 2020

Contact Information

DUMC Box 3675, Durham, NC 27710
Dept of Pediatrics, Durham, NC 27710
debra.best@duke.edu (919) 620-5374

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Pediatric Internship & Residency, Pediatrics, Duke University 2001 - 2004
- M.D., Northwestern University 2001
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Pediatrics 2016 - 2020
- Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Family Medicine and Community Health, Community Health, Family Medicine and Community Health 2016 - 2020
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Pediatrics 2008 - 2016
- Medical Instructor in the Department of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Pediatrics 2007 - 2008
- Clinical Associate in the Department of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, Pediatrics 2005 - 2007
Recognition
In the News
- NOV 2, 2022 Sanford School of Public Policy
  
  Duke Study: What All Families Need to Give Their Children the Early Learning Advantage
Research
Selected Grants
- North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids Model awarded by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2020 - 2026
- Community Prevention of Child Maltreatment awarded by National Institutes of Health 2023 - 2024
- Get Ready Guilford Initiative (GRGI) evaluation awarded by Duke Endowment 2023 - 2024
- NC PAL Expansion awarded by NC DHHS 2022 - 2023
- Responsive Early Access for Durham's Young children: A coordinated system to promote young child wellness (READY) awarded by Center for Child and Family Health 2019 - 2023
- Targeting Infant Development through Early Screening (TIDES) awarded by Duke Endowment 2022
- Center for Child & Family Health (CCFH-FCI) Training Program awarded by Center for Child and Family Health 2019 - 2022
- Valhalla Foundation awarded by Valhalla Charitable Foundation 2020 - 2022
- Welcome Baby - Duke Pediatrics Collaborative Teen Parenting Program awarded by American Academy of Pediatrics 2018 - 2019
- Carolinas Collaborative: Community-Pediatric Partnerships for Promotion of Child Health and Prevention of Toxic Stress awarded by American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 - 2018
- The Carolinas Collaborative: Community-Pediatric Partnerships for Promotion of Child Health and Prevention of Toxic Stress awarded by American Academy of Pediatrics 2016 - 2018
- Population Health Improvement Leadership II awarded by Fullerton Foundation 2013 - 2017
- Healthy Communities: a cross-community collaborative to identify obese, low-income children without a medical home awarded by American Academy of Pediatrics 2015
- From Clinic to Community: Transforming the Duke Pediatric Residency Program to Improve Care for Underserved Children awarded by American Academy of Pediatrics 2011 - 2013
External Relationships
- American Academy of Pediatrics
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Nerlinger, Abby L., Debra L. Best, and Anita N. Shah. “Advocacy in Pediatric Academia: Charting a Path Forward.” Pediatr Clin North Am 70, no. 1 (February 2023): 11–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2022.09.001.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Dodge, Kenneth A., W Benjamin Goodman, Yu Bai, Debra L. Best, Peter Rehder, and Sherika Hill. “Impact of a universal perinatal home-visiting program on reduction in race disparities in maternal and child health: Two randomised controlled trials and a field quasi-experiment.” Lancet Reg Health Am 15 (November 2022): 100356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2022.100356.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Chung, Richard J., Melanie R. Ramirez, Debra L. Best, Mitchell B. Cohen, and Lisa J. Chamberlain. “Advocacy and Community Engagement: Perspectives from Pediatric Department Chairs.” J Pediatr 248 (September 2022): 6-10.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.12.019.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Bode, Sara M., Benjamin D. Hoffman, Steven H. Chapman, Jeffrey M. Kaczorowski, Debra L. Best, Anita N. Shah, Abby L. Nerlinger, et al. “Academic Careers in Advocacy: Aligning Institutional Values Through Use of an Advocacy Portfolio.” Pediatrics 150, no. 1 (July 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-055014.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Rybińska, Anna, Debra L. Best, W Benjamin Goodman, Winona Weindling, and Kenneth A. Dodge. “Home Visiting Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Program Activity Analysis for Family Connects.” Matern Child Health J 26, no. 1 (January 2022): 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-021-03337-7.
    Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
  - Rybińska, Anna, Debra L. Best, W Benjamin Goodman, Yu Bai, and Kenneth A. Dodge. “Transitioning to virtual interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic: Impact on the family connects postpartum home visiting program activity.” Infant Ment Health J 43, no. 1 (January 2022): 159–72. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21953.
    Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
  - Cholera, Rushina, Shabbar I. Ranapurwala, Julie Linton, Shahar Shmuel, Anna Miller-Fitzwater, Debra L. Best, Shruti Simha, and Kori B. Flower. “Health Care Use Among Latinx Children After 2017 Executive Actions on Immigration.” Pediatrics 147, no. 2 (February 2021). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0272.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Hoffman, Benjamin D., Jerri Rose, Debra Best, Julie Linton, Steven Chapman, Michele Lossius, Andrew Aligne, Cappy Collins, and Lisa Ayoub-Rodriguez. “The Community Pediatrics Training Initiative Project Planning Tool: A Practical Approach to Community-Based Advocacy.” Mededportal 13 (September 18, 2017): 10630. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10630.
    Full Text Link to Item
  - Armstrong, S. C., J. Wacker, D. Best, and M. E. McPherson. “Fighting childhood obesity (Part 2): Resources to help the community physician curb this epidemic.” Contemporary Pediatrics 28, no. 2 (May 5, 2011).
Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
Outreach & Engaged Scholarship
- Bass Connections Faculty Team Member. Exercise and Mental Health. 2018 - 2019 2018 - 2019
- Bass Connections Faculty Team Member. Exercise and Mental Health. August 2016 - May 2017 2016 - 2017

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Previous Appointments & Affiliations

In the News

Selected Grants

External Relationships

Selected Publications

Academic Articles

Outreach & Engaged Scholarship