Skip to main content

John Guy Looney

Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychiatry
Box 3313 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27710
1558 Duke South Clinic, Blue Zone, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


John Looney, MD, MBA is a child psychiatrist of national stature,  a valued contributor to the School and the University for 30 years.  Dr. Looney was recruited to Duke as Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  In that role, he began the development of research in child psychiatry which has expanded into a major enterprise.   Dr. Looney is also the Emeritus Director of the Duke Substance Treatment Program for Youth and the Emeritus Director of the Duke Center for Psychiatry and Law.   He is Board Certified in many areas: 1) General Psychiatry, 2) Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 3) Addiction Psychiatry, 4) Forensic Psychiatry, and 5) Administrative Psychiatry.   Dr. Looney has been selected for Fellowship in the major honorary organizations in American Psychiatry, and is President Elect of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry.   

Dr. Looney’s primary interest is in the mental health of college students– helping them develop management skills to be successful in college.   Out of that interest he developed the first alcohol and substance abuse program for young people in an academic division of child psychiatry in the United States.

Dr. Looney received Professor Emeritus status in 2015.  In 2016, he was elected President of the Southern Psychiatric Association. He remains active at Duke and in the Department with his primary efforts being in the Consortium for the Study of The American College Student and Duke Forensic Psychiatry Associates.  He does external consultation in his areas of interest.  

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · 2022 - Present Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychiatry, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Recent Publications


Alcohol expectancies and drinking behaviors among college students with disordered eating.

Journal Article J Am Coll Health · 2016 OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated binge drinking, alcohol expectancies, and risky and protective drinking behaviors in relation to disordered eating behaviors in male and female college students. PARTICIPANTS: The full sample consisted of 7,720 undergrad ... Full text Link to item Cite

The social brain in clinical practice

Journal Article Psychiatric Annals · January 1, 2005 Aspects of the social brain concept have relevance in clinical practice on several levels. One application is in the common psychiatric task of the initial evaluation of patients with major depression. Specific case examples, while singular in nature, advo ... Full text Cite

The social brain: A unifying foundation for psychiatry [1]

Journal Article Academic Psychiatry · September 1, 2002 Full text Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


Preventing Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Young People (PADAYP)

Public ServiceCo Investigator · Awarded by Durham County Alcoholic Beverage Control Board · 2020 - 2021

Drug Abuse Treatment for Adolescents (DATA)

ResearchSupervisor · Awarded by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration · 2003 - 2007

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


University of Texas, Dallas · 1969 M.D.
Dartmouth College · 1966 B.M.S.