Overview
Jonathan Robert Young, MD is a Medical Assistant Professor in the Duke Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and a Staff Psychiatrist at the Durham VA Health Care System. His clinical and research work centers on advancing evidence-based treatments for treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions and substance use disorders, with a particular focus on noninvasive neuromodulation. Dr. Young’s research integrates repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with neuroimaging and computational targeting approaches to improve precision, optimize dosing, and clarify mechanisms of action. A major area of emphasis is tobacco and nicotine use disorder, especially among high-risk populations such as veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He also contributes to the neuroethics and policy dimensions of brain stimulation, examining ethical, equity, and implementation considerations that shape responsible clinical translation. Dr. Young is co-editor of the Springer volume TMS and Neuroethics, which highlights emerging ethical and societal issues in neuromodulation research and clinical practice. Through Duke’s Bass Connections program, he leads interdisciplinary efforts that integrate artificial intelligence with evidence synthesis, including the development of WikiStim.org—an AI-enhanced, searchable repository of peer-reviewed neuromodulation studies designed to support meta-analysis, knowledge translation, and data-driven clinical decision-making. His broader goal is to build scalable, ethically grounded, technology-enabled frameworks that improve access, rigor, and real-world impact of neuromodulation-based care.