
Nicole Schramm-Sapyta
Associate Professor of the Practice, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Nicole Lewellyn Schramm-Sapyta earned her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from N.C. State University in 1994 and her doctoral degree in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University in 2000. She is currently an associate professor of the practice and Associate Director of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. She has a long-standing interest in the neurobiology of mental illness and drug addiction, using rodent models to investigate adolescent vulnerability to addiction. More recently, her research interests have shifted to examining the intersection of mental illness, addiction, and incarceration. Her course offerings at Duke include “Drugs and the Law,” “Mental Illness, Addiction, and Incarceration,” and “Biological Bases of Behavior.”
She co-leads a Bass Connections research team on the subject of “Mental Health and the Justice System in Durham County.” This team’s work is a collaborative effort with many Durham County-affiliated groups who share her interest in improving conditions for those with mental illness and substance use disorders who are involved in the criminal justice system.