We are thrilled to welcome Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD to Social Cascade's list of relevant and trustworthy content partners!
Learn more about how this organization helps serve a criticals for girls and women with ADHD in our Q&A with the Center's Co-Director, Julia Schechter.
Tell us more about Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD. Who does it serve?
The Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD is one of the only programs worldwide focused explicitly on the unique needs of girls and women with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Girls and women with ADHD face distinct challenges throughout their lives, and limited resources have been devoted to the scientific study and treatment of ADHD, specifically in this population. Through education, outreach, and research initiatives, the Center aims to enhance the lives of all individuals who identify as female—regardless of their sex assigned at birth—living with ADHD. The Center does not provide direct clinical services; instead, the Center aims to be a source of reliable, evidence-based information that can help support patients, families, clinicians, educators, and the public in learning more about ADHD and seeking out and receiving appropriate support in their communities. The Center is led by a multidisciplinary team of clinical psychologists, public health specialists, and a psychiatrist, with additional support provided by student and community volunteers.
How was Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD started?
The Center was founded in 2021 through an anonymous donation from a generous family with firsthand experience of the challenges facing girls and women with ADHD. This family was committed to helping others with similar experiences and decided to invest in creating a program devoted to the specific needs of girls and women with ADHD across their lifespans.
What is the mission of your organization?
The mission of the Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD is to advance education among patients, families, clinicians, educators, and the public about the experiences of girls and women with ADHD. While there is increasing recognition of ADHD as a common neurodevelopmental condition with significant functional impairment, considerable gender-based disparities in diagnosis and treatment persist. Girls and women living with ADHD are an often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and thus mistreated patient population, which leads to significantly poorer health outcomes. Available research indicates that being a female diagnosed with ADHD is associated with additional and unique risks when compared to males diagnosed with ADHD. For example, girls and women with ADHD are more likely to experience social and emotional difficulties, behavioral problems, and academic underachievement. Additional challenges in adulthood include financial hardships and obstacles to employment. By disseminating evidence-based information, partnering with community organizations, and conducting innovative research, the program strives to mitigate these negative outcomes and enhance the lives of girls and women living with ADHD.
Ultimately, the Center aims to become a leading nationwide resource for evidence-based information about girls and women with ADHD. Through outreach efforts, we want to change existing perceptions and start new conversations about girls and women with ADHD. For example, we want to raise awareness that ADHD is a brain-based disorder that looks different in girls and women than it does in boys and men. In addition, the vast majority of research on ADHD has been conducted using predominantly male samples. The Center is committed to participating in innovative research to optimize the well-being of girls and women with ADHD.
What is the potential size of the audience you'd like to reach?
We aim to be a resource for individuals worldwide. Since the launch of the Center in October 2021, our materials have been accessed in all 50 states and in 14 countries. To date we have a total of 1,738 followers across four major social media platforms and a total of 11,833 website users. We are confident that continuing to align with strategic partners, including Social Cascade, will lead to ongoing growth in the Center's audience.
How does social media factor into the success of those you provide services to?
Social media is a major factor in how we can spread awareness of what ADHD looks like in girls and women and what resources exist to support them best. The Center creates content for a broad audience, including patients, parents, educators, and clinicians. Each of our social media platforms caters to a specific sub-audience. With intentional content planning and Social Cascade's assistance, we can reach all of these groups.
How does working with Social Cascade assist the Center's goals?
Our relationship with Social Cascade allows us to continue to fulfill our mission by putting the Center on the radar of pediatricians and parents of daughters with suspected or diagnosed ADHD, a vital part of our target population. Working with Social Cascade has significantly boosted our overall social media presence. Since partnering with Social Cascade, all of the Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD's posts they have pushed out to their partners have had engagement rates above industry standards, with an average of ~10% engagement/post.
How can someone learn more about the Center?
You can find the Duke Center for Girls & Women with ADHD on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Also, you can sign up for the Center's newsletter and to join our Champions Circle for Girls and Women with ADHD to stay in the know about the latest Center happenings.
