Maureen Durkin

Professor of population health sciences
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Maureen Durkin is professor and chair of population health sciences and Waisman Center investigator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received her undergraduate degree and Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. degrees in epidemiology from Columbia University. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of neurodevelopmental disabilities and childhood injuries, both globally and within the United States. She has collaborated in the development of cross-cultural methods for epidemiologic studies of developmental disabilities and methods for surveillance of childhood injuries and disabilities. She has also directed international studies on the prevalence and causes of neurodevelopmental disabilities in low-income countries. Durkin is currently a principal investigator in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network and other projects related to public health surveillance, epidemiology and care integration of autism and other developmental disabilities.

Explore more from The Transmitter

A blue comment bubble is pinned down by crisscrossing red threads and pins.

Neuroscience conference policy draws confusion, apology

NeurIPS organizers apologized and altered course after issuing a policy that barred submissions from researchers at U.S.-government-sanctioned institutions.

By Dalmeet Singh Chawla
27 March 2026 | 5 min read
Assembloids in a petri dish.

Funding for animal research alternatives reaches ‘inflection point’

The United States and Europe are dedicating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to advance novel alternative methods, but not all neuroscientists see this as a positive step.

By Claudia López Lloreda
26 March 2026 | 4 min read
Illustration of a laptop computer superimposed over a scroll.

‘Friction-maxxing’ in school: Students should read primary literature, not AI summaries

Trainees need to learn how to identify a neuroscience paper’s major takeaways and integrate them into their understanding. This skill doesn’t come from outsourcing the work to large language models.

By Nora Bradford
26 March 2026 | 5 min read