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

Xiao-Jing Wang outlines the future of theoretical neuroscience

Wang discusses why he decided the time was right for a new theoretical neuroscience textbook and how bifurcation is a key missing concept in neuroscience explanations.

By Paul Middlebrooks
2 July 2025 | 112 min listen
Overlapping speech bubbles.

Memory study sparks debate over statistical methods

Critics of a 2024 Nature paper suggest the authors failed to address the risk of false-positive findings. The authors argue more rigorous methods can result in missed leads.

By Katie Moisse
2 July 2025 | 5 min read

Attention not necessary for visual awareness, large study suggests

People can perceive some visual information even if they do not pay direct attention to it.

By Kristel Tjandra
1 July 2025 | 5 min read