Educators

Dr. Haroon is currently a final-year Psychiatry resident in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, and a future Forensic Psychiatry fellow for 2022-23 at the University of Southern California Institute of Psychiatry, Law, and Behavioral Science. He was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, and completed his medical school training at the Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi. Dr. Haroon credits his formative experiences in this city, surrounded by civil strife, widespread sectarian and political violence, and severe poverty, for fostering his interest in the field of Psychiatry. His clinical interests are centered on treating mental illness in underserved communities, non-combat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and destigmatizing mental health through education and advocacy. His research work is focused on the influence of Psychiatry and the Criminal Justice System on each other, and using scientific evidence to advocate for appropriate forensic evaluation and improved access to care for persons with mental illness in correctional settings.

Leslie Bronner MD, MPH, DrPH is a psychiatrist at Duke University Medical Center. She started her career in public health working on cardiovascular disease but soon turned her attention to behavioral health and completed a residency in psychiatry. Dr Bronner has diverse experience in public health, research, clinical care, administration and patient advocacy. One of her most meaningful experiences was when she worked at Southlight Inc, which is a residential substance abuse treatment center for pregnant women and women with children. She realized how important social factors were in disease development particularly the intergenerational cycle of abuse, neglect and poor parenting. She has since dedicated her career to understanding social factors, their impact on health status and trying to make an impact through her clinical work.

Hello and thank you for your interest in LMHA! I am a psychiatry resident at Duke University Health System and a graduate of the medical school, University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and am the child of a podiatrist and homemaker. In college, I ended up having some very meaningful volunteering experiences which pushed me to choose medicine as a career. In medical school, I discovered that having deep conversations and teaching brought me a lot of joy. I also found joy in understanding the complexity of patients with mental health problems and felt fulfillment in seeing such a stigmatized group of people. I ultimately chose psychiatry as a medical specialty and was fortunate to join Duke in July 2020. I’ve developed professional interests in cultural psychiatry, medical education, mindfulness-based interventions, and population mental health. I am thrilled to be an educator in LMHA where I can impact large groups of people and teach how to advocate for people who have historically been so underserved. I look forward to seeing everyone soon!