Linmarie Sikich

Linmarie Sikich serves as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC.

Her academic training includes:

• MD and M.A. from Washington University School of Medicine (1987)
• General Psychiatry Residency at Yale University School of Medicine (1989-1992)
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine (1992-1994)
• Child Psychiatry Research T-32 Training Program at Yale University School of Medicine (1994-1995)

Dr. Sikich specializes in translational research for autism spectrum disorder, focusing on oxytocin response mechanisms, neural circuit regulation of social motivation, and pharmacological interventions. Her work bridges clinical trials with genetic and epigenetic analysis, particularly examining treatments like RO5285119 and CM-AT. Recent media coverage highlighted her findings on ineffective hormonal autism treatments.

She leads multiple NIH-funded initiatives including:

• Characterizing (epi)genetics of oxytocin response (2017-2024)
• Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials (2015-2020)
• North Carolina Pediatric Access Line for IDD (2019-2021)
• Social behavior studies via SOARS-B protocol (2012-2018)

Her research portfolio demonstrates sustained federal support for investigating psychopharmacological approaches to neurodevelopmental conditions across pediatric populations.