Director of Research
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Clinical Health Psychologist
Ruth Quillian Wolever, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist and the research director of Duke Integrative Medicine. She specializes in behavior change, treatment of stress-related problems, and mind-body health. Both her research and her clinical practice focus on utilizing the connection between mind and body to improve health, and the application of integrative medicine techniques to affect lifestyle change. She also consults with Duke Corporate Education and the Fuqua School of Business Executive Education programs, helping executives identify strategies to better manage their challenging environments.
From a research perspective, Dr. Wolever studies the integration of innovative mind-body-spirit treatments into mainstream medicine. She has specifically explored such treatments to improve sleep, weight management, diabetes control, and other health indices. Some of this work focuses on the role of integrative health coaching in creating significant lifestyle change. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; National Institute of Mental Health; Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; and the Office of Women's Health), the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and GlaxoSmithKline.
Dr. Wolever has been working in the field of health psychology since 1989 and at the Duke University School of Medicine since 1994. She received her PhD in clinical health psychology from the University of Miami in 1994, and completed her clinical internship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine the same year. She is licensed as a clinical psychologist; certified as a health services provider, a PAIRS facilitator, and a LifeSkills trainer; credentialed in medical hypnotherapy.
Formerly, Dr. Wolever was the clinic director for Duke Integrative Medicine, and the director of the health psychology components of the Duke University Executive Health Program, Duke Diet & Fitness Center, and Duke Health & Fitness Center (collectively known as the Duke Center for Living). Prior to entering the field of health psychology, she earned her BA in Spanish at the Univerity of Virginia, taught in the Dade County Public High Schools, and directed a youth program in South Florida. She and her husband Mark are active in educating the public on Rett Syndrome. Her deepest delight is her daughter Emma.
