Makeba Parramore Wilbourn (born May 29, 1973) is an American developmental psychologist and professor at Duke University in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

[10] She is funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award which supports her exploration of how communication impacts the development of vocabulary.

[6] Wilbourn is interested in how race and socioeconomic status impact this development, with a focus on the black - white vocabulary gap.

[6] She worked with Allen Gottfried on the Fullerton Longitudinal Study, a program which monitors intellectual giftedness and the relationship with parental involvement and leadership development.

[16] Wilbourn is involved with community outreach and mentoring programs, and offers summer internships for underrepresented students at Duke University.