..:: Studies ::..
I’m involved in a variety of studies that are primarily focused on the identification of genetic variation underlying complex disease. My doctoral work involved a large scale meta-analysis of bipolar disorder linkage data and that work has further developed into a fine-mapping association effort of chromosome 6 as well as a whole genome association study. Another meta-analytic project known as AlzGene is an ambitious project that set out to catalog and conduct a meta-analysis of all published Alzheimer’s Disease candidate gene association studies. Following the success of AlzGene, we’ve started the resource development on other disorders, including SzGene (Schizophrenia) and PDGene (Parkinson’s Disease). More recently, we’ve started working on methodology geared towards the large-scale association studies (i.e. whole genome or genome-wide association) particularly using family-based data. My integration into the Institute for Behavioral Genetics has also led to new substantive areas of behavioral genetic research including addiction, impulsivity/disinhibition. Future efforts include meta-analytic approaches for genome-wide association data, optimization of correlated phenotypes for genetic studies and the role of mental disorders on general health outcomes.
