Gita Pathak, PhD
About
Titles
Postdoctoral Associate
Biography
Dr.Pathak is a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Renato Polimanti’s group working with psychiatric genetics. She recently received K99/R00, Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship, and the ADRC scholar award to focus on her long-term research interest of understanding genetics underlying Alzheimer's disease and psychiatric traits. In her postdoctoral work, she focused on system genetics of polysubstance abuse, cardiac amyloidosis, and mood disorders among other complex traits. She was the lead analyst for the investigation on Genomics of Gulf War Illness (GWI) under the Million Veteran Program (MVP), which houses genotype and clinical data on more than 650,000 veterans (under review). Dr.Pathak developed a high resolution multi-ethnic genome reference panel for the diverse MVP cohort to improve genetic ancestry identification of ethnic minorities (Wendt et. al 2022, Human Genomics). She is also one of the leading analysts for the Psychiatric Genomic Consortium – Major Depression Working Group wherein she integrated three-dimensional chromatin conformation to prioritize genetic variants associated with depression in 3.5 million individuals (World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics 2022). She initiated and performed analyses for the multi-institutional collaborative project with COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (HGI) to study regulatory effects of COVID-19 risk loci (Nature Communications). Within HGI, she performed phenome-wide association study for the variants identified in their data freeze 5 and led a team of four scientists. She is the first author for the data freeze 6 manuscript which identified ACE2 locus (Nature). So far in her postdoctoral training, she has published eight papers as first author, and 38 papers as co-author. Her skills involve Bayesian statistics, GWAS, epigenomics, fine-mapping, functional annotation, transcriptomics and admixture mapping.
She joined Yale after completing her doctoral studies at University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas. Her graduate work on understanding disrupted genetic variants underlying health effects earned her numerous awards as a graduate student. She was selected as a pre-doctoral fellow for the NIH-T32 Neurobiology of Aging (2017-18), Health Science Innovation Award at Annual NBA Symposium (2018), Texas Higher Education Grant, Outstanding Graduate Student in Genetics (2018-19), and was a pre-finalist for the MiHero predoctoral fellowship. She received full scholarship to attend the 23rd Statistical Genetics Summer Institute at University of Washington, Seattle.
She served as the communications member and then as a coordinator for the Yale Postdoctoral Association. She also mentored PhD students through the Women in Science at Yale initiative.
Education & Training
- PhD
- University of North Texas Health Science Center, Molecular Genetics (2019)
Research
Publications
Featured Publications
Genetic Liability to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Its Association With Cardiometabolic and Respiratory Outcomes
Pathak G, Singh K, Choi K, Fang Y, Kouakou M, Lee Y, Zhou X, Fritsche L, Wendt F, Davis L, Polimanti R. Genetic Liability to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Its Association With Cardiometabolic and Respiratory Outcomes. JAMA Psychiatry 2024, 81: 34-44. PMID: 37910111, PMCID: PMC10620678, DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.4127.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPosttraumatic stress disorderBody mass indexMass General BrighamPTSD symptom severityElectronic health recordsSymptom severityRespiratory outcomesMass indexRisk factorsMedical outcomesHealth outcomesMendelian randomizationDisease categoriesGenetic liabilityMeta-analyzed associationsSignificant medical outcomesNonspecific chest painC-reactive proteinMental health disordersUK BiobankMultivariable Mendelian randomizationPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomsChest painCardiac dysrhythmiasTobacco smokingGenetically regulated multi-omics study for symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder highlights pleiotropy with hematologic and cardio-metabolic traits
Pathak GA, Singh K, Wendt FR, Fleming TW, Overstreet C, Koller D, Tylee DS, De Angelis F, Cabrera Mendoza B, Levey DF, Koenen KC, Krystal JH, Pietrzak RH, O’ Donell C, Gaziano JM, Falcone G, Stein MB, Gelernter J, Pasaniuc B, Mancuso N, Davis LK, Polimanti R. Genetically regulated multi-omics study for symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder highlights pleiotropy with hematologic and cardio-metabolic traits. Molecular Psychiatry 2022, 27: 1394-1404. PMID: 35241783, PMCID: PMC9210390, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01488-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLocal genetic correlationsCell type-specific expressionVanderbilt University biorepositoryMulti-omics studiesMulti-omics investigationsDorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissueGenomic evidenceLaboratory traitsSpecific expressionCardio-metabolic traitsMillion Veteran ProgramPrefrontal cortex tissueMiR-148GenesGenetic correlationsRegulatory profileTraitsProtein expressionCardiometabolic traitsExpressionVeteran ProgramCortex tissueBiological heterogeneitySplicingPrioritization approachIntegrative genomic analyses identify susceptibility genes underlying COVID-19 hospitalization
Pathak GA, Singh K, Miller-Fleming TW, Wendt FR, Ehsan N, Hou K, Johnson R, Lu Z, Gopalan S, Yengo L, Mohammadi P, Pasaniuc B, Polimanti R, Davis LK, Mancuso N. Integrative genomic analyses identify susceptibility genes underlying COVID-19 hospitalization. Nature Communications 2021, 12: 4569. PMID: 34315903, PMCID: PMC8316582, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24824-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPutative causal genesGenome-wide association studiesUnderstanding of genesIntegrative genomic analysisTrans-ethnic studiesAssociation scanCausal genesGenomic analysisAssociation studiesDiverse ancestral backgroundsGenesSusceptibility genesBiobank JapanHost geneticsProtein levelsAncestral backgroundPathwayExpressionMRNA expressionSplicingRapid progressPhenomeGeneticsHost inflammatory responseCoagulation pathwayA first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative. A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19. Nature 2022, 608: E1-E10. PMID: 35922517, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04826-7.Commentaries, Editorials and LettersMapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative. Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19. Nature 2021, 600: 472-477. PMID: 34237774, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03767-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchACE2 Netlas: In silico Functional Characterization and Drug-Gene Interactions of ACE2 Gene Network to Understand Its Potential Involvement in COVID-19 Susceptibility
Pathak GA, Wendt FR, Goswami A, Koller D, De Angelis F, Initiative C, Polimanti R. ACE2 Netlas: In silico Functional Characterization and Drug-Gene Interactions of ACE2 Gene Network to Understand Its Potential Involvement in COVID-19 Susceptibility. Frontiers In Genetics 2021, 12: 698033. PMID: 34512723, PMCID: PMC8429844, DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.698033.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGenome-wide association studiesGenetic variationFunctional characterizationCOVID-19 susceptibilityHuman genetic variationSilico functional characterizationDrug-gene interaction databaseTranscriptomic regulationGene networksGenetic variant associationsMetabolic domainsMulti-level characterizationPhenome-wide associationAssociation studiesDrug-gene interactionsVariant associationsInteraction databasesGenesKey adhesion moleculeGenetic variantsPhenotype categoriesPotential involvementMiRNAsAdhesion moleculesPotential mechanismsGenetically-regulated transcriptomics & copy number variation of proctitis points to altered mitochondrial and DNA repair mechanisms in individuals of European ancestry
Pathak GA, Polimanti R, Silzer TK, Wendt FR, Chakraborty R, Phillips NR. Genetically-regulated transcriptomics & copy number variation of proctitis points to altered mitochondrial and DNA repair mechanisms in individuals of European ancestry. BMC Cancer 2020, 20: 954. PMID: 33008348, PMCID: PMC7530964, DOI: 10.1186/s12885-020-07457-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWhole blood tissuesCopy number variationsNumber variationsGene expressionGenome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0Mitochondrial apoptosis regulationRNA-seq informationGenetic variantsDNA repair mechanismsGene expression changesDNA repair processesGene expression associationsGene expression profilesGene network informationDNA repair genesCopy number dataCopy number analysisGene OntologyApoptosis regulationDNA repairEnriched pathwaysEnriched processesOrganismal injuryTranscriptomic profilesExpression changesTwo‐stage Bayesian GWAS of 9576 individuals identifies SNP regions that are targeted by miRNAs inversely expressed in Alzheimer's and cancer
Pathak GA, Zhou Z, Silzer TK, Barber RC, Phillips NR, for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative B. Two‐stage Bayesian GWAS of 9576 individuals identifies SNP regions that are targeted by miRNAs inversely expressed in Alzheimer's and cancer. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2020, 16: 162-177. PMID: 31914222, DOI: 10.1002/alz.12003.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGenome-Wide Methylation of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Mexican Americans Highlights Genes Involved in Synaptic Transport, Alzheimer's Disease-Precursor Phenotypes, and Metabolic Morbidities.
Pathak GA, Silzer TK, Sun J, Zhou Z, Daniel AA, Johnson L, O'Bryant S, Phillips NR, Barber RC. Genome-Wide Methylation of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Mexican Americans Highlights Genes Involved in Synaptic Transport, Alzheimer's Disease-Precursor Phenotypes, and Metabolic Morbidities. Journal Of Alzheimer's Disease 2019, 72: 733-749. PMID: 31640099, DOI: 10.3233/jad-190634.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2024
Comorbidity Profiles of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Across the Medical Phenome
Hicks E, Niarchou M, Goleva S, Kabir D, Johnson J, Johnston K, Ciarcia J, Pathak G, Smoller J, Davis L, Nievergelt C, Koenen K, Huckins L, Choi K, Group P. Comorbidity Profiles of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Across the Medical Phenome. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science 2024, 4: 100337. DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100337.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchElectronic health recordsClinical knowledge gapsPhysical health problemsPhenome-wide associationPheWAS analysisBiobank participantsHealth recordsEpidemiological researchHealthcare systemTest associationsMedical phenomeAssociated with osteoporosisPulmonary heart diseasePhecodesHealth problemsLogistic regressionPosttraumatic stress disorderSex differencesPheWASComorbidity profilesHeart diseaseStress disorderInteraction termsAssociationPTSD
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
Links & Media
News
- November 01, 2023
Yale Study Finds Genetic Links Between Some Health Conditions and PTSD
- May 11, 2023
Yale-led Study Pinpoints Why Some Adults Develop Hearing Problems
- August 31, 2022Source: ABC News
The Genetics Behind Why Some People Get Sicker With COVID-19 Than Others
- July 09, 2021
Large Genomic Analysis Highlights COVID-19 Risk Factors