Janitza Montalvo-Ortiz, PhD
Assistant Professor of PsychiatryCards
About
Titles
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Biography
My research interests include the study of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms associated with psychiatry disorders. I investigate how trauma-related events increase the vulnerability to develop mental disorders later in life.
Last Updated on June 12, 2025.
Appointments
Psychiatry
Assistant ProfessorPrimaryBiomedical Informatics & Data Science
Assistant ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- All Institutions
- Biomedical Informatics & Data Science
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Janeway Society
- Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology
- Montalvo-Ortiz Lab
- Program in Translational Biomedicine (PTB)
- Psychiatry
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
Education & Training
- PhD
- Northwestern University, Neuroscience (2014)
- BA
- University of Puerto Rico, Biology (2009)
Research
Publications
2026
Advancing substance use disorder biology by studying underlying gene x environment interactions
Sidamon-Eristoff A, Rivera-Hernandez M, Huckins L, Montalvo-Ortiz J, Brennand K. Advancing substance use disorder biology by studying underlying gene x environment interactions. Current Opinion In Genetics & Development 2026, 97: 102443. PMID: 41702263, PMCID: PMC12919645, DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2026.102443.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsComplex genetic disordersSubstance use disordersExposure to drugsGenetic variantsNoncoding genomic regionsHuman stem cell modelsGenomic regionsGene x environment interactionsDrugs of abuseHuman geneticsStem cell modelSubstance use disorder researchTarget genesMolecular mechanismsDrug exposureIn-uteroClinical studiesGenetic riskGenetic disordersAnimal modelsUse disorderCausal directionNeurodevelopmental windowGenesDirection of associationBuilding epigenetic risk scores of opioid use disorder: Insights from human postmortem brain data
Heredia-Negrón F, Nagamatsu S, Carrasquillo-Carrion K, Hurd Y, Rompala G, Melín K, Garcia-Vassallo G, Roche-Lima A, Montalvo-Ortiz J. Building epigenetic risk scores of opioid use disorder: Insights from human postmortem brain data. Translational Psychiatry 2026, 16: 62. PMID: 41513637, PMCID: PMC12873295, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03792-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGene interaction networksPostmortem brain dataEpigenetic landscapeGene candidatesDNA methylationInteraction networkEpigenetic mechanismsDNA hydroxymethylationFunctional pathwaysSignaling pathwayWnt signalingEmbryonic developmentMolecular underpinningsGenesFunctional analysisFunctional significanceOpioid use disorderOpioid signaling pathwaysUse disorderDNAPathwayRisk scoreBrain dataMethylationOUD
2025
Pandemic Perceptions and Healthcare Decisions: Exploring Perceived COVID-19 Threat's Impact on Perinatal Healthcare in Florida.
Ulfat F, Thayagabalu S, Iglesias A, Xu K, Reeder C, Smith E, Cardel M, Loop M, Rodriguez P, Montalvo-Ortiz J, Hall J, Silva L, Rodriguez M, Wen T, Smulian J, Louis-Jacques A, Francois M, Shenkman E, Lemas D. Pandemic Perceptions and Healthcare Decisions: Exploring Perceived COVID-19 Threat's Impact on Perinatal Healthcare in Florida. Journal Of Prenatal And Perinatal Psychology And Health 2025, 38: 58-74. PMID: 39867431, PMCID: PMC11759499, DOI: 10.62858/apph241203.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHealth service utilizationService utilizationPrenatal care providersMental health screeningPerinatal healthcareOnline Qualtrics surveyMental healthcareCare providersHealth behaviorsMothers of infantsImpact well-beingHealthcare decisionsHealthcare deliveryHealthcare providersHealth screeningGeneral healthcareHealthcare sitesClinical Research ConsortiumPregnant participantsPatient behaviorHealthcareQualtrics surveyCOVID-19COVID-19 threatHealthComputational whole-body-exposome models for global precision brain health
Ibáñez A, Duran-Aniotz C, Migeot J, Báez S, Fittipaldi S, Coronel-Oliveros C, Eyre H, Udeh-Momoh C, Zetterberg H, Alladi S, Sandi C, Robertson I, Franzen S, Farombi T, Montalvo Ortiz J, Seshadri S, Court F, Valdes-Sosa P, Xu J, Yu C, Grinberg L, Lawlor B, Sachdev P, Yaffe K, Hachinski V, Friston K, Tagliazucchi E, Santamaría-García H. Computational whole-body-exposome models for global precision brain health. Nature Communications 2025, 16: 11078. PMID: 41372244, PMCID: PMC12698732, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67448-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMapping DNA methylation signatures to identify epigenetic variation across subcortical regions of the human PTSD brain
Li H, Liu Y, Shi Y, Wang J, Nguyen T, Xie Y, Zheng W, Cheng Y, Cruz D, Modliszewski J, Terwilliger R, Sliby A, Martínez-Magaña J, Montalvo-Ortiz J, Roache J, Averill L, Young-McCaughan S, Shiroma P, Huber B, Lewis D, Glausier J, Holtzheimer P, Friedman M, Zhang J, Peterson A, Abdallah C, Valizadeh A, Zhang X, Xu K, Krystal J, Duman R, Zhao H, Corcoran D, Williamson D, Girgenti M. Mapping DNA methylation signatures to identify epigenetic variation across subcortical regions of the human PTSD brain. Biological Psychiatry 2025 PMID: 41192574, PMCID: PMC12862789, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.10.032.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFear circuitryDNA methylationPost-traumatic stress disorderNeurobiology of PTSDTraumatic stress exposureDepressive disorder casesGene expressionSevere psychological traumaKetamine trialsPTSD patientsKetamine efficacyUnique biologyStress disorderDNA methylation signaturesCell typesMental disordersStress exposureSubcortical regionsPTSDPsychological traumaDisorder casesRNA-seqEpigenetic variationMethylation dataReference panelWhole-exome sequencing study of opioid dependence offers novel insights into the contributions of exome variants
Wang L, Nuñez Y, Martínez-Magaña J, Rivera-Hernandez M, Mao Z, Brennand K, Montalvo-Ortiz J, Kranzler H, Gelernter J, Zhou H. Whole-exome sequencing study of opioid dependence offers novel insights into the contributions of exome variants. Translational Psychiatry 2025, 15: 380. PMID: 41052974, PMCID: PMC12500996, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03578-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWhole-exome sequencing studiesGenetic architectureRisk variantsGene-based collapsing testCross-ancestry meta-analysisContribution of rare coding variantsGenome-wide association studiesWhole-exome sequencing dataRare Coding VariantsLow-frequency variantsParticipants of European ancestryLoss-of-functionExome variantsCross-ancestrySequence dataOpioid dependenceAssociation studiesMissense variantsTop genesEuropean ancestrySuggestive associationsRare variantsAfrican ancestryFunctional studiesYale-PennASSOCIATION OF PTSD SYMPTOM TRAJECTORIES WITH ACCELERATED PACE OF EPIGENETIC AGING IN U.S. MILITARY VETERANS
Nagamatsu S, Pietrzak R, Fischer I, Gelernter J, Montalvo-Ortiz J. ASSOCIATION OF PTSD SYMPTOM TRAJECTORIES WITH ACCELERATED PACE OF EPIGENETIC AGING IN U.S. MILITARY VETERANS. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 99: 21-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.08.498.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPosttraumatic stress disorder symptom trajectoriesPosttraumatic stress disorder symptomsPosttraumatic stress disorderU.S. military veteransSymptom trajectoriesMilitary veteransPTSD symptom trajectoriesPace of biological agingEvidence-based treatmentsPhysical health outcomesEpigenetic ageLongitudinal impactIntrusive thoughtsStress disorderBackground Mental disordersHeightened arousalMale U.S. military veteransMental disordersNegative alterationsChronic stressCross-sectional associationsVeteransMultivariate linear regressionHealth outcomesNo significant associationCOVID-19-RELATED STRESSORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND ACCELERATED EPIGENETIC IN ISLAND-BASED PUERTO RICAN POPULATION
Hernández-Garayua A, Rodríguez-León A, Núñez D, Nagamatsu S, Martínez-Gonzalez K, Giusti-Rodriguez P, Montalvo-Ortiz J. COVID-19-RELATED STRESSORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND ACCELERATED EPIGENETIC IN ISLAND-BASED PUERTO RICAN POPULATION. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 99: 10-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.08.473.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPost-traumatic stress disorderMajor depressive disorderCOVID-19 related stressorsCOVID-19 stressorsMajor depressive disorder symptomsPost-traumatic stress disorder symptomsRelated stressorsCombined sex analysesSymptoms of major depressive disorderPsychiatric disorder symptomsCOVID-19-related stressorsSelf-report measuresCOVID-related stressorsAdverse mental health outcomesMental health interventionsConsequences of stressorsMental health outcomesEpigenetic ageDepressive disorderEpigenome-wide association analysisSex analysisAt-risk populationsDisorder symptomsPCL-5Stress disorderA META-ANALYSIS OF GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES OF DEPRESSION IN LATIN AMERICAN COHORTS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM THE MDD WORKING GROUP OF THE LATIN AMERICAN GENOMICS CONSORTIUM
Corral-Frias N, Singh M, Chatzinakos C, Cárcamo J, Amaya L, de Oliveira A, Nuñez-Rios D, Ota V, Nagamatsu S, Toledo M, Bigdeli T, Martinez-Levy G, Lattig M, Montalvo-Ortiz J, Peterson R. A META-ANALYSIS OF GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES OF DEPRESSION IN LATIN AMERICAN COHORTS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM THE MDD WORKING GROUP OF THE LATIN AMERICAN GENOMICS CONSORTIUM. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 99: 12. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.08.475.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGenome-wide association studiesGenome-wide association study meta-analysisMeta-analysis of genome-wide association studiesGenetic admixtureAssociation studiesMental health equityBuilding Research CapacityBurden of depressionIndividuals of European descentPsychiatric genetic researchMental health outcomesWorking GroupGWAS Meta-AnalysisGenome analysis pipelineLatin American ancestryHealth equityHealthcare disparitiesHealth outcomesGeneralizability of findingsDepressive phenotypeSelf-report measuresResearch capacityGlobal disparitiesDiverse cohortEuropean descentINTEGRATIVE GENOMIC APPROACHES TO PTSD: INSIGHTS FROM GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES
Atkinson E, Bruxel E, Montalvo-Ortiz J. INTEGRATIVE GENOMIC APPROACHES TO PTSD: INSIGHTS FROM GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 99: 20-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.08.496.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPosttraumatic stress disorderPolygenic risk scoresAssociated with posttraumatic stress disorderBiology of posttraumatic stress disorderChronic posttraumatic stress disorderPosttraumatic stress disorder symptomsPTSD etiologyLong-term biological impactsProblematic alcohol useHeterogeneous psychiatric conditionU.S. military veteransBrain structural changesLongitudinal studyAlcohol-related problemsNeurobiological correlatesStress disorderSymptom coursePsychiatric conditionsComorbidity patternsComplex biological underpinningsAncestry-specific allele frequenciesBrain morphologyMilitary veteransBiological underpinningsGenetic influences
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
News
News
- April 22, 2025
Groundbreaking Study Highlights Critical Gap in Global Mental Health Research
- September 18, 2024
Montalvo-Ortiz Featured on Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists
- December 14, 2023
Montalvo-Ortiz Accepts Pamela Sklar Innovation Award For Latin American Genomics Consortium
- October 17, 2023
Construyendo Comunidad: Inaugural Conference Unites Latine Health Professionals