Joseph D. Deak, PhD

My research interests focus on applying molecular genetic approaches to gain a finer understanding of the genetic and neurobiological influences on alcohol use disorder (AUD) and related alcohol traits (e.g., alcohol sensitivity), substance use disorders (SUDs) more broadly, and the co-occurrence of SUDs with other psychiatric conditions. These interests align closely with my clinical interests of providing evidence-based care for treating AUD, SUDs, and other psychiatric disorders. My work is centered primarily at the intersection of my research and clinical interests conducting large-scale genome-wide analyses of substance use outcomes in collaboration with colleagues within the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Substance Use Disorders (PGC-SUD) working group and the Million Veteran Program (MVP) analyst teams. It is the hope that this work will aid in bridging basic and clinical sciences for investigating the etiology of SUDs, and will contribute to the field’s progress in leveraging state-of-the-art molecular genetic approaches to better understand long-term SUD outcomes (e.g., alcohol-related disease), and translating molecular genetic findings toward the discovery and development of treatment and prevention approaches.

Advisor: Joel Gelernter, MD