Menu

Advancing Mental Health Research through Global Partnerships

By Office of the President | Dec 3, 2024

Advancing Mental Health

The Institute for Genomics in Health (IGH) at Downstate, is leading research to better understand mental health conditions, including psychosis, depression, posttraumatic stress, and substance abuse. The interdisciplinary team studies how both genetics (what we inherit) and life experiences (our environment) affect mental health. Working with partners worldwide and across different medical fields—like neurosurgery, heart health, and metabolism—they explore how genetics impacts many areas of health.

At a recent seminar, IGH researchers stressed the importance of working globally. They discussed how social stress, such as discrimination, can affect how certain genes work, sometimes triggering symptoms of mental health conditions. The event highlighted how our genes and life experiences work together to shape our mental health.

One challenge in genetics research is that most studies on psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) focus on people of European ancestry, which limits how well the results apply to other groups. Also, polygenic risk scores (PRS) —which aim to predict a person’s risk based on genes—explain only a small part of risk in psychiatric disorders, like schizophrenia. Research that includes more diverse groups is essential for findings that apply to everyone. By identifying and correcting biases, IGH aims to make mental health care more equitable and precise.

Looking ahead, the team is focused on incorporating more diverse populations into research to gain deeper insights into the genetic and social factors influencing mental health conditions. They are partnering with institutions around the world, including Nigeria and Trinidad & Tobago to study how different social settings influence mental health, helping to separate genetic effects from environmental ones. Many thanks to the Downstate faculty who participated in this seminar:Ramaswamy Viswanathan, M.D., DrMedSc, Interim Chair of Psychiatry and President, American Psychiatric Association; Roseann E. Peterson, Ph.D., Associate Director, Institute for Genomics in Health; Tim B. Bigdeli, Ph.D., Acting Director, Institute for Genomics in Health, Ernest J. Barthélemy, M.D., MPH, Chief of Neurosurgery, and Tanya Taylor, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine/ STAR Program.

We are also deeply grateful to our distinguished guest speakers and panelists from other institutions: Dr. Conrad Iyegbe, PhD from Mount Sinai Medical Center here in New York; Dr. Oye Gureje from the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, Nigeria and Dr. Gerard Hutchinson, MD from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad. Their insights greatly enriched the discussion.

View the Seminar

Psychosis in a global context: advancing discovery through partnership