Laura Bierut

Additional Titles & Roles

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• Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Psychiatry Department
• Leader of Precision Medicine Function, Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences

Education & Training

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• Residency: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1991
• M.D.: Washington University in St Louis, 1987
• B.A.: Harvard University, 1982

Major Awards

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• Langley Award for Basic Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 2018
• The Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Disease, 2014
• WUSM Distinguished Educator Postdoctoral Research Mentoring Award, 2012
• International Brain Research Organization Award,
• Washington University Book Award,
• Sidney I. Schwab Prize in Psychiatry,

Areas of Clinical Interest

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Smoking behavior, substance use disorder, genetically informed clinical care

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Research Interests

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As a physician scientist, I have led several studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study environmental and genetic contributions to smoking behaviors, addiction and other psychiatric and medical illnesses. I am an active member in the NIDA Genetics Consortium, a national group of scientists who are leading NIDA’s efforts to understand genetic causes of substance dependence. My research group conducted the initial studies which found that the a5 nicotinic receptor subunit genes on chromosome 15 and the a6ß3 nicotinic receptor subunit genes on chromosome 8 increase a smoker’s risk for nicotine dependence. In collaboration with other groups, we have since demonstrated that the same genetic variants that contribute to smoking in the chromosome 15 region also influence the development of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We are currently exploring how to translate genetic information to guide more effective clinical care. We have ongoing studies of genetic factors and smoking cessation treatment.
Lab website: https://healthbehaviorcenter.wustl.edu

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Recent Publications

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• Shared genetic architecture of posttraumatic stress disorder with cardiovascular imaging, risk, and diagnoses

  Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Dec 2025, In: Nature communications. 16, 1, 5631.

• Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses incorporating SNP-by-psychosocial interactions identify novel loci for serum lipids

  Lifelines Cohort Study, Bentley, A. R., Brown, M. R., Musani, S. K., Schwander, K. L., Winkler, T. W., Sims, M., Kilpeläinen, T. O., Aschard, H., Bartz, T. M., Bielak, L. F., Chai, J. F., Chitrala, K. N., Franceschini, N., Graff, M., Guo, X., Hartwig, F. P., Horimoto, A. R. V. R., Lim, E. & Liu, Y. & 125 others, Manning, A. K., Nolte, I. M., Noordam, R., Richard, M. A., Smith, A. V., Sung, Y. J., Vojinovic, D., Wang, R., Wang, Y., Feitosa, M. F., Harris, S. E., Lyytikäinen, L. P., Pistis, G., Rauramaa, R., van der Most, P. J., Ware, E., Weiss, S., Wen, W., Yanek, L. R., Arking, D. E., Arnett, D. K., Ballantyne, C., Boerwinkle, E., Chen, Y. D. I., Daviglus, M. L., de las Fuentes, L., de Vries, P. S., Delaney, J. A. C., Fretts, A. M., Ekunwe, L., Faul, J. D., Gallo, L. C., Heikkinen, S., Homuth, G., Ikram, M. A., Isasi, C. R., Jonas, J. B., Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., Komulainen, P., Kraja, A. T., Krieger, J. E., Launer, L., Wray, N., Wijmenga, C., Vonk, J. M., Visscher, P. M., Swertz, M. A., Snieder, H., Sanna, S., Nolte, I. M., Lopera Maya, E. A., Kuivenhoven, J. A., Franke, L., Deelen, P., Aguirre-Gamboa, R., Liu, J., Lohman, K., Luik, A. I., Manichaikul, A. W., Marques-Vidal, P., Milaneschi, Y., Mwasongwe, S. E., O’Connell, J. R., Rice, K., Rich, S. S., Schreiner, P. J., Schwettmann, L., Shikany, J. M., Shu, X. O., Smith, J. A., Snieder, H., Sotoodehnia, N., Tai, E. S., Taylor, K. D., Tinker, L., Tsai, M. Y., Uitterlinden, A. G., van Duijn, C. M., van Heemst, D., Waldenberger, M., Wallace, R. B., Wee, H. L., Weir, D. R., Wei, W. B., Willems van Dijk, K., Wilson, G., Yao, J., Young, K. L., Zhang, X., Zhao, W., Zhu, X., Zonderman, A. B., Deary, I. J., Gieger, C., Grabe, H. J., Lakka, T. A., Lehtimäki, T., Oldehinkel, A. J., Preisig, M., Wang, Y. X., Zheng, W., Evans, M. K., Province, M., Gauderman, J., Gudnason, V., Hartman, C. A., Horta, B. L., Kardia, S. L. R., Kooperberg, C., Liu, C. T., Mook-Kanamori, D. O., Penninx, B. W. J. H., Pereira, A. C., Peyser, P. A., Psaty, B. M., Rotter, J. I., Sim, X., North, K. E., Rao, D. C., Bierut, L., Miller, C. L., Morrison, A. C., Rotimi, C. N., Fornage, M. & Fox, E. R., Dec 2025, In: Translational psychiatry. 15, 1, 207.

• Correction to: Buprenorphine and postpartum contraception utilization among people with opioid use disorder: a multi-state analysis (Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, (2025), 20, 1, (1), 10.1186/s13722-024-00530-1)

  Xu, K. Y., Bello, J. K., Buss, J., Jones, H. E., Bierut, L. J., Stwalley, D., Szlyk, H. S., Martin, C. E., Kelly, J. C., Carter, E. B., Krans, E. E. & Grucza, R. A., Dec 2025, In: Addiction Science and Clinical Practice. 20, 1, 24.

• Buprenorphine and postpartum contraception utilization among people with opioid use disorder: a multi-state analysis

  Xu, K. Y., Bello, J. K., Buss, J., Jones, H. E., Bierut, L. J., Stwalley, D., Szlyk, H. S., Martin, C. E., Kelly, J. C., Carter, E. B., Krans, E. E. & Grucza, R. A., Dec 2025, In: Addiction Science and Clinical Practice. 20, 1, 1.

• Developing a genetic return of results service core

  Mckenzie, J. A., Mcroy, E., Bowling, K. M., Granadillo De Luque, J. L., Mozersky, J., Linnenbringer, E., Baldridge, D., Heusel, J. W., Neidich, J. A., Cashen, A. F., Bierut, L. J., Hartz, S. M. & Gurnett, C. A., Nov 17 2025, In: Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 9, 1, e265.

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Funded Research Projects

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