Emma Johnson
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
- Phone: 314-273-1873
- Email: emma.c.johnson@nospam.wustl.edu
Education & Training
- Ph.D.: University of Colorado Boulder, 2017
- M.A.: University of Colorado Boulder, 2016
- B.S.: University North Carolina, 2013
Major Awards
- NIDA-NIAAA Early Career Investigator Showcase awardee, 2021
- RSA Memorial Award, 2019
- WCPG Early Career Investigator Program – Oral Presentation Award winner, 2019
- ASHG Reviewer’s Choice Abstract, 2017
Research Interests
My long-term research goal is to better understand the genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders, particularly focusing on substance use and addictions. Within addictions, I am particularly interested in the study of more commonly used drugs, such as alcohol and cannabis. One current area of research interest is characterizing the relationships between substance use disorders and other psychiatric disorders and mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and chronic pain. A second area of research interest is using approaches from the population and evolutionary genetics fields to learn more about the genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders. I am currently one of the analysts for the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium’s Substance Use Disorders working group and a co-investigator in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism.
Recent Publications
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Investigating the polygenic relationship between heavy cannabis use and schizophrenia in the All of Us Research Program
Austin-Zimmerman, I., Thorpe, H. H. A., Meredith, J. J., Khokhar, J. Y., Ge, T., Di Forti, M., Agrawal, A., Johnson, E. C. & Sanchez-Roige, S., Dec 17 2025, In: Psychological medicine. 55, e381.
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Psychiatric genome-wide association study enrichment shows promise for future psychopharmaceutical discoveries
Hatoum, A. S., Gorelik, A. J., Blaydon, L., Huggett, S. B., Chi, T., Baranger, D. A. A., Miller, A. P., Johnson, E. C., Agrawal, A. & Bogdan, R., Dec 2025, In: Communications Medicine. 5, 1, 176.
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Defining suicidality phenotypes for genetic studies: perspectives of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Suicide Working Group
Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Suicide Working Group, Dec 2025, In: Molecular Psychiatry. 30, 12, p. 6144-6154 11 p.
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Parental Remission From Alcohol Use Disorder Shows Limited Protective Effects on Offspring Alcohol Outcomes
McCutcheon, V., Kuo, S. I. C., Smith, R. L., Tillman, R., Lai, D., Francis, M. W., Bourdon, J. L., Kamarajan, C., Chan, G., Kuang, W., Garasky, C. E., Sartor, C. E., Hesselbrock, V., Kuperman, S., Plawecki, M. H., Agrawal, A., Johnson, E. C., Schuckit, M. A., Salvatore, J. E. & Bucholz, K., Nov 2025, In: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 86, 6, p. 906-916 11 p.
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Genetic influences for distinct impulsivity domains are differentially associated with early substance use initiation: Results from the ABCD Study
Kinstler, E., Gorelik, A. J., Paul, S. E., Aggarwal, A., Johnson, E. C., Cyders, M. A., Agrawal, A., Bogdan, R. & Miller, A. P., Oct 20 2025, In: Psychological medicine. 55, e313.