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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Identifying novel gene dysregulation associated with opioid overdose death: a meta-analysis of differential gene expression in human prefrontal cortex
PGC-SUD Epigenetics Working Group, Dec 2026, In: Translational psychiatry. 16, 1, 335.
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Multi-ancestral genome-wide association study of chronic pain reveals widespread genetic correlations with mental and physical health traits
Romero Villela, P. N., Balbona, J. V., Sarabudla, N., Hatoum, A. S., Haroutounian, S., Agrawal, A. & Johnson, E. C., Oct 2026, In: Journal of Pain. 47, 106377.
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Genetic Pathways Point to the Biology Underlying the Association Between Cannabis Use Disorder and Psychosis
Austin-Zimmerman, I., Li, Q., Johnson, E. C., Trotta, G., Spinazzola, E., Coleman, J. R. I., Li, Z., Bond, B. W., Quattrone, D., Levey, D. F., Gelernter, J., Jauhar, S., Murray, R. M., Sham, P., Vassos, E. & Di Forti, M., Jul 2026, In: Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science. 6, 4, 100711.
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Co-occurring chronic pain and opioid use disorder diagnoses in the All of Us Research Program: associations with social determinants of health, mental health conditions, and polygenic liability
Johnson, E. C., Luo, Z., Romero Villela, P. N., Kadaba, S., Sarabudla, N., Balbona, J. V., Goodin, B. R., Haroutounian, S., Hatoum, A. S. & Agrawal, A., Jun 2026, In: EBioMedicine. 128, 106273.
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Trajectories of genetic risk across dimensions of alcohol use behaviors
COGA Investigators & Spit for Science Working Group, May 2026, In: Addiction. 121, 5, p. 1153-1165 13 p.