Nicole Karcher
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
- Phone: 314-935-8459
- Email: nkarcher@nospam.wustl.edu
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2020
- Ph.D.: University of Missouri Columbia, 2017
- M.A.: University of Missouri Columbia, 2012
- B.A.: College of William and Mary, 2008
Major Awards
- Schizophrenia International Research Society Rising Star Award, 2025
- Maltz Prize for Innovative and Promising Schizophrenia Research, 2024
- NIMH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award, 2020
- NIH Loan Repayment Program Award, 2019
- Mark H. Thelen Outstanding Clinical Graduate Student Award, 2015
Research Interests
My research primarily focuses on understanding the neural, genetic, cognitive, and environmental factors underlying the development and persistence of psychotic-like experiences in childhood and adolescence. My work uses several methodologies, including functional MRI, structural MRI, epidemiological, and genomic approaches to the study of the etiology of psychotic-like experiences. I am also motivated to develop identification and prevention efforts for children and adolescents at risk for the development of psychotic experiences, including efforts to reduce mental health disparities.
Recent Publications
-
Adverse Experiences, Protective Factors, and Obesity in Latinx and Hispanic Youths
Goldman, V., Esaian, S., Rivas Fernández, M. Á., Gonzalez, J. O., Karcher, N., Gold, J. I., Vidmar, A. P. & Adise, S., Dec 4 2025, In: JAMA Network Open. 8, 12, e2547104.
-
Perinatal insult dimensions and developmental trajectories of psychotic-like experiences
Larson, E. R., Karcher, N. R. & Moussa-Tooks, A. B., Dec 2025, In: npj Schizophrenia. 11, 1, 115.
-
Publisher Correction: Perinatal insult dimensions and developmental trajectories of psychotic-like experiences (Schizophrenia, (2025), 11, 1, (115), 10.1038/s41537-025-00662-6)
Larson, E. R., Karcher, N. R. & Moussa-Tooks, A. B., Dec 2025, In: npj Schizophrenia. 11, 1, 138.
-
Mental healthcare decision making, barriers to care, and psychotic-like experiences: Findings from a nationwide sample of Mental Health American respondents
Bridgwater, M. A., Petti, E., Savill, M., Oh, H., Lucas, K., Nguyen, T., Schiffman, J. & Karcher, N. R., Oct 2025, In: Schizophrenia research. 284, p. 41-47 7 p.
-
Mapping multimodal risk factors to mental health outcomes
Jirsaraie, R. J., Barch, D. M., Bogdan, R., Marek, S. A., Bijsterbosch, J. D., Sotiras, A. & Karcher, N. R., Oct 2025, In: Nature Mental Health. 3, 10, p. 1230-1240 11 p.