Nicole Karcher

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

View clinician profile

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

---

• Describing Psychotic Experiences Through Online Psychosis Screens: A Content Analysis

  Oh, H., Parekh, T., Sweeney, C. & Karcher, N. R., Sep 2026, In: International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research. 35, 3, e70092.

• Mediating effects of healthy lifestyle factors on associations between mental health and functional outcomes in early adolescence

  Smucny, J., Lesh, T. A., Niendam, T. A. & Karcher, N. R., Jul 7 2026, In: Psychological medicine. 56, e215.

• Patterns of brain-wide associations reflect socioeconomics

  Marek, S., Donohue, M. R., Karcher, N. R., Hoyniak, C. P., Chauvin, R. J., Meyer, A. C., Miller, J., Van, A. N., Wang, A., Baden, N. J., Suljic, V., Scheidter, K. M., Monk, J., Whiting, F. I., Ramirez-Perez, N. J., Krimmel, S. R., Metoki, A., Paul, S. E., Gorelik, A. J. & Hendrickson, T. J. & 16 others, Malone, S. M., Schwarzlose, R. F., Cardenas-Iniguez, C., Herting, M. M., Petersen, S. E., Luby, J., Randolph, A. C., Shanahan, M. J., Turkheimer, E., Kay, B. P., Gordon, E. M., Laumann, T. O., Barch, D. M., Fair, D. A., Tervo-Clemmens, B. & Dosenbach, N. U. F., Jun 11 2026, In: Science. 392, 6803, eaee6213.

• What we have learned about adolescent mental health and where we are going after a decade with the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

  Baskin-Sommers, A., Gearing, D., Ramduny, J., Zhang, Z., Townsend, N., Dupree, C., Fink, C., Horenkamp, L., Karcher, N. R., Patel, H., Kemp, E. C., Moorman, B. A., Hagan, K. E., Sawyers, C., Potter, A., Cioffredi, L. A., West, A., Purcell, A., Ibe, O. & Kliamovich, D. & 17 others, Anokhin, A. P., Aupperle, R. L., Brown, S., Clark, D. B., Foxe, J. J., Gee, D. G., Larson, C., McGlade, E., Nagel, B. J., Neigh, G., Tapert, S. F., Giarrusso, H., Nunez, A., Tay, J., McCurry, K. L., de Araujo, M. C. A. & Barch, D. M., Apr 2026, In: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 78, 101686.

• Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief Child Version

  Zhou, J., Womer, F., Karcher, N. R., Zhang, R., Zhu, Y., Yu, Y. & Wang, F., Mar 31 2026, In: National Medical Journal of China. 106, 12, p. 1171-1176 6 p.

See more publications

Funded Research Projects

---

View NIH Research