Emma Johnson

Emma Johnson

Assistant Professor in Psychiatry

Education & Training

  • PhD in Psychology – Behavioral, Psychiatric, and Statistical Genetics: University of Colorado Boulder, 2017
  • BSPH in Biostatistics: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2013

Major Awards

  • NIDA-NIAAA Early Career Investigator Showcase awardee, 2021
  • WCPG Early Career Investigator Program – Oral Presentation Award winner, 2019
  • RSA Memorial Award, 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.

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Key Publications

    • Colbert SMC, Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Helmer DA, Hauser ER, Keller MC, Polimanti R, Johnson EC, (2023 Jun). Declining autozygosity over time: An exploration in over 1 million individuals from three diverse cohorts. Am J Hum Genet. 110(6): 1008-1014.
      Read publication »
    • Johnson EC, Colbert SMC, Jeffries PW, Tillman R, Bigdeli TB, Karcher NR, Chan G, Kuperman S, Meyers JL, Nurnberger JI, Plawecki MH, Degenhardt L, Martin NG, Kamarajan C, Schuckit MA, Murray RM, Dick DM, Edenberg HJ, D’Souza DC, Di Forti M, Porjesz B, Nelson EC, Agrawal A, (2023 May). Associations Between Cannabis Use, Polygenic Liability for Schizophrenia, and Cannabis-related Experiences in a Sample of Cannabis Users. Schizophr Bull. 49(3): 778-787.
      Read publication »Associations Between Cannabis Use, Polygenic Liability for Schizophrenia, and Cannabis-related Experiences in a Sample of Cannabis Users.
    • Hatoum AS, Colbert SMC, Johnson EC, Huggett SB, Deak JD, Pathak G, Jennings MV, Paul SE, Karcher NR, Hansen I, Baranger DAA, Edwards A, Grotzinger A, , Tucker-Drob EM, Kranzler HR, Davis LK, Sanchez-Roige S, Polimanti R, Gelernter J, Edenberg HJ, Bogdan R, Agrawal A, (2023 Mar). Multivariate genome-wide association meta-analysis of over 1 million subjects identifies loci underlying multiple substance use disorders. Nat Ment Health. 1(3): 210-223.
      Read publication »Multivariate genome-wide association meta-analysis of over 1 million subjects identifies loci underlying multiple substance use disorders.
    • Johnson EC, Aliev F, Meyers JL, Salvatore JE, Tillman R, Chang Y, Docherty AR, Bogdan R, Acion L, Chan G, Chorlian DB, Kamarajan C, Kuperman S, Pandey A, Plawecki MH, Schuckit M, Tischfield J, Edenberg HJ, Bucholz KK, Nurnberger JI, Porjesz B, Hesselbrock V, Dick DM, Kramer JR, Agrawal A, (2021 Aug). Associations between Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Genetic Liability for Cognitive Performance, Depression, and Risk-Taking in a High-Risk Sample. Complex Psychiatry. 7(1-2): 34-44.
      Read publication »Associations between Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Genetic Liability for Cognitive Performance, Depression, and Risk-Taking in a High-Risk Sample.
    • Johnson EC, Demontis D, Thorgeirsson TE, Walters RK, Polimanti R, Hatoum AS, Sanchez-Roige S, Paul SE, Wendt FR, Clarke TK, Lai D, Reginsson GW, Zhou H, He J, Baranger DAA, Gudbjartsson DF, Wedow R, Adkins DE, Adkins AE, Alexander J, Bacanu SA, Bigdeli TB, Boden J, Brown SA, Bucholz KK, Bybjerg-Grauholm J, Corley RP, Degenhardt L, Dick DM, Domingue BW, Fox L, Goate AM, Gordon SD, Hack LM, Hancock DB, Hartz SM, Hickie IB, Hougaard DM, Krauter K, Lind PA, McClintick JN, McQueen MB, Meyers JL, Montgomery GW, Mors O, Mortensen PB, Nordentoft M, Pearson JF, Peterson RE, Reynolds MD, Rice JP, Runarsdottir V, Saccone NL, Sherva R, Silberg JL, Tarter RE, Tyrfingsson T, Wall TL, Webb BT, Werge T, Wetherill L, Wright MJ, Zellers S, Adams MJ, Bierut LJ, Boardman JD, Copeland WE, Farrer LA, Foroud TM, Gillespie NA, Grucza RA, Harris KM, Heath AC, Hesselbrock V, Hewitt JK, Hopfer CJ, Horwood J, Iacono WG, Johnson EO, Kendler KS, Kennedy MA, Kranzler HR, Madden PAF, Maes HH, Maher BS, Martin NG, McGue M, McIntosh AM, Medland SE, Nelson EC, Porjesz B, Riley BP, Stallings MC, Vanyukov MM, Vrieze S, , Davis LK, Bogdan R, Gelernter J, Edenberg HJ, Stefansson K, Børglum AD, Agrawal A, (2020 12). A large-scale genome-wide association study meta-analysis of cannabis use disorder. Lancet Psychiatry. 7(12): 1032-1045.
      Read publication »A large-scale genome-wide association study meta-analysis of cannabis use disorder.
    • Border R, Johnson EC, Evans LM, Smolen A, Berley N, Sullivan PF, Keller MC, (2019 05). No Support for Historical Candidate Gene or Candidate Gene-by-Interaction Hypotheses for Major Depression Across Multiple Large Samples. Am J Psychiatry. 176(5): 376-387.
      Read publication »No Support for Historical Candidate Gene or Candidate Gene-by-Interaction Hypotheses for Major Depression Across Multiple Large Samples.

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    Funded Research Projects

    Brain and Behavior Research Foundation(PI):The impact of prenatal cannabis exposure on placental epigenetics – implications for newborn brain and socio-emotional development
    NIDA(Significant Contributor):7/7 Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: Advancing Discovery and Impact
    NIDA(PI):Identifying genetic sources of comorbidity between cannabis and schizophrenia using genome-wide and integrative omics data
    NIH(Significant Contributor):Large-scale genome-wide analyses of a Danish population-based cohort to outline the genetic architecture of substance use disorders
    NIDA(Significant Contributor):Neurobehavioral pathways of polygenic and polyenvironmental effects on the onset and maintenance of substance involvement
    CDC(Significant Contributor):Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) Follow Up Studies, Components A,B,D & E