Sarah Hartz

Sarah Hartz

Professor of Psychiatry

Education & Training


  • Residency: University of Iowa, Iowa, IA and Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2009
  • MD: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 2005
  • PhD: Statistics: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, 2003
  • BA: Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 1996

Major Awards


  • The George Winokur Award for Resident Research, First Prize, 2007
  • National Council on Measurement in Education Educational Technology Applications Award, 2005
  • American Psychological Association Distinguished Dissertation, Division of Evaluation, Measurement and Statistics, 2003
  • National Council on Measurement in Education Brenda H Lloyd Outstanding Dissertation Award, 2003
  • Horace W. Norton Prize for the most outstanding thesis research in statistics, 2002
  • Maurice Tatsuoka award for excellence in educational measurement, 2001

Areas of Clinical Interest


Substance dependence, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia

Research Interests


Psychiatric Genetics

Key Publications


    • Hartz SM, Olfson E, Culverhouse R, Cavazos-Rehg P, Chen LS, DuBois J, Fisher S, Kaphingst K, Kaufman D, Plunk A, Ramnarine S, Solomon S, Saccone NL, Bierut LJ, (2015 May).Return of individual genetic results in a high-risk sample: enthusiasm and positive behavioral change.Genet. Med.. 17(5): 374-9.
      Read publication »Return of individual genetic results in a high-risk sample: enthusiasm and positive behavioral change.
    • Hartz SM, Pato CN, Medeiros H, Cavazos-Rehg P, Sobell JL, Knowles JA, Bierut LJ, Pato MT, Genomic Psychiatry Cohort Consortium (2014 Mar). Comorbidity of severe psychotic disorders with measures of substance use. JAMA Psychiatry. 71(3): 248-54.
      Read publication »Comorbidity of severe psychotic disorders with measures of substance use.
    • Hartz, SM, S Short, NL Saccone, R Culverhouse, L Chen, T Schwantes-An, H Coon, Y Han, SH Stephens, J Sun, X Chen, F Ducci, N Dueker, N Franceschini, J Frank, F Geller, D Guðbjartsson, N Hansel, C Jiang, K Keskitalo-Vuokko, J Liu, LP Lyytikäinen, M Michel, R Rawal, A Rosenberger, P Scheet, JR Shaffer, A Teumer, JR Thompson, J Vink, N Vogelzangs, A Wenzlaff, W Wheeler, X Xiangjun , BZ Yang, SH Aggen, A Balmforth, S Baumeister, T Beaty, S Bennett, A Bergen, H Boyd, U Broms, H Campbell, N Chatterjee, J Chen, YC Cheng, S Cichon, D Couper, F Cucca, D Dick, T Foroud, H Furberg, I Giegling, F Gu, A S Hall, J Hällfors, S Han, AM. Hartmann, C Hayward, K Heikkilä, JK. Hewitt, J Hottenga, M Jensen, P Jousilahti, M Kaakinen, S Kittner, B Konte, T Korhonen, MT Landi, T Laatikainen, M Leppert, SM. Levy, R Mathias, DW. McNeil, S Medland, G Montgomery, T Muley, T Murray, M Nauck, K North, M Pergadia, O Polasek, E Ramos, S Ripatti, A Risch, I Ruczinski, I Rudan, V Salomaa, D Schlessinger, U Styrkársdóttir, A Terracciano, M Uda, G Willemsen, X Wu, G Abecasis, K Barnes, H Bickeböller, E Boerwinkle, DI. Boomsma, N Caporaso, J Duan, HJ. Edenberg, C Francks, PV. Gejman, J Gelernter, HJ Grabe, H Hops, MR Jarvelin, V Jorma, M Kähönen, K. Kendler, T Lehtimäki, DF. Levinson, ML. Marazita, J Marchini, M Melbye, B Mitchell, JC. Murray, MM. Nöthen, BW. Penninx, O Raitakari, M Rietschel, D Rujescu, NJ Samani , AR. Sanders, A Schwartz, S Shete, J Shi, M Spitz, K Stefansson, G Swan, T Thorgeirsson, H Völzke, Q Wei, H.-E Wichmann, C Amos, N Breslau, D Cannon, M Ehringer, R Grucza, D Hatsukami, A Heath, E Johnson, J Kaprio, P Madden, N G. Martin, V Stevens, JA. Stitzel, RB. Weiss, P Kraft, LJ. Bierut. Increased genetic vulnerability to smoking at CHRNA5 in early-onset smokers. Archives of General Psychiatry, in press.
    • Hartz, SM, Eric Johnson, Nancy L. Saccone, Dorothy Hatsukami, Naomi Breslau, Laura J. Bierut (2011). Barrier to inclusion of African American subjects in genetic studies: engagement rather than participation. American Journal of Epidemiology. 174(3):336-44.
      Read publication »Inclusion of African Americans in genetic studies: what is the barrier?
    • Hartz SM, Lin P, Edenberg HJ, Xuei X, Rochberg N, Saccone S, Berrettini W, Nelson E, Nurnberger J, Bierut LJ, Rice JP; NIMH Genetics Initiative Bipolar Disorder Consortium (2010). Genetic association of bipolar disorder with the ß3 nicotinic receptor subunit gene. Psychiatric Genetics. 21(2):77-84
      Read publication »My Experience with Direct to Consumer Genetic Testing.
    • Hartz SM, Bierut LJ (2010 Mar). Genetics of addictions. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 33(1): 107-24.
      Read publication »Genetics of addictions.

    See more publications

    Funded Research Projects


    NIDA(PI):Novel Use of GWAS for Improved Understanding of Nicotine Dependence

    ICTS(PI):Return of Results in Genetic Studies