POP-GEM
Population Genetics and Environment
in Mental Health
NIH All of Us Science Day!
June 2026
POP-GEM Lab member Lung Fu, BS, presented his project done for the Data Science for Health Pathway (DS4HP) at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, presenting on atopic dermatits and new diagnosis of depression using the all of us research data bank.
​​​
BGA 2026 Annual Meeting!
June 2026
POP-GEM Lab members MadhurBain Singh, PhD, and Jolien Rietkerk, PhD, presented research at the 2026 Behavioral Genetics Association (BGA) Annual Meeting in New Amsterdam. Madhur presented findings from the PsycheMERGE Diversity Initiative, highlighting results from a trans-ancestry genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of depression diagnosis across more than 500,000 cases and 2 million controls. Jolien presented research characterizing the polygenic profile of reproductive-related affective disorders in an East Asian population, emphasizing the importance of expanding ancestral representation in psychiatric genetics. Their presentations were featured as part of the Global Psychiatric Genomics symposium, which showcased research advancing the understanding of depression, reproductive-related affective disorders, schizophrenia, and serious mental illness genetics across diverse populations.
BGA 2026 Program (Full Symposium 10)
​
​
SOBP 2026 Annual Meeting!
May 2026
POP-GEM Lab members Roseann Peterson, PhD, Tim Bigdeli, PhD, Markos Tesfaye Woldeyohannes, MD, PhD, and Peter Barr, PhD, presented research at the 2026 Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP) Annual Meeting in New York, highlighting POP-GEM Lab research and engaging with investigators and clinicians from across the biological psychiatry community. The meeting showcased innovative research focused on transformative approaches to understanding psychiatric illnesses, including emerging methods for investigating the biological pathways and markers underlying psychiatric symptoms and disorders. Congratulations to our presenters for representing the POP-GEM Lab at this premier scientific meeting!
Downstate Annual Research Day!
March 2026
POP-GEM Lab members Shwetha Phatarpekar, PhD, Gleda Kutrolli, PhD, Adrian Guin Rizzo, MSHI, Jolien Rietkerk, PhD, Markos Tesfaye Woldeyohannes, MD, PhD, and M.D./Ph.D. student Tadeusz (Teddy) Wroblewski presented research at the annual Downstate Research Day, highlighting POP-GEM Lab and Institute for Genomics in Health work and engaging with peers and faculty across the Downstate research community. Congratulations to Teddy for winning an oral presentation award. Poster session Abstracts.
Biological insights into schizophrenia from ancestrally diverse populations published!
January 2026
A collaboration between MVP and POP-GEM investigators led by Tim B. Bigdeli, has been published in Nature. The study analyzed ancestrally diverse populations to investigate the genetic architecture of schizophrenia, identifying more than 100 new risk loci and providing biological insights that improve understanding of disease risk across global populations. Read here!
Welcome Zara Nadeem, MPH, CHES!
December 2025
Zara Nadeem, MPH, CHES joins the lab as a Research Associate. She is currently a Medical Student at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. Zara will be expanding her research skills in environmental and genetic factors in the POP-GEM Lab.
Welcome Gleda Kutrolli,PhD!
November 2025
Gleda Kutrolli, PhD joins the lab as a Data Scientist. She will be applying her expertise in genomics research and data science in the POP-GEM Lab, contributing to analyses and collaborative projects.
Congratulations to Jolien Rietkerk, PhD!
November 2025
Jolien successfully defended her doctoral dissertation titled “Complex Polygenic Pathway Interactions in Psychiatric Disorders and Comorbidities” with magna cum laude distinction. Congratulations, Dr. Rietkerk!​​​​​​​
​​
Welcome Adrian Guin Rizzo, MSHI!
November 2025
Adrian Guin Rizzo, MSHI joins the lab as a Bioinformatics Research Associate. He will be assisting with various projects in the POP-GEM lab and in the Institute for Genomics in Health at the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University.
Phenome-wide Study of Sex Chromosome Trisomies Published!
September 2025
A collaboration between MVP, FinnGen, and UK Biobank, with contributions from POP-GEM investigators, has been published in The American Journal of Human Genetics. The study examined 1.5M participants and identified shared health risks across sex chromosome trisomies (SCT). Read here!
