POP-GEM
Population Genetics and Environment
in Mental Health
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!​​​​​​​
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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!
Congratulations to Lanie Mullins!
June 2025
We’re thrilled to share that Lanie Mullins, PhD student at VCU, received the Rising Star Award at the BGA 2025 Annual Meeting for her poster on depression and immune system markers in older adults.
Using UK Biobank data, her work showed that immune ratios (MLR/NLR) are linked with depression, with NLR emerging as the stronger predictor.
Welcome Austyn Humble!
May 2025
First-year medical student, Austyn Humble, joins the lab as a 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.
POP-GEM Lab at APA 2025
May 2025
Lab Director Dr. Roseann Peterson and POP-GEM Lab member Dr. Tim Bigdeli were featured speakers in the invited symposium “Electronic health records, genetics, and the promise of precision psychiatry” at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. Dr. Peterson presented on PsycheMERGE and equity in EHR-linked biobank research, while Dr. Bigdeli shared insights from the Million Veteran Program on polygenic scores and dementia.
PsycheMERGE In-Person Meeting
May 2025
The PsycheMERGE team came together in May for an in-person meeting at the New York Genome Center, bringing together over 50 researchers, clinicians, and administrators from institutions including Mount Sinai, UCLA, Mass General, Downstate, Geisinger, UPenn, and Mayo Clinic. The meeting featured a research poster session showcasing work across the network, alongside focused discussions on key deliverables and collaborative goals. This gathering underscored the power of cross-institutional collaboration in advancing psychiatric genomics and building the future of personalized mental health care.
