Research Summary
Dr. Docherty is a quantitative geneticist and a clinician, examining risk and resilience in the context of severe outcomes including psychosis and suicide. She also examines genetic risks in the context of ancestry diversity. Her research team has worked with NIMH, the Simons Foundation, AFSP, and NARSAD to build predictive models of high risk. She has also built a pipeline for enhanced prediction of health outcomes (the "phenome") in emerging adulthood.
Education
- Advanced Quantitative Molecular Genetics, Psychiatry, Institute for Behavior Genetics, University of Colorado at Boulder
- Fellowship in Quantitative Genetics (NIMH T32), Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric & Behavioral Genetics
- Advanced Structural Equation Modeling for Genetics Studies, Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Boulder
- Fellowship in Behavioral Genetics (NIMH F31 NRSA), Psychiatry & Psychology, University of Minnesota
- Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Early Assessment of Psychosis Certification, Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
- M.S. , Clinical Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia
- B.A., English, Oberlin College and Conservatory
Biography
Dr. Docherty is a clinical psychologist and statistical geneticist. She examines risk and resilience in the context of severe psychiatric outcomes, and specializes in the clinical treatment of psychosis and severe depression. Dr. Docherty completed predoctoral and postdoctoral NIMH research fellowships, and was awarded grants during these fellowships to study the genetics of schizophrenia and treatment-resistant depression. This led to collaborations with the Wellcome Trust and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, and to lead projects at the University of Utah examining the genomics of suicide, schizophrenia, depression, and autism spectrum disorders.
Since joining the faculty in 2016, Dr. Docherty has led a computational laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry. The team has worked with NIMH, Simons Foundation, AFSP, the Tanner Foundation, NARSAD, and HMHI to build predictive models and to identify risk subtypes of major mental health outcomes. The team uses a computational pipeline for genome-wide genetic and epigenetic risk scoring of hundreds of mental and physical health outcomes (the “phenome”) across critical stages of human development.
Currently, Dr. Docherty’s focus is on enhancing prediction of risk as well as response to intervention (pharmacotherapies, neuromodulation) using statistical genetics. Dr. Docherty is heavily involved in the global research efforts of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), and she currently co-chairs the Ethics & Genetic Testing Committee of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics (ISPG) and the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). Dr. Docherty is also the Site PI and Associate Course Director of the HMHI NINDS R25 training workshop, Advanced Statistical Training for Imaging and Genetics.
As a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Docherty provides an outpatient clinic at HMHI focused on evidence-based group, family, and individual psychotherapies for the management of depression, anxiety, and psychosis. She also serves as a mental health provider liaison for the Univeristy of Utah Trans Health Program, and specializes in psychotherapy for LGBTQ+ individuals at a variety of developmental stages.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Docherty is licensed to practice in Utah.