Anna R. Docherty, PhD, LP portrait
  • Assistant Director, Office Of Sr Vp Health Sci, Clinical and Translational Science Institute
  • Associate Professor, Psychiatry
801-213-6905

Research Summary

Dr. Docherty is a quantitative geneticist and a clinical psychologist, examining genetic risk and resilience in the context of severe outcomes including psychosis and suicide. She is particularly focused on risk across ancestral populations and 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 examines genetic risk and resilience in the context of mental health, with a focus on leveraging quantitative genomics to inform treatment and prevention of severe psychiatric outcomes. She has led several NIH-funded research projects focused on improving our understanding of biological risk of psychiatric outcomes and suicide across global populations. 

A current NIMH R01 involves multi-ancestry genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and polygenic risk modeling of population-based suicide death in the U.S. Another NIMH R01 involves the development of a brain tissue and blood biobank and postmortem suicide death based in Delhi, India. And another NIMH R01 leverages data from 41 global institutions to improve our models of psychiatric mortalities. Other NIH-funded projects include efforts to integrate health record data and exposure data across the lifespan with genomic metrics of health and disease.

Dr. Docherty helps lead global research and capacity-building as a member of the Steering Committee of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), and as Co-Chair of the Suicide Working Group of the PGC. She is a contributing PI to several other PGC working groups, with a focus on cross-disorder risks (MDD, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, PTSD, ADHD, Substance Use Disorders, Cross Disorders, CNV, ECT response, and the Latin American Genomics Consortium). She is heavily involved in cross-disorder efforts to map the latent genetic structure of psychiatric symptoms associated with the highest rates of mortality.

Dr. Docherty is Assistant Director of the Clinical and Translational Sciences Research Institute (CTSI) at the University of Utah, focused on enhancing sequencing, stem cell, and biorepository capacities for the SOM. She is Site PI and Associate Course Director for the NIH R25 annual quantitative workshop, Advanced Statistical Training for Imaging and Genetics, for rising stars in imaging and genetics. And with interests in public policy and bioethics, Dr. Docherty serves as Co-Chair of the Ethics & Public Policy Committee of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. 

 

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Docherty is licensed to practice in Utah.