Largest Consortium in Psychiatric History

Patrick Sullivan, M.D., FRANZC

UNC Department of Psychiatry

Yeargen Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics
Director, Center for Psychiatric Genomics, UNC Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Sullivan created the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium (PGC), the largest consortium in the history of psychiatry with 800+ investigators from 40+ countries. Results from the PGC have already provided clues to the genes involved in schizophrenia and bipolar depression.

The Foundation of Hope has provided funding on multiple occasions to support efforts to uncover the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders. Our long-term support helped begin the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium in 2007. Since its inception, it has produced over 40 major papers that have provided many novel insights into the fundamental genetic basis of psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression (including highly severe individuals getting ECT), postpartum depression, and autism. Much of the Foundation of Hope support was for early career investigators.