John Hettema, MD, PhD
Professor
Contact
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
8441 John Sharp Parkway
Clinical Building 1, Suite 1100
Bryan,
TX
77807
hettema@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.436.9155
Fax: 979.436.0055
Biography
I am a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Texas A&M Health Sciences Center and an affiliated faculty member at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). As a clinician-scientist, I have participated in patient care, clinical teaching, and research activities. Before coming to TAMU in 2019, I directed the VCU Anxiety Disorders Specialty Clinic for 19 years, providing residency training and patient care via the assessment and treatment of all the major anxiety and related disorders. My research efforts focus on the epidemiology, genetics, and biology of the anxiety and related internalizing disorders. I have extensive experience applying advanced statistical genetic methodology to these questions via analyses conducted in twin, family, and population-based samples. My recent projects include conducting meta-analyses of genome-wide association data on anxiety spectrum disorders (ANGST GWAS project, R01MH087646 and PGC-ANX project, R01MH113665), examining the effects of novel candidate genes derived from GWAS on internalizing psychopathology (R01MH039096), and collecting and analyzing endophenotypic measures underlying the development of internalizing disorders in a juvenile twin sample (R01MH098055). My research has been funded by NIH and private foundation grants. I am a founding co-chair of the PGC-ANX Working Group, and I have active collaborations with anxiety and depression researchers around the world. My publication list includes over 100 original research articles, reviews, and book chapters.
Education and Training
- Columbia University, New York, NY, BS, Applied Physics, 1980
- Yale University, New Haven, CT, PhD, Physics, 1990
- Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA, MD, 1996
Professional Certifications
- Internship/Residency in Psychiatry, VCU Medical Center, Richmond, VA 1996-2000
- Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, May 2001 (Re-certified 2011)
Research Interests
- Epidemiology, genetics, and biology of the anxiety and related internalizing disorders
- Twin and family studies
- Genome-wide association association studies (GWAS)
- Deep phenotyping/endophenotypes
Teaching Interests
- Medical/Clinical Teaching for Psychiatric Trainees
- Research Mentoring for Graduate Students and Post-docs
Awards, Recognition and Service
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society (1995)
- Rock Sleyster Scholar, American Medical Association (1995)
- Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (1996)
- Organon Annual Excellence in Psychiatry Award (1999)
- Pfizer/Society for Women’s Health Research Scholar (2001)
- VCU Psychiatry Resident Teaching Award (2015)
Memberships
- 2002-present - International Society of Psychiatric Genetics (ISPG)
- 2001-present - Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA)